The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-04-21
FOR UNCLE SANS NAVY.
TEACHING APPRENTICES ON A
TRAINING SHIP.
Putting Youthful Recruits Under a
Rigid Examination-Q Queer PEN
alties for Forgetting y the Rules.

A group Of bright, wideawalSe lads,
dressed in sailor suits Of dark blue. with
jaunty little fat crowned caps to match,
gathered about veteran gunner aboard
the United States steamer Minnesota, at
New York, and listened with admiration
TO tales Of battles on the seas The old
man was costumed in all respects as they
were, save for q device in white cotton on
the sleeve of his jacket, which might
have represented an eagle, dragon or a
butterfly. He reclined easily against a
big twelve-pound howitzer, which stuck
its ugly nose through a square-cut port
hole in the vessels side, and his unkempt
gray beard wagged with every word he
rolled from his ready tongue. His aud
fence were newly naval ap-
prentices, who were about to be removed
to the training ship New Hampshire, at
Newport.
''How do you like being a sailorl" a
World reporter asked of one manly little
fellow. "a jolly time of it you must
have together In this great old ship"
1--WE did not exactly come out for fun, "
said the lad half seriously, 'and they
don't allow much slylsrking on board,
anyway, but it's great fun to help the
sailors as we're doing just now, and can
tie sailors knot already as well as any old
SALT
Don't you ever use the bowling-alley
down-stairs9" questioned the reporter,
innocently.
THAT amt a bowling-alley. You
mean the shot-rack down below on the
gun deck. A young fellow named Cutter
made the same mistake the first day he
came here and the crew haven't got over
it yet. l Thought the old gunner's mate
would a. died laughing at him"
"What do we have to do to be en-
hsted2 Well, came here a week ago
with my father. We saw the captain
and he asked me if l could read and
write and went through all sorts of oues-
ttons to see if I'd ever been bad boy.
Then he sent me in to the surgeon. The sur
geon wanted to know if I'd ever been sick
and told him was sick now-of being
a lubber-and that had had the whoop-
ing cough and measles when 1 was a
baby. He asked whether l smoked or
drank, or had fits, and told him used
cigarettes once in while. After that he
held up printed card to see if / could
read it across the room and did without
any trouble. was told to strip off nv
clothes, and the surgeon felt of my
limbs just as jockey goes over horse,
tapped my chest and looked at my teeth.
thought he wanted to tell how old |
was, but he said it was only to see if
they were sound, because four bad teeth
wouldn't be taken in one boy. When 1
had been thoroughly examined they took
my weight and height and the measur-
ment of my chest, and said was all right.
l thought was ready at last to sign my
articles, but they next made me go over
the top, as sailors call it, which is to
climb up the lower rigging on one side
OF the mast and come down on the other
side. It's high climb, but if boy
don't have the nerve to go 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 q hammock, mattress, two blan-
kets and few other little things, such as
brushes, soap and comb. Each of us has
a jack-knife and lanyard, too. The lam
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, " mused the lad, as the SOL
emn notes of deep-toned gong were
waited upon an odor of boiling coffee
from below. "Another hour and we'll
have supper"
You have supper at nine bells, do
you" ventured the reporter, trying to ap-
pear familiar with the sailor dialect.
WED have to wait for it good while
if we did," laughed the young sailor.
'You see, " he explained, "the bell be-
gins back at one stroke after it has struck
eight, and it strikes. every half hour.
Eight bells is o'clock, and we have sup.
per at two bells.n The boy shortly took
himself off to relate the funny mistake to
his companions, for thereafter they stared
at the reporter with an air of mingled
scorn and merriment which finally drove
him from the ship
The real schooling Of the sailor boy
does not begin until they are transferred
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
hammock by the waking boys until all
have tumbled out Then there is
a great scurrying to see who will
be dressed and have his hammock
and bedding lashed up first. The ham
mocks are slowed in a netting on the
deck above during the day. The boys
are forbidden to lay their hammocks on
the deck or 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
neraly 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
Dugler sounds call for hauling down
the colors. Five minutes later comes
supper. After supper hammocks are
piped down, at eight bells tattoo is