Evening star., 1896-04-11
BELLS ON SHIPS.
The Mariners Clock in the American
and English Navies.

and English Nnrtes.
Ficom The Chicago Record.
The big white cruiser New York has a
bell on board weighing $50 pounds, which
is. in all probability. the largest bell ever
put aboard a ship for use at sea- The
ships bell is the mariners clock. The nau-
teal day begins and ends at noon, when
eight bells is struck. The bell is struck
half-hourly. day and night. one stroke be-
Ing added for each half-hour until eight is
reached. when the count begins at one bell
In the United States navy the ships bell
hangs usually under the forecast!e or just
forward of the foremast. 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 the 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, and the bell not
struck until he has said: Make it So"
Here is the routine on board a man-ot-
war at O'Clock in the morning: The order
1y says to the officer of the deck. 'Egh-
Tells, sir" The officer of the deck replies
Report to the captain eight bells and chro-
nHHeters wound" Tfe orderly then goes to
the captain and says: Eight bells and
thermometers wound, SIR The captain re-
plies, Very we'll make it So The orderly
gees to the officer of the deck and says:
Make il 50. sir" The officer of the deck
says TO the messenger of the watch: Strike
eight bells" and if everybody has been
prompt, the messenger strikes eight bells
at exactly am.
As a matter of fact, the report. ''eight
bells and chronomsters wound" is intended
as q check upcn ;he navigating oIficnr. To
Tim the ships chrOnOmetsrS are cOntiied.
i here are three chronometers and hack
or each man-of-war The hack is simply a
portable chr0nometer, that may be taken
ashore If need be The others. once affixed
To their place III the navigatcrs room or
the chart room, are never removed The
navigator knows mis- chrnno,neter even bet
teT ihap re k-owS his Snin,nate. The error
and the rate of the chronometer. as COM
tafed with ;ireenwIch mean time, are ac-
rurateiy known, and it is pretty sure i: one
gets cut of order the others MAY be de-
pended upon Reside the chronometars
there are ship clocks, which are kept UP to
local time Some of the ships clocks are
Eow made to strike the bells, but the old
routine Is retained. except that the clock
ucts the Work of the messenger Whether
or not the Clock would stop should the cam
tam at eight bells withhold his make if
So Is ques ton yet to he determined
Ihey do things rather differently in tho
British navy. On the English men-of-war
there Is curious deviation from the Amer
lcan naval method of indicating the hour
Before the British naval rlutinies of 1Ir1
tne oeiiS were struck On board British mem
oi-War just as they were and are on boarJ
the ships of other natiors But in one Of
those mutinies the signal agreed uuon nv
iii-tiiieerS was the stroke of five bells Ga
P-Ih- w men lhat signal came the mutineers
l@oSs @ 10 stay thelr officers. In the fight tnat
followed the officers upon one shin at Ieast
We're driven over the starDoard side and
tne mllneers, for time, We're in posses
SION OF the ship. When order was restored
throughout the navy the stroke of five bells
at 0:so pm in the second dog watch" was
cropped from the place in sequence. though
hVe bells are retained al $50 a m The
stroke AT 6;:5D pm in the British navy is
one bell, at . two bells at I'D three ba11s
put at it is bells. From that hour to
o-"p pm. the sequence of strokes is the
same as in the United States navy.