Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-12-13
JACKS WORK CHANGED.
II T. Il ;rHir fr HOEE ~ yHH
N.W CEI'ISEHS.

Til Great M r"ncr ""'wHen he Old
Navy AID the New illustrated by the
Fhjl d -lphi.,.
/ w,ud Un d tlicu't to finl a more
vivid illustration Of navai pro sress than
is afford Il by The new ste cru ser
Philadelphia when taken in comparison
with the wooden steam frjgatns and
rorvett.,S Of our Navy. Tn contrast
betv cen the two is as sharply drawn as
black and white TO one who has
served any length of TIM in the old
Navy, to which category the wooden
shirs have been relegat d since tie nd
vent of the steel crui ,eIs Il change to a
vessel of tie Philadelphia type seems
| e breaking with the past and begin
ming IA new life and Occupation. The
eve searches in vain for some familiar
object: nov here is found u point %
resemblance between the oil Navy an
the repr, sem ative of the new. From
construction to routine everything i
d iTerent i he mariner of the piping
times of roof tackles and royal yards
looks rcgratijliy at her Stun of mill
tarv ma,js, and makes a mental cajcu-
l"tiOn of how long it would be Lefore
his life lil"S lmrove should the ship be
on lee sjrrre and some part of that
mass of conrplcatnd machinery bnne tn
him got or of ord II.
And this alb eNCe of sp1rs and cnu5e-
GU M exemption from drill with spars
and sail is one of tn first things motto =
able to one accustomed to heavily
spared ship, of the wooden navy. In
those the call of the boatswain. A.a-ll
hands" send up or send down something,
re eatn by his mate on the lower decks,
sends every one tumbIing up from be-
low several times a dar, This is never
Heard on the Philadelphia, as the attract
i've, SNOWY, somewhat risky, and en-
tirely useless sail and spar drill is inn
practicable on a ship Shat carries neither
sail nor spars With these dashing evolu
tons al0ft so fine and striking, so highly
rrizad bv first lieutenants when done
smartlv, and of 50 little value withal, it
has been matter of much con lecture
as to what outlet the effervcscent energy
of executives would find on ships where
such drills have the merit of being inn
possible.
None the less clustering and obsolete
is the exercise at "generi quarters" in
vo rlle on the wooden Shi, $ two of which
are attached at the present to our
| SQUADRON of evolution. For the pur-
I pose of illustrating the change IN
drills tina the NV ships have brought
about, it will be necessary to give an
idea of how they are conducted on the
| old.
The exercise of Clear ship for action, !"
/ for instance, is something more than
elaborate. Not Ion; sine it was the
writer, fo.tun" t, he on board one CT
/ t. e old claa; when this order was given.
| Instantly the quiet orderly grou, OF
men about the decks were in motion,
/ t. topmAn aWarninG a!oft, marines
| tossing hammp,'';s "ut of the MEETINGS to
| be used as larrrudes for the sharp
shooters, W:1i.e tine power division
scrambled down hafc,twayS to receive
and stow orioles which another
division WIS ,,1 ling below. Preventer
braces were rove OFT, back stays "snaked
down" by a painful process, light yards
and mastS sent from aloft, and splinter
nettings stretched along the bulwarks.
Awniu 5, halli nd racks, ladders, and
! the iuaHv OF ct articles about deck
| I:ab'e to incumb"r the movements of the
| crew, o Iii al ~ the executions killing
of somrtody il the mimic fray, were
tumblrd re lmell down the matches.
| Finally. hen all was snug aloft and the
decks clear of every hing but the para
phernaa Of battle, alo her order was
given and the sharp rattle Of the drum
. I ,1,l 70, ",ranalnI :" A tl1a
first tap the gun CT WIS swarmed like
bees around tier respective guns.
/ Quoins were knocked away, lashinG
cast adrift, ard the guns, when released
! from their confinement, run ill., loaded,
and run out,
Presently an incautiou, enemy on the
starboard beam got a bI roadside. Stimuli
taneously another appeared on the port
hand, and the order, Man both sides
every other gun With a full crew. was
heard. Across the deck two gun divi-
sions went, tumblng over ramrods,
sDonges, and each other, only to find the
elusive foe dead ahead. Prepare for
rakrng fire from forward" was the next
ORDER and, in oh 'dience to it, the men
crouched behind gun carriages, matches,
anything that off red protection from
dea lily end ON fire. Presently the enemy
gained the forecas,le, evidently with
blood in his eve. and the Order Rally
on the quarter deck" was given, sup"
plemented by the command, Retreat
firing" The crew streamed aft, firing
as they went A hoWitzer loaded with
canister blocked one side of the deck--a
Gating grlnned threateningly down the
other. The boar lers, with bare cutIass
in one hand and revolver that wouldn't
revolve in the other, crouched behind
the pieces. The marines and rifemen
fixed bayonets, and fell in rear.
Clear and sharp came the next COM
mand, Fire, charge, and clear the
decks" The primers snapped in the
howitzer, the locks of the Gatling clicked
like policeman's rattle, and hundred
crouching forms bounded forw ard on
the trail of the discounted enemy.
Scramblng over the pivot gun carriage,
they warmed up the forecaStle ladders,
and as the order, "B ard with cheer"
reached them, rushed t. the rail with a
flourish of cutlasses and a deafening
cheer.
The drill has n great deal of swagger
about it, is very snowy, and very useful
for diverting visitors but beyond that
I il is as useless and AS obsolete for fight
ing purposes as the bow and arrow drill
| of the ancientS