Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-11-08
A MiloR,a BURIAL


An inpsssslvs Service - - - nsssd .
Nss-ss.was who's . sessssa Dtss.
When maritime Jack die he Il buried
without much undue ceremony. A brief
prayer, q shotted hammock. the lee rail.
and all II over. but on hoard = ship-of.
war . sailors funeral IL pathetic In Ito
digni6e,i simplicity. No muster OF the
ship's company h, naturally. 20 sad ~
this, and you can 80 70 ON the faces at
all when the subdued shrilling of the
lo'sw'n's whistle IL followed by the long
drawn out and moiulate,i call u "All
hands bury the desdr'
The men como AFT quietly and take
their allotted stations. To lecwar,i. u u
he at sea. or upon the port aide % the
quarter deck. n not In port. the scameu
are ranged In the front rank; behind
them are the ordinary seamen and IN
the rrar Of both tho apprentices and the
landsmen. In the gangway forward oi
the mainmast On such ships ~ still have
call power senior petty officers stand al
attention. Around the coffin. folded In
the jack or national ensign. are GROUPED
the palllrarcrs. selected usually from
the dead mans mesa or gun division,
and clos ut hand. resting an arms. the
marine guard IL paraded. Nearest the
coffin arr the chaplain and the captain,
and then In orler of their rank stretch
aft the other officers of the ship.
The ensign at the peak or stan fiutters
trrmblingly Mt half mast. and from over
head the yard and stay tackles swing
iazily. ready 20 lift the coffin outboar,i-
When the weather permits the way oi
the ship Is stopped. and. u may IL. it'll.
fiickers 10 idling steam curl upward and
to leewArd like incense. and the wind In
the backed and frctting toT~ails muir
murs dirgc. The order 10 uncover
IL passed gently. and while the teauii
full words IL the burial service are beins
read the hush 81 the living IL accen.
tuatei by the low scconpaniments IL SEA
sounds-by the rumple u eager Water
c,ldying siernwar,i. and by the surgins
u the br~ere In the hollows % the can
vas and through the rigging and gear.
When the closing prayer Is said. the
last blessing given, the tackles ar'
manned. the coffin IL stripped % its flag,
and slung In strap, and slowly. reyer
emily Is boi.ied above the rail and cleai
% the ship until II IL poised over the b'l
lows. The marines load. aim. fire. IA
all three volleys. that awaken raiiling
echoes In the hidden spaces Of the ship
the bugle sounds "tars" ienderly and
swcetly. with newer meaning Of slceI
and rr.t: the coffin swings further out
and IL lowered gently until the foam
and .poondrif, moistsn u. the tackles
are detached with sudden jerk. and Ia
an instant the weighted boI shooi,
downward. h-,idei In foam and bubbles
and all 10 over until the SEA gives up th.
dead.
In q little while the CHEEKY whistle,
,rill out n call 10 duty. the half masied
ensign climbs to the dAsher block; III,
ship Is brvugh, 20 her course. and dAl.'il,
the men take up the w.arying rvu,in,
% the lives - sadly broken. An un
usual quiet rr-,s upon the vessel and
around the mes tables. bu, In the group
gathered to smoke during the supI~i
hour aud after the hammccks are piped
down the yirtue--thcse heroic and
honest sea virtucs-of the dead sailor arr
r-called. and with tenderness born 81
. comradeship closer than any Other
men eIoep, soldiers may know.-Ne~
York Tablet.