Arizona republican., 1893-07-09
CHANGES AT SEA.
..,, of Romance Left in Jack DI"' Tar's Life.
introduction of New Customs Ip' rbt About by the Use of Steam and Electricity on War
 Vessels.

The advent of steam and steel, en- -,,os and electricity, to the navy has
 s,bbed the life of man-o,war's man Y, npch of the romance which clung fl for centuries, and, according to ", Boston Herald, scarcely month r masses without the introduction Sf some new custom or the moditica- 4,n ar abolition of some old one, for ,ba purpose of adapting the routine of war ship to altered conditions. The ',test change is one of the most radi- D,I of all and calculated to give .,de blow to the conservative old salts abo have maintained that the service has been going steadily to the dogs since the removal of sails, smooth hores and boarding bikes. It is no less reform than the abolition of the ,ime.houored custom of dividing the .bips company into two equal watch ss the starboard and the port, one of rbich had always, in the past, to be m deck at sea, pursuant to the watch and watch system, which gave the
 iack tar four hours of rest alternating with four of watch. In the old days of sails it was quite necessary to have half the crew standing by at all times
 in readiness to lay aft the braces, to ref topsail, to shorten or make sail. But we have changed all that, and the navy department now proposes another ystem.
 The huge machinery, with its pom derous boilers and powerful engines,
 s now the motive power, and the deck force has little to do when under way beyond the hoisting out of ashes, keeping a lookout and preserving cleanliness. Were it not for the man. hing of guns, the deck force required of modern war ship would hardly exceed one-tenth of the number for merly maintained. The ancient sleep
 preventing practice of keeping a hun
 ired or more men on deck at all times
 s accordingly an anachronism.
 So it is now proposed to divide the
 crew into four instead of two parts,
 and but one of these quarter watches,
 perhaps but half quarter watch, will
 R htpl OIl NCth
 tons at sea. These four equal divisions
 will be based upon the disposition of
 the battery with reference to sections
 of the ship the latter occupies. The
 system of giving every man a number
 will also be changed. Heretofore the
 number cOrresponded to the part of
 the ship wherein man was stationed,
 tae number from one hundred and one
 ,owO hundred inclusive. for instance,
 being lSsigped to the foretopmen, two
 hulir. and one to three hundred to tisgaiItopmen, etc, odd numbers be- Hgn the starboard watch and yen
 o1e' in the port But forecastle and
 b'tOp, maintop, mizzentop and after 1art have disappeared with the parts of the ship" from which they nae their name. Accordingly, each
 nan will be designated by four num- erals, each having some significance. RuS, suppose mans number should te l,22J. The first numeral, '1, would signify his class of corps, ''2" his gun division and ''20' his individual num- Der in the class and division to which he belonged. The change, together with that above referred to of abolish ing parts of ship" is indeed radical, and many a veteran of the old navy, as he reads of it, will doubtless con sder it revolutionary and removing him and his own naval experience still further back in a past epoch. The beautiful old song: "Larboard Watch, AhOy," received it's first blow when the word port" was substituted for "larboard, in view of the confusion likely to arise from the latter words similarity to ''starboard." The second blow has now come in the abolition of the watches" altogether.
 Another marked change is the new cap salute. The old naval salute, easy but unmilitary, was a simple raising Of the cap, almost identical with that commonly used between civilians Tn exchanging greetings. Instead of this, l@e ,aluting officer or man who stands 5gllIy at attention" brings his hand 'lartly and with precision to the visor 1the cap, and holds it there punctili- o1>.v, with military accuracy and @a.jne5s, until the salute is returned. The old style was, to say the least, 291chy. The new fashion is smart, are>sy, ceremonious and military. Thus the changes succeed each other. Already the representative of the ''old navy feels constrained on the steel 1ULls of the new, surrounded with un- familiar weapons and instruments, Fearing and mechanism generally.