The Dickinson press., 1892-11-05
A SAILORS BURIAL.
An Impressive Service ut Sea on Board "a
MaN-of-Mnr Whom n Srnraan Niex

All impressive service ut Sea on Board u
Man-of-war When II Seaman Dies.
When maritime Jack dies he is buried
without much undue ceremony. y brief
prayer, a shotted hammock, the lee rail,
and all is over But on board Il ship-of-
war a sailors funeral is pathetic in its
digni6ed simplicity. No muster Of the
ships company is, naturally, so sad as
this, and You can see it on the faces of
all when the subdued shrilling of the
bo'sw'n's whistle is followed by the long
drawn out and modulated call of "All
hands bury the dead"
The men come aft quietly and take
their allotted stations. To lecward. if it
be at sea, or upon the port side of the
quarter deck, if not in port. the Seamen
are ranged in the front rank: behind
them are the ordinary sca,len anl in
II rear of both the apprentices and the
landsmen. In the ganswav forward of
sail power senior petty officers stand 1t
attention. Around the coffin. folded in
the jack or national ensign, arc grouped
the ~rallbearerS, selected usually from
the dead mans mess or sun division.
and close at hand. resting on arms. the
marine guard is paraded. Nearest III.
coffin are the chaplain and the captain.
and then i'll order of their rank strc;eh
aft the other officers of the ship.
The ensign at the peak or STAFF tiutter>
tremblingly at half mast, and .romovev-
head the yard and stay tackles swing
laZily, ready TO lift the coffin cupboard.
When the weather permits thu WAY Of
the ship is stopped, and, it may hc. little
fickers of illing steam curl upward and
to lceward like incense, and the wind in
the backed and fretting topsai!s muir
murs Il dirse. The order to ''uncovvr"
is passed gently, and while the beau,i-
full words of the burial service are being
read the hush of the living is acccn-
tuated by the low accompunimentsof sea
sounds-by the rumple of eager waters
eddyins sternwara, and by the surging
of the breeze in the hollows Of the cam
vas and through the rigging and gear.
When the closing prayer is said, the
last blessing given, the tackles are
manned, the coffin is strippedo of It's flags
and slung in straps, and slowly, revcr-
emily is hoisted above the rail and clear
of the ship until it is poised over the bill.
lows. The marines load, aim, fire, in
all three volleys, that awaken rafting
echoes i'll the hidden spaces of the ship:
the bugle sounds "taps" tenderly and
swcctly, with Il newer meaning of sleep
and rest; the coffin swings further out
and is lowered gently until the foam
and spoondrift moistcn it; the tackles
are detached With sudden jerk, and in
an instant the weighted box shoots
downward, bcddel i'll foam and bubbles,
and all is over until the sea gives up the
dead.
In u little while the checry whistles
trill out Il call to duty; tie half masted
ensign climbs TO the lashcr block; the
ships brought 10 her course, and dazcdly
the men take up the wearying routine
of the lives so sadly broken. An UNI
usual quiet rests upon the vessel and
around the mess tables, but in the groups
gathered TO smoke during the supper
hour and after the hammocks are piped
down the virtues-those heroic and
honest sea yirtues-of the dead sailor arc
recalled, and With IL tenderness born of
Il c%omradesllip closer than any other
men except soldiers may know.-New
York Tablet.