Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-12-02

and Change Watch at All Sorts Of In
convenient Hours.
"Way-ay-ay-ay there. you sleeperG!
Eight bells! Rise and shine" With
some such yell as this is Jack
aroused from slumber when his
watch has 10 go on deck. Tho hour
is O'clock in the morning, and he
Immediately tumbles out Of his bunk.
and within fifteen minutes from tho
time he was called he is ON deck
keeping his watch, hoping for 8
o'clock TO come when he will take
his heckpot TO the gallery and get a
cup OF warm coffee.
Ordinarily there is never any work
done on ship board before 5:50 OK
eepting, Of course, such as is neces.
sary for trimming sail, says the New
York World. At $3.50 the order is
given TO .wash down" The men
take brooms and buckets along, two
men go TO the pump, and then be-
gins the first work Of the day. plenty
OF water being used. and those with
brooms scrubbing the deck as they
20 from the poop to the fo'c's'le
head The scrubbing is done with a
thoroughness that would shame the
best housewives.
BY o'clock the deck has been
washed down. after which various
ropes that have been put out OF the
way during the operation are colled
down clear for any emergency. for
one OF the most important things on
ship board is that every rope should
be in such a shape that when II is
let go IL should run without getting
any kinks in II. which in some cases
might have rather disastrous conse.
quences
Meanwhile az seven bells (7:30)
the watch below had been called 10
get breakfast. Jacks breakfast.
even ia the best OF ships. Is far from
elaborate. II generally consists Of
coffee without milk. ''hard tack. :"
and craps Of meat left over from the
previous days dinner.
Jack Is now OF duty till noon.
After he has had his breakfast he
generally has some little odds and
onds 81 things 70 do for himself. and
they keep him busy until about 10
o'clock. when he turns III and sleeps
till 1850. his dinner hour. At ~
o'clock he Is on deck again till
o'clock The four hours time from
& D. m to p m. Is divided into two
. watches known as dog watches,
J though the dog watch Is always
> reckoned rs the watch from 6 to 5.
When all the men are together they
go In for their skylarking. music and
dancing, and have a good time gem
orally. This Is the time when Jack
is seen NJ his best. when his spirits
are at9the highest. when he Is con
genial and has not a word TO say
ngalns, anybody. not even the cook,
who may have spoiled the dinner
that day
The object OF this division is u
make an even number Of watches Il
the twcnty.four hours so that thcr,
will bo a daily change; for example
the watch that goes below one day al
noon will the next day come on decl
az that hour At $3.50 he has supper
and at G no Is on duty once more. Al
8 he goes below TO sleep till mid
night. when he has again 70 be OF
duty till o clock.
This Is fair specimen Of the mo
notony Of the sailor's life at sea. Elk
cept for the changing OF the weather
occasionally and for a slight differ
ence IN the work that has 20 be done
one day Is exactly like another, with
tho same faces around, the same out
, look on the broad ocean, the sam,
food-in all things with a samenes
that Is monotonous In the extreme
Jack is nothing II not grumblcr
reputation he has had ia all ages
> Chronic complaining about every
thing and everybody seems TO be hi
one great amusement or cours'
there Is always some ground for this
Take, for instance, the question o
food. Tho rations OF n sailor ar
abous ne follows; One pound OF har,
biscuit. ono and one-half pounds o
salt beef, one and one quartz
pounds salt pork. one quarter ounc
of coffee. one-eighth ounce OF tea
and three quarts OF water daily; one
half pound flour made into bread
one-half pint peas made into SOUP
three times week; one-half pint G
rice. and twelve ounces OF suga
weekly. In many ships the cd
quarter pound OF pork and hall
pound OF beef are kept back. and In
: stead Jack gets one pound OF butte
: weekly. AZ dinner each day tn
: meat is served and the meat used 70
5 other meals is what is left over fror
dinner
Il Is thought that the old-tim
! sailor is thing OF the past; tina
steamboats,, which do not requir
men with knowledge OF seaman
ship in all its ramiilcations, are mall
ing them die away, because, IL
!. said. that steamboats, are fast takin
- the place OF sailing ships. But fact
Il do not bear out this view, as the il
- erease in the number of sailing ship