The morning call., 1893-02-13
THE SHIPS BELL.
1t Tells the Mariner the
Time of Day.
PEALING THE DANGER SIGNAL
Usual Summons to Worship-Naval
Provisions Make 1t Impossible for
Signals to Be Confused.

When the cruiser New York shall receive
at the hands of the Seventh Regiment her
promised 600-pound bell she will have,
perhaps, the largest ships bell ever put
afioai, and certainly by far the largest In
the United States navy, says the New York
Sun. Officers of the navy are prophesylDg
that the New York's big bell will be q
source of discomfort in the sick bay and an
awkwardly heavy burden to carry on deck.
AS bunting is the medium through which
a ship ordinarily communicates with the
outside world so the bell is that through
which she addresses herself 10 those on
board. Every landsman has learned
and forgotten the method of striking the
hours aboard ship. but the dullest landsman
may make suke of this knowledge for the
rest Of his life by getting two or three things
clear in his head.
The nautical day begins and ends at nom,
when eight bells" is struck The be- IS
struck half-hourly, Jay and night, one stroke
being added for each half-hour until eight
is reached, when the count begins at one
bell.
Thus the hours ore indicated in every
navy of the civilized world save the British.
Here there is a curious deviation from the
ordinary naval method of indicating the
hour, and. if tradition be correct, this
deviation has behind it an Interesting bit OF
history
Before the British naval mutinies of 1891
the bells were struck on board British men
of-war just as they were and are on board
the ships OF other nations. But In one OF
those mutnies the signal agreed upon by
mutineers was the stroke of five bells 6 30
p. NJ. When that signal came the mutneers
rose 10 slay heir officers.
In the fight that followed the officers upon
one ship al least were driven over the star
board side and the mutineers for a time
were in possession OF the ship. When order
was restored throughout the navy the stroke
of FIVE bells at 6 30 p. NJ. in the second dog
watch" was dropped from its place in So
quence, though five bells was retained at
6 80 a. NJ.
The stroke att 6;30 p. NJ. in the British
navy is one bell, at Z two bells, at Z 80
three bells. but at 1t Is eight bells From
that hour till $50 NJ the sequence OF
strokes Is the same as In the United States
navy.
If tradition is to be trusted, the common
practice in the British navy OF having the
officers assemble on the port side Of the
ship and the men on the staTboard side OF
the ship is also TO be traced TO the mutnles
Of '97.
For nearly 100 years the starboard side,
whence the officers retreated before the
mutineers has been esteemed dlsgraced.
and only just now is the British navy re-
turning TO tie custom Of other nayles and
making the staIboard the dress" side of
the ship.
In the matter of the bell, as of other
things, there is in the United States navy a
routine long established by precedent The
bel, a snail affair Of rather high, light tone,
hangs either just forward or just abaft Of
the foremost on or under the fOrecastle.
The captains orderly keeps the time and
reports to the officer of the deck the hour in
terms of bells" The officer Of the deck
then bids the messenger OF Tie watch strike
the bell.
There Is somewhat more formality at
eight bells than at other times. for then the
hour is reported to the captain aud the
bell is not struck until he has said. Make
it So"
Here is the routine at a. NJ: The orderly
says to the officer OF the deck, Eight bells.
sir" The officer of the deck replies. Re
port TO the captain bells and chronometers
wound"
The orderly then goes TO the captain and
says. Eight bells aud chron0meters wound,
sir" The captain, IL he be so minded, re-
plies. Very well. make it SO" The orderly
goes 20 the officer of the deck and says,
Make it SO. sir" The officer Of The deck
says 10 tile messenger of the watch, Strike
eight BELLS" aud If everybody has been
prompt the messenger strikes eight bells at
eXactly A. NJ.
Nobody knows whether 1t would be eight
head TO withhold his majestic Make it So"
for an American naval captain is so power
full person aboard ship and routine has so
strong a hold upon the navy that perhaps
the captain. II so minded, might put the
nautical day out OF joint.
AT any rate, the navy Will not soon forget
that captain who being left to sleep past
eight bells after an al-Dight vigil in
storm, severely rebuked the officer Of the
deck for not waking him to give the usual
word OF assent.
The report "eight bells and chronometers
wound" is intended as a check upon the
navigating officer. To him the ships
chronometers are confded. There are three
chronometers and hack" on each man
of-war
Tie hack" Is simply portable chro-
nometer that may be taken ashore If need
be. The othsrs, once affixed to their place
in the nayigator's room or the chartroom,
are never removed. The navigator knows
his chronometers even better than he
knows his shipmates,
The error and the rate Of the chronon-
eterias compared with Greenwich mean time
are accurately known, and it is pretty sure
II one gets out OF order the others may be
depended upon. Besides the chroDometer>,
there are ships clocks which are kept up
10 local time.
Some of the ships clocks are now made to
strike the bells, but the old routine is re-
tanned, except that the clock does the work
OF the messenger. Whether or not the
clock would stop should the captain al eight
bells withhold his "make il SC" is a Ques-
ton vet TO be determined.
When ships are cruising in squadron with
stiff discipllnarian for admiral the whole
fleet, il ylng In port, awaits the flagShin's
bells. The messenger stands by the bell,
cIapper in hand, and as soon as the fag-
ships bell has sounded the bells through
out the feet begin to sound.
Il h.Y. all lr.sa al IA .