Daily camera., 1898-03-08
NO FLOGGING IN THE NAVY.
Abolished by Congress Many
Years Ago.
1t IL Still an Institution of the Brit
ish Navy -Punishments That
May he inflicted Upon
Refractory Tars.

Stlu al 1nSlltuUlOn OF the bTlIlSQ navy /,
though it has fallen into more or less
allegiance. 1t may interest Americans
to know that this brutal sort of dis
cipline was abolished in the United
States navy as late as 1872, and was done
then by act of congress.
When this act was passed heard an
old naval officer, retired, and of the old
school say: ''The service is going to the
dogs, sir. In my time the crew was
piped to prayers as regularly as to
meals every Sunday, and the cat O. nine
tails lay alongside of the Bible on the
capstan, sir!"
AS Minerva sprang full armed from
the head of Jove," so the American navy
sprang from the British navy, aEd un-
like the cautious Athena, turned around
and clicked the stuffin'" out of her pro-
genitor. Nevertheless, the United
States navy preserved for long time
the traditions of the British navy, and
as late as 1885 pike drill'' was carried
out religiously aboard American men
of-war according to the formula that
made it effective for the repelling OF
boarders in the days of Radney. The
steel-pointed pixies were kept in racks
on the berth deck and given all the care
that was given to the rifles of the ma
rines by the ships armorer and his as
sistants
But a change came one day. The
useless pike drill had been abandoned
in the British navy long before, and it
soon went cut of the American navy
upon the building of the new ships.
navy while the civil war was in prog
ress and flogging in 1850, but both of
these diversions, the cause and effect,
are still maintained in the British navy
Both are remnants of the days when
press gangs" used to roam about the
English seaport towns kidnapping all
able-bodied youths to serve his maj
esty on the high seas. In those times
fiogging was necessity and tricing up
an everyday occurrence.
Those were the days of the gentle
and joyous system of 'keelhauling,"
when refractory sailor was lowered
over the bows of a ship with three ropes
to him. One led aft under the
keel and two served as guys to keep the
man in has proper place. He was then
hauled aft and fished up from the stern,
the barnacles on the ships bottom hav-
ing cut him cruelty in transit. He was
generally dead when. he appeared over
tie taffrail. If he was not he was sent
forwardto his duty.
In the American navy keelhauiing
was never much in favor, but substi-
turtles were found for it. Midshipsman
Spencer was an officer on the American
Somers in 1912, and was
tried tnd convicted on board that ship
for melting that crew to mutipy. His
father was secretary of war, but Capt.
Mackenzie hanged him at the yarda11n,
his officers standing with drawn swords
alongside the men toled off TO pull on the
rope which strung the young man up,
ready to cut down the man that refused
to pull. A boatswain's mate and q
sailor were hangedalong with Spencer.
When the Somers arrived back in New
Y ork ,harbor, brother of Secretary
Spencer challenged Capt. Mackenzie to
a duel, which was fought, and resulted
in Mackenzie killing his man. Nova
days things are different.
1t takes a good man to be even an
enlisted man in the United States navy
ofE xx,l,a otT,
tain the strictest kind of discipline
resorting to cruelpunishments
generally has the felicity of facing
court Of inquiry, which is the stepping
stone to a court-martial.
Bowman H. McCalla, in his meteoric
career as captain of the Enterprise,
found this out when he came back from
his European cruise to face storm OF
public indignation and the sentence of
court martial. In some branches of the
naval service, such as the coast survey,
the only discipline method in. general
practice is threat of dismissal from
the service, just as an employer would
dismiss an incompetent or refractory
employe.
Under the present law comma anding
officer can inflict upon a sailor the fo.-
lowing punishments: Solitary confine-
ment not to exceed ten days, solitary
on bread and water not to
exceed seven days, extra duty, dis
charge. reduction of rating, loss of pay
or confinement in irons. But he can
not put man in solitary confinement
on bread and water and in irons also.
A summary court-martial can put
man in solitary confinement for 80 days
or give him any of the penalties which
the captain is competent to infict.
. To the power of general court-mar-
tial there is no limit, except that a man
cannot be sentenced to be flogged,
branded or tatooed. A general court
martial can hang sailor, but can't fog
Hmm. Y. Press.
Sixty straight 7Iiles of Line Fence.
Maj. Clapp, indian agent at Pine
Ridge agency, has finally arranged for
a complete settlement Of the late