The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-09-08
NO SPLICING THE MAIN BRACE.
Now GroS Began and How 1t Was Abol-
ishcd in the United States Navy.

Now Gros Began and How 1t Was Abol-
ishcd in the United States Navy.
They didn't ''splice the main brace"
on the Nashville when that gallant
gunboat had raced through the sea,
with every human pulse a-Deat, and
captured the first prize of the war.
They didn't splice the main brace on
the Oregon, even if all hands did have
the strain of that seemingly impossible
thing, q running fight with fleet Of
Spanish cruisers.
"Splicing the main brace" is, or
rather used to be, serving an extra
allowance of grog to all hands on a
naval vessel after an engagement.
This explanation is so old that it will
be news to many in these days. II
things were as they used to be, how
naturally it would have happened that
when the Nashville had captured her
prize and when every heart aboar$!
was aglow with the success the boat
swain and his mates should have piped
through the ship the order, "All hands
for grog." At the beginning of any
other war in our history "Grog o."
would have resounded through the
ship. But
They've raised his pay five cents day
And stopped his grog forever.
A notable event was the invention
OF grog in 1740. According to a
learned article on the subject published
in the United States service by Adj
miral Meade in 1884, the honor is
due to Admiral Vernon, of the Royal
Navy. In bad weather it was his
fashion to wear on deck grogrom
cloak, from which he acquired among
the men the sobriquet of cold Grog."
About the year mentioned, when in
command of the West India station,
he originated a new and satisfactory
official beverage composed of rum
and water, the serving of which be-
gan on his flagship, the Burford, and
thence spread. The beverage was
dubbed ''grog," and the word has
lived.
When our navy began itsillustrious
career amid the Revolution liquor
was, of course, as necessary part Of
the supplies as sea biscuit and pow
der, and we find Paul Jones, on sail
ing from Portsmouth in 1777, bewail-
ing, among other shortages, "only
thirty gallons of rum"
In -S31 Congress took an advanced
step by providing that all in the
navy who voluntarily relinquished the
spirit ration should be paid six cents
a day. In 1912 the ration was cut
down to one gill, but the alternative
of half pint of wine was added, and
the communication price was fixed at
three cents.
The first year of the Civil War
brought a greatly increased naval
J force and increased trouble from
strong drink. Moral sentiment had
progressed, too. In July, 1862, Con.
gress revolutionized the American
navy by passing the historic law pro-
viding:
''That from and after the first day
of September, 1862, the spirit ration
in the navy of the United States shall
forever cease, and thereafter no dis
titled spirituous liquors shall be ad-
mitted on board of vessels of war ex-
cept as medical stores, and upon the
order and under the control Of the
medical officers of such vessels, and to
be used only for medical purposes.
From and after the first day of Sep
tember next there shall be allowed
and paid to each person in the navy
now entitled to the spirit ration five
cents per day in communication and lieu
thereof, which shall be in addition to
the present pay"
And since that day there has been
no grog in the United States Navy.