Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-06-13
No24
SOME SAILORS SWIM.
And Others Do Not, Yet Manage
to Live Along.
Swimming In the Shark Infested Waters
Of the Tropics - Sailors Never
Dream of DrownlnR-Lifs
Preservers-

Ercs~FFefS%
The percentage of blue jackets in the
navy who are unable to swim Is suf-
ficiently large to warrant some surprise
on the part of an inquirer. Appren-
tices enter the naval service with no
more knowledge of how to keep afioat
in tho water than they have of star.
beard, maintopgallant, studding sail
boom, tracing line, block ship, thimble,
settings. In time, of course, the young
.ster is bound to make the acquaintance
of the latter, but he may become gray
and salty, and perhaps rise to be bo's'n's
mate, and never learn to swim.
In nine cases out of ten, says the New
York Sun, the lack of accomplishment
is due to Jacks not taking advantage
of the opportunities offered him, be-
cause he has many chances to learn If
he only would. When ships are riding
at anchor in warm waters permission
to swim is often given to those who
wish it, and there are enough swim
mers in the ships company T." in
istructions to the others. To ter
balance the ones who do nc ia
there are many expert swimmers in
the navy. From the work he has to
do, Jack, after years service, is like
ly to be a splendidly trained fellow.
His muscles are developed to the high
est, and his food and hours are such as
to keep him in the best of physical
trim. So, when Jack is swimmer,
the conditions combine to make him at
once a strong and graceful creature in
the water. He knows his abilities, and
this leads him into what the sedate
landsmen might consider foolhardi-
ness. When the ship lies in temperate
waters, and swimming permission has
been given, the ships port lower boom
is let down into the water. This boom
lies against the ships side when she Is
under way, but when at anchor Is used
as the mooring place for such small
boats and launches as may be in serv-
ice at the time. A life line runs from
the ship to the topping lift, which sup
ports the boom. The lowering of the
boom into the water gives Jack a con-
venient but slightly hazardous way of
getting down. But the sailor swimmer
generally prefers to use the boom as
means of getting back to the ship after
dive from the rail or some other van
tage point. A dive from the rail means
"a descent of eighteen feet in the case of
a frigate, and more in the modern
cruiser. This height is not SO great as
to daunt Jacks courage, and many
sailormen have plunged headforemost
In the sea from the tip of the flying
jibboom, which is upward of thirty-five
feet from the water.
In swimming in tropical waters there
Is one drawback to the sport sharks.
The sight of triangular black fin knit
ing its way through the water, and
the sudden churning of the water by
the flick of tail, is chilling enough
when seen from the safe deck OF ship,
but is no doubt marrow freezing when
viewed from the green level of the sea.
If Jack went swimming unprotected In
such regions there would likely be an
unanswered name at roll call some
morning. But Jack has his swimming
pond in the tropics-or had in the days
of the great hulled frigate-just as he
does further north. This is accom-
plished by tricing up the four corners
Of topsail, thus forming bag, and
sinking it over the ships side. When
it has filed the four corners are lifted
several feet out of the water, and Jack
has an admirable natatorium, secure
from sharks and large and deep enough
to admit of any amount of diving and
swimming.
The fact that a bluejaclset cannot
swim has no more effect upon him in
the discharge of perilous duty than If
he were a norman. He jumps into
boat on lifesaving errand when the
sea is mountain high, and he knows he
may never tread deck again if an
angry wave throws the boat upon her
beam ends and tumbles all hands out.
He goes aloft and lays out to the end of
yard when the ship is tossing about
like cork, and there Is nothing below
him but an endless stretch of roaring
waves. The yard quivers and groans,
and Jack has to hold on like grim
death, for one moments loosening 1T
his grasp and he is snapped off into
space. This means nothing short OF
drowning, and yet that thought never
seems to occur to him. His life goes
on, and perhaps the emergency of his
having to make some eHOrt 10 SWIM
may never arise.
Each ship of the navy is fitted with
two life buoys on the starboard and
port rails aft. These are constructed
of frame holding two large air-tight
copper vessels. The apparatus floats
upright, and there is place on which
the man overheard may find footing.
The buoy readily sustains mans
weight, and holds him comparatively
high out of the water if he stands on
the footrest below. When a man has
tumbled overheard at night, and one or
both of the life buoys have been or
dered over, the sailor at the rail pulls
one of two knobs over the buoy. This
fires cap, which ignites long tube of
red fire inserted in the main upright of
the buoy. The other knot, when pulled,
releases the buoy, and it drops into the
water. The red fire burns long time
and guides the luckless bluejacket.
Many sailorman who could not swim
has been saved by the CELEBRITY with
which the life buoys have been dropped.