The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-04-10

and come down on the other side. It's
a high climb, but if a boy don't have
the nerve to 60 over they won't take
him. l got over all right and then
they took me down below to the berth
deck and picked out my sailor clothes.
Beside clothes they gave each of us a
hammock, mattress, two blankets and
q few other little things, such as brush
es, soap and combs. Each of us has a
jack-knife and lanyard, too. The Ian
yard is this cord that goes around the
neck, and it's fastened to the knife,
SO that If we drop it when we're up
in the rigging it won't fall on anybody.
Eight BELLS unused the lad, as the
solemn notes Of a deep-toned gong
were waited upon an odor of boiling
coffee from below. "Another hour and
Wen have supper"
"You have supper at nine bells, do
youP" ventured the reporter, trying
to appear familiar with the sailor dia-
lect.
"We'd have to wait for it a good
while if we did," laughed the young
sailor. "You see," he explained, ''the
bell begins back at one stroke after it
has struck eight, and it strikes every
half hour. Eight bells is four O'Clock,
and we have supper at two bells" The
boy shortly took himself off to relate
the funny mistake to his companions,
for thereafter they stared at the report
er with an air of mingled scorn and
merriment which finally drove him
from the ship.
The real schooling of the sailor boys
do not begin until they are trans
ferred to the training ship at Newport.
While aboard the Minnesota they are
piped out of their hammocks every
morning by a shrill note from the
boatswain's whistle followed by the
sing-song cry: "All hands-up all
hammocks." The cry is taken up and
passed along from hammock to ham,
mock by the waking boys until all have
tumbled out. Then there is a great
sourrying to see who will be dressed
and have his hammock and bedding
dashed up first. The hammocks are
slowed in a netting on the deck above
during the day. The boys are forbidden
to lay their hammocks on the deck OF
across the guns, but must hold them
from the time they are carried to the
spar deck until they are taken in by the
slower. A few hours are spent nearly
every morning in washing down the
decks and polishing the brass-work
about the ship. At noon all hands are
! piped down to dinner, and at sunset
the bugler sounds a call for hauling
down the colors. Five minutes later
comes supper. After supper ham
mocks are piped down, at eight bells
tattoo is sounded, and an hour later the
crew is ordered to turn in and keeI
silence.
Talking after bedtime, swearing,
fighting and other boyish offences are
punished in several original ways, the
most common of which is to make the
offender ''toe a seam" for several
minutes at a time or send him aloft tc
"keep q masthead lookout" Boy
who are careless about their clothes OF
their hammocks are obliged to carry
them on their shoulders for an hour OF
two every morning until they are
cured. Solitary confinement on bread
and water for five days is the severest
punishment which the naval regula'
tons permit, except it be awarded by 6
court-martial. Only boys between the
ages of fourteen and eighteen years are
received at the training-ship. From
the moment an apprentice enlists his
pay is nine dollars per month, and he
is placed in a class, where he acquire.
the rudiments of his prospective pro
fession as a sailor. They are allowed
pocket money and a reasonable amount
of leave of absence, and car visit theil
homes twice a year while in the waters
of the United States. In addition tc
studying arithmetic, geography anc
United States history while on the
training-ships, the boys are given regu
lar practice in boxing, fencing, rowing
and sailing boats. When qualified fol
sea, they arc drafted to a cruising prac'
tice ship and visit Europe or the Wes'
Indies. After returning to the United
States and visiting home for ten days
or two weeks, boys are transferred tt
naval vessels in all parts of the world
This is usually about fifteen months
after enlistment, and he is not apt tc
be changed again until he is of age
Then he may receive his discharge OIL
be re-enlisted at will N. Y. World.