The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-01-03
Heaylng the Lead.


An old sailor who has spent his lie |
since boyhood In tho United States navy |
and merchant marine service was dis
cusslng the many disasters which have
happened Of late to both steam and
sailing vessels.
Mark ye, lad" he said, as he re-
filed his pipe and proceeded 10 blow a
cloud, "they mostly happens because
tho hand lead or deep sea lead and line
amt hove properly. There amt one
sailor In ten ~ can heave the lead prop
erly or that knows the marks aud deeps,
and can sing the song as IL is always
sung by sailors who can heaye the lead
properly"
''What's the song?'
We'll, dye ace, you've heard sailors
at the capstan bars getting the anchor
apeak or swaying up tho yards. Well,
ii amt that kind Of singing, but sort
OF peculiar musical dr0ne. The pilots
know IL well. 1t Is prolonged, and II
they waited for the end 10 come they
would often 90 ashore before 1t was fin
ished. But they know what's coming,
and It's 'Stand by for stays, ready
about, hard lee,' before the leadsman
In the fore chains has got to the warn
Ing, BY the mark three
"IIeaving tho lead is hard work, and
requires great skill and long practice.
In the navy II Is true that men can DO
found who IRE far better at this impor.
tant part OF q seaman's duty than in
tho merchant service. The reason Is
that by an order OF the Navy Depart.
ment every man-of-war, whcp on short
soundings, where the hand lead IL ncces-
sary, Ia Obliged to keep man in tho
chains on both sides of the ship night
and day, and no question Of the necos-
sity Of such service Is entered into. In
merchant vessel, ON the contrary,
tho hand lead is seldom II over hove,
except when, In fogy weather, the pilot
requires 1t. This applies to steamers
Also"
Show do you heave the lead, and
how can you toll how much bottom you
have under youp''
The old sailors ppo had gone ont,
but, after firing up and fro5hening tho
nip, he continued:
"Thcre are certain designations on u
hand lead line termed by scamcn marks
and deeps. The line IL usually twenty
fathoms, and the lead weighs five to
nine pounds. A deep seq lead WEIGHS
from twenty-five to forty pounds. Tho
first two fathoms are called deeps, and
are not usually marked, except when
vessels habitually come into shoal water.
The third fath0m IL marked generally
by three leather tngs. The fourth
fathom Is deep, and not marked. At
the fifth fathora Is white flannel OF
linen rag. The sixth fathom Is u deep,
and the seventh has red mark OF
bunting, flannel, or calico. The eighth
and ninth fathoms are deeps, and the
tenth Is marked by piece Of leather
with round hole In II. The eleventh
Is marked with one ting OF leather or
knot, the twelfth with two tags OF leath-
or, and the thirteenth with three tags OF
leather, but tho fourteenth is a deep and
always was. The fifteenth fathom ~ n
mark with white rag Of any material,
. plece of your shirt, perhaps. Tho next
four fath0ms are all deeps. The twen-
heth fathom Is mark with piece Of
leather with two holes dug or.,, or rope
wove In with two knots. Beyond shis
nothing but deep sea lead, with ship
hove TO, Can give Captain or pilot
any correct idea of tho water he has un.
der him. In olden times, before the
days Of steamers, vessels had to be far
better posted as 10 their distance from
shore than the modern steamer. She
can get of shore under almost any cir.
oumstances, but the sailing vessel dared
mot venture often to come within les.
than twenty miles OF leo shore. To
know all those marks, tell by tho lead
which has little tallow ut It's end Il
catch the sand or mud over which 70,
may be passing, what kind Of bottom
you have under you, and TO hoavo Tho
lead properly, above oil 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. lie boosted he could tell
where he was always by tasting the bot.
tom OF the lead. Well, ono night he
bowsed up his jib pretty we'll, and
passenger put the bottom of the lead
into the flower Dot, and after pretondin9
70 heave II handed II 10 the Captaip.
Tho Q aptain tasted 1t vs. usual, and thon
ran Wildly up the companlonwav ON
deck, exclaiming. Lot 40 the anchor
Nsntucket's sunk, and here wa are rioht
over my old womau's garden AZ a
matter OF fact steamers run along This
coast commanded bv men whose almost
only guide Is the lead. They hsaye a
continuously day and night, as Is done
on nnan-of-wsr, whether there appears
10 be any necessity for II or not. Taks
q steamer rcgularly plying between here
and Savannah or Charleston, Tor in.
stance. Her Captain has to run tina,
vcssol. leaving New York at o certain hour
at q certain day and the Southern port
similarly, and he Is expected to arrive
q . certain bour OF another day. II tho
weather be hne he has no difficulty. The
coast, along which he runs closely, ID
well lit with lighthouses, and he knows
Svsry Uus'Of tt6ms But II tbs westhsr
b tbggy, With no chance To Soc q light
Or make an observation. thon Il becomes