Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-05-17
80N A MAN -OF-W AR.
DAILY ROUTINE OF DUTY ON
AMERICAN wARSHIPS.
Az .it to One of orr Naval Vessels
ihe Pennnnt Always Flies,
and an officer Is
Ever on Deck.

OuhtinS hcfeT COlIleS uOWH uutli Iut YES
sci is temporarily or permanently re-
tired from active service So long as
the pennaut flies the quarter deck must
be patroled by an officer in uniform.
This vigilance is never relaxed night or
day, whether the ship is sailing hostile
waters in war time OF tied to navy
yard wharf in period of absolute peace.
For twenty -four years the United States
have been al peace with themselves and
all the world, yet in oil that time there has
not been an instant, night or day, when
the officer of the deck has not kept watch
on every ship i'll commission. Discipline,
order, precedence, cleanliness are the
gospel of the United States manor
war.
Here lies ship in commission, moored
at navy yard wharf. Step on board,
and see how oil is done. An orderly
halts you, learns your business and per-
mits you to pass the gang-plank. It is
o'clock in the morning. The fires in
the cooks galley have been lighted siuce
1880, and it is nearly four hours since
the drum and fife sounded the reveille
that brought oil hands on deck. At
this sound the seamen awake, dress,
lash up their hammocks and make ready
for bread and coffee
Then, after u short season of smoking,
the men "turn to" and wash down the
decks. All is done at the boatswain's
whistle. Two hundred stout seamen
with hose and what not can make n
ships de * very clean, but for time ex-
tremely uncomfortable. While this oper-
alton goes on the imperturbable officer
of the deck, in rubber boots, OF, shock
ing to say, sometimes in bare feet, keeps
up his ceaselcss tramp. At 1890 the
sluegecs. long handed boards with rub
Der strips on the lower edge, are applied
to the decks, aud the water disappears.
At o'clock the seamen have their
breakfast of oatmeal, sausage and cof-
fee, or perhaps of hominy, canned meat
and chocolate. Jack is very we'll fed,
and the witticlsm that Zone mans
canned meat is another mans poison,n
inspired by the horrors of the British
commissariat In the Crimea, has not
been applied to the food of the United
States man. of-wars man. At this hour
the colors are hosted; that is, if it be
week day the United States flag is sent
up to the gaff, or if it be Sunday or
holiday the Union Jack is displayed at
the bow. AT s 80 the men have finished
breakfast, and at 0:15 they are ready for
work. At this hour the "sick call''
sounds, and those who are unwell visit
the surgeon in the "sick bay" or ships
hospital, tiny space we'll up in the eye
Of the ship.
BY this time the uniform of the day.
has been announced to the officers. 1t
may be any one Of half dozen outfits,
and there is disposition to accuse the
powers that be of ordering white duck
on cold Gays in the north and blue cloth
in the tropics. The Captain decides upon
the uniform of the day unless his ship be
in the presence of an Admiral, in which
case the uniform is signalcd from the
flagship to all the other vessels lying in
the same port.
odd stories are told to illustrate the
rigidity Of discipline in the matter of
dress. Should an officer present himself
above the gangplank clad with the
slightest deviation from the uniform of
the day he would be instantly ordered
below by the OF Ger of the deck. The
wrong hat, the wrong tie or single
button out of place would pro cure this
reprimand.
AT 9:l5 the decks are cleared for
Quarters, aud at 0:S0 the call is
sounded for that interesting perform
ance. "Quarters" is simply the assem-
bling of all on board at their proper
posts. When the sound to quarters is
heard there is n scurrying into uniforms
and buckling on of swords in the ward
room. The line officers rush on deck, the
paymaster stands by his safe and the
surgeon looks to his knives. In five min
ntes the line officers return to the ward
room with the announcement that the
country is saved on c more Drill fol-
lows quarters. 1t may be with small
arms, with musket or what not. One
thing is assured, and that is that no sea-
man shall long remain in the possession
of leisure. If nothing needs to be done,
employment is invented. There is paint
ing, mending, washing, splicing and
dozen other more or less useful things
of which landsman would not dream.
AT 11:a0 the officers, who have had
coffee and eggs some hours before, are
served with regular breakfast. AS it
is paid for by themselves it may be as
good or bad as they choose At the
same hour the ships cook solemnly APP
proaches the officer OF the deck and pre-
sents for his examination samples of the
seamen's dinner. The officer with equal
solemnity tastes each dish, and mayhap
makes hearty meal. The dinner con
oioto VI CACCiiCHI sup, Souc SOTL OIL
fresh or salt meat, two or three vegeta-
bles, perhaps coffee and bread. The
meal is served at noon and followed by
pipes and tobacco. At IL. ". the sea-
men are again ready for work. More
drill follows and the afternoon is flied
UP with whatever needs to be done or
can be invented. At four o'clock the
men take light supper. and from five
to six they ''stand by" to do whatever
work is provided. AT six the boatswain
pipes down hammocks, and the men
take the hammocks from the place on
deck where they have been airing all
day long. Pipes, music and yarn
spinning follow until nine O'Clock, when
all lights in the forcastle are extin.
guished and the men are supposed to
have turned in. After that all must be
quiet.
At 10 o'clock the ships Corporal en-.
tiers the wardroom, or officers quarters.
and, turning out the lights, says: "Tcn
o'clock, gentlemen. lie then asks each
officer whether he wishes permission to
keep light for some time longer in his
room. An extension of two hours NAV