The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-01-04
HeaYing tho Lead.

An old sailor who has spent his lifo
since boyhood in the United States navy
and merchant marine service was dis
eussing the many disasters which have
happened of late to both steam and
sailing vessels.
49," Mark ye, lad," he said, as he re-
hlled his pipe and proceeded to blow q
cloud, they mostly happens because
the hand lead or deep sea lead and limo
amt hove properly. There amt ono
sailor In ten as can heave the lead prop
erly or that knows tho marks and deops.
and can sing the song as it is always
sung by sailors who can heave the lead
properly
. whats the songp
well, dye soc, you've heard sailors
az the capstan bars getting the anchor
apeak or swaying up the yards. Well.
~ am e that Kind of singing, but sort
OF peculiar musical drone. Tho pilots
Kho" IL well. 1t Is prolonged, and if
Chey waited for the end to come they
would often 60 ashore before it was fin
lshed. But they know what's coming.
and it's Stand by for stays readv
about, hard lee, before the leadsma5
IN the fore chains has got to the warm
ing, BY the mark three
"Heaving the lead is hard work. and
requires great skill and long practice.
IN the navy it Is true that men can be
FOUND who are far better at this impor-
tane part OF seaman's duty than in
the merchant service. The reason ia
That by an order of the Navy Depart
ment every man-of-war, when on short
soundlngs, whero the hand lead is ncces
sary' Is Obliged to keep n man in the
chalns on both sides of the ship nipht
ana DAY, and no question of the neces-
slty Oh such service is entered into. In
merchant vessel, on tho contrary.
the hand lead is seldom if ever hove'
except when, in fogy weather, the pilot
requires it. This applies to steamers
Also" ''0''
Chow do you heave tho lead and
how can you tell how much bottom vom
have under your"
The old sailors pipe had gone ont.
but, after firing up and freshenino tho
NIP, he continued:
There are certain designations on n
hand lead line termed by seamep marlre
and deeps. The line is usually twenty
fethoms, and the lead weighs five t9
nine pounds. A deep sea lead weiohs
from twenty-five to forty pounds. Tho
nrst Two fathoms are called deeps, and
are not usually marked, except when
vessels habitually come into shoal water.
Inc third fathom Is marked generally
by. three leather tags. The fonrtb
Sathom Is deep, and not marked. At
the NTH fathom Is a white flannel or
linen rag. The sixth fathom is a deem.
ana the seventh has red mark of |
Duntlng, flannel, or calico. The eighth !
ana ninth fathoms are deeps, and the
tenth is marked by piece Of leather
with round hole in it. The eleventh
IS marked with one tag of leather or
Knot, the twelfth with two tags of leath-
ar, and the thirteenth with three taos ~
leather, but the fourteenth Is deem and
always was. The fifteenth fathom ia a
mark with white rag Of any mnter;aI
q piece of your shirt, perhaps. The next
four fathoms are all deeps. The TWEEN
neth tathom is a mark with q piece If I,
leather with two holes dug orst,, or rone
wove in with two knots. Beyond shia
nothing but deep sea lead, with shin
hove to, can give Captain or n nilot
any correct idea Of the water he has IN.
DER him. In olden tirles, before the
DAYS OF steamers, vessels had TO ba far
oetter posted as TO their distance from
shore than the modern steamer. She
can get off shore under almost any cir
ounstanoes, but the sailing vessel dared
NOT venture often TO come within less
Snan twenty miles of lee shore. TO
know all those marks, tell by the lead.
wnlch has a little tallow at it's end to |
catch the sand or mud over which Won
may Do passing, what kind of bottom |
you nave under you, and to heaye the |
lead properly, above all things is indeed
the task of skilled seaman.
'EVery one Almost has heard of the
skipper who piled between Boston and
nantucket. Mop Well, he had in his
cabin flower pot filed with earth from
Nantucket. He boasted he could tell
where he was al ways by tasting the bot.
tom OF the lead. Well, one night he
boWsed up his Jib pretty well, and a
passenger put the bottom of the lead
anpoNfhe flower pot, and after Dreten dino
% heave it handed it to the Captain.
The Captain tasted 1t Vs usual, and then
ran wildly up the companionway on
deck, exclaining. Let go the anchor,
Nsntucket's sunk, ana here we are right
over my old woman's garden AS a
matter OF fact, steamers run along this
coast commanded by men whose almost
only guide IS the lead. They heave it
continuously dsy and night, as is done
on q Iaan.ofswar, whether there appears
20 be any necessity for it or not, Take
q steamer regularly plying between hero
and Savannah OF CharleSton, for In.
stance. Her Captain has TO run that
vessel leaving New York az certain hour
OK g certain day and the Southern port
similarly, and he ia expected to arrive
"a 8 certain horr Of another day. IfS The The
weather be fine lie has no difficulty. The
coast, along which he runs closely, is d
yell hGwith lighthouses, and he knows
syery ono cf them., Bot II the weather
be foggg, With no chance to see q light