The herald., 1896-08-22
LIFE ON THE ROLLING WAVE
Subject to Change Like Other
Employments
MODIFICATION OF METHOD
In Handling the Ships Which Ply the
Main
In Old Times Sailors Rushed Peil Tell About
the Deck-HandIing nodern
1an-of-War

Between the old searnanship and the
new the difference is almost as Qreat as
that of the London bowyer who made the
"twanging yew" that won tho field Of
Aglncourt and the modern mechanic who
turns out remington with u range Of
/ ZOO yards. No one but an old sailor can
sec the change as it exists, and the altera-
tion in the character of the men who go to
sen is quite as great.
The old service was grand school to
make men intelligent, courageous, self re-
liant and resourceful. At present any man
with brains enough to learn navigation can
command a steamer, and sailor is made
as soon as he can keep his legs in sea-
way, but the conditions of modern com
merce have made the change imperative.
Quick dispatch and great carrying capacity
have relegatcd the old service to extinction.
TO passengers on the old Philadelphia
packets voyage across the Atlantic was %
very picturesque journey. Say group col
lects on the quarter deck of tho Tonawanda
in first watch (from s p m. to midnight).
The men are cat mapping under the weather
bulwarks. Suddenly the mate, Dan An
drews, sings out with voice that makes
the sails shiver: "Al-l hands to wear ship!
Down helm Let Gy head sheets! Raise
tacks and sheets! Let go main and mizzon
braces Clar bowlne, na-i-n-sel haul"
Tho deck is alive with men, but there is no
confusion. The ship turns like skirt
dancer and the sails fill with boom Ikea
cannon. Such sight inspires one as does
a chorus of battle trumpets. How different
on the steamer! The officer of the deck, to
the man at the wheel, "Down helm; hard
down. calls to the engine room through
the pipe, Half speed, Mr. Pistonl and
moment after, Full speed, sirr' and the
maneuvcr is done No one notices the
change any more than in rounding curve
on the railway.
Our old man-of- war service was harsher
and moro brutal than any other in the
world, at least foreign sailors say so, and
the reason given was that American Off
GERS are more irritable and quick tempered
than those of other nations. There is
man living in this city who was quarter
master on the Brandywine in 1S4S. Off
the coast of Japan the cholera came aboard
and fairly ravaged the crew. When at sea,
the brig was cleared, and there was only
one prisoner brought up for punishment
his offcnse being drunkenness. He was in
poor health, but got 10 lashes. That night
he died in such agony that he tore the
flesh from his breast with his nails, while
cholera claimed ten victims around him.
In all the essentials of hcnlth ard conf
fort a sailor on one of our ironclads has lit
tie to complain Of He is rs we'll fed and
housed as prosperous mechanic ashore,
and, except drill, has literally nothing to
do, but there is no taste of the breezy,
healthful old sea life, when his ship was
living thing moving at his volition. He has
nr.fr 70, eat
masts no chatting gear to weave; he is only
an artilleryman, and verse Il "soier" " "a
dolly, " "a marine the object of his old
time detestation, and his old formula falls
dead-"A mossmate before a snipmate,"
"a shipmate before stranger" "a stran.
ger before dog" but "a dog before O so.
jer"
On board of our sailing warships officers
were generally either above or below the
commonplace, but marked individualism
was the rule. There were men SO valuable
as executive officers than they We're kept at
sea nearly all the time, and in many cases
because shore life deInoralized them, drink
being their demon.
One the writer knew we'll There was
no better sailor in the service, but he never
went ashore without being brought aboard
with dclirium trcmcns. All his men loved
and respected him. Some were malignant
bullics, others mischievous tattlers, con-
stantly reporting men for small olfenses;
Others all around nuisanccs solely through
some impcrfcction of temper
Such a one was Lieutenant Rancor. Say,
he would come on deck for middle watch
(midnight until a. M The middics. half
awake were promenading the lee side of
the quarter deck. To thcm Rancor said
:" MIR. Jones, are you awake, sir? Mr..
Brown, don't sleep in your watch, sir "
Brown is Il dubious headed youth who
should be ashore minding u baby or TAX
ing his sister to church. He somnambu-
liZcs and falls over the gun slides. Then
the man at the wheel catches it: How are
you steering? Mind your hclm. How does
she head?'
Brown is sent into the waist to awaken
and worry the men. Suddcnly the licuten-
ant makes up his mind TO tack ship and
bawls out, "Stand by Tor stays" Every
man is at his place in Il moment. Ready
about! Helm a-lce, you internal lubber,
do you hear? 1ir. Brown, where the devil
are you, sir? Fokcscl, whcers Mr.. Brown?
Raise tacks and sheets. Mr. Jones, are you
skulking? Mr.. Ropes, what are your men
doing?''
All hands get confused. In sheer des.
peration the helmsman let's the wheel slip.
In minute the vessel is up in the wind,
misses stays, and is ''in irons.'' Heavens,
what Il row!
Rancor foams at the mouth and dances
on the deck, while the old tub makes stern
boards for a mile. Quickly and without
orders the middies and boatswain mates
make things right, while Rancor yells like
II madman. He turns. The captain Is stand
ing by the wheel, but says never q word.
and Rancors heart goes down into his
boots.