Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-11-20
4 SAILORS BURIAL.

An Impressive Service at Sea on Board a
Man-Of-gar When "A Seaman Dies.
When maritime Jack dies he is buried
without much undue ceremony. A brief
prayer, shotted hammock, the lee rail,
and all is over. But on board a ship-of-
war sailors funeral is pathetic in its
| dignified 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 ont and modulated call of Gall
! hands bury the deadp
The men come aft quietly and take
their allotted stations. To leeward, 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 seamen and in
the rear of both the apprentices and the
| landsmen. In the gangway forward of
| the mainmast on such ships as still have
sail power senior petty officers stand at
attention. Around the coffin, folded in
the jack or national ensign, are grouped
the pallbearers, selected usually from
the dead mans mess OF gun division,
and close at hand, resting on arms, the
marine guard is paraded. learest the
coffin are the chaplain al ne captain,
and then in order of their rank stretch
aft the other officers of the ship.
The ensign at the peak or staff hutters
tremblingly at half mast, and from over
head the yard and stay tackles swing
lazily, ready to lift the coffin outboard.
When the weather permits the way of
the ship is stopped, and, it may be, little
fiickers of idling steam curl upward and
TO leeward like incense, and the wind in
the backed and fretting topsails muir
murs dirge. The order to uncover"
is passed gently, and while the beauti-
full words of the burial service are being
read the hush Of the living is accen-
tuated by the low Accomplishments of sea
sounds-by the rumple Of eager waters
eddying sternward, and by the surging
of the breeze in the hollows of the can
vas and through the rigging and gear
When the closing prayer is said, the
last blessing given, the tackles are
manned, the coffin is stripped Of its flags
and slung in straps, and slowly, rever-
emily is hoisted above the rail and clear
Of the ship until it is poised over the hill.
lows. The marines load, aim, fire, in
all three volleys, that awaken rafting
echoes in the hidden spaces Of the ship;
the bugle sounds "taps" tenderly and
sweetly, with newer meaning of sleep
and rest; the coffin swings further out
and is lowered gently until the foam
and spoondrift moisten it; the tackles
are detached with sudden jerk, and in
an instant the weighted box shoots
downward, bedded in foam and bubbles,
and all is over until the sea gives up the
dead.
In a little while the CHEEKY whistles
trill out call to duty; the half masted
ensign climbs TO the dasher block; the
ships brought to her course, and dazedly
the men take up the wearying routine
of the lives so sadly broken. An I'M
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 virtues-of the dead sailor are
recalled, and with tenderness born OF
comradeship closer than any other
men except soldiers may know.-New
York Tablet