The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-27
EXERCISE ON NEN-OF-WAR
Necessity OF Daily Drill for Health's
Sake,

Necessity Of Daily Drill for Health's
Sake.
The sunlight fading out of the clear.
cold sky and flashing, crimson and gold,
| in The windows of the tall buildings
across the river engaged the attention
of Lieut.. Commodore Rodgers, execu-
tive officer of the big white battle ship
Indiana, one afternoon last week. He
was commenting on the beauty of the
picture when the officer Of the deck,
whose red nose and ears testified to the
sharpness Of the breeze, approached
him.
"Shal we have the setting up exer-
cises ashore or on board, STRIP he ask
ed.
Mr.. Rodgers looked over the stretch
of black soil which extended from the
waters edge to the lyceum building in
the navy yard. The ground was frozen
hard and the sharp eye of the execu-
tive officer could detect no mud holes.
Have it ashore" he said. The deck
officer sauted and went away. Eight
bells sounded and the ships buslers
began to blow the call for evening
quarters. One by one the officers stray
gled up the companionways, buckling
on their swords and pulling on their
gloves Mr.. Rodgers stood in the lee of
the after turret and received reports
from the different divisions.
Engineers division all accounted
for, SIR" one messenger would say, and
then scurry away to his quarters, The
marine guard formed on the deck abaft
the superstructure. Lieut.. Hatch, their
long -limbed, dark-faced, young COM
mander, inspected them, and then in
quick tones ordered them to march.
Stiff as ramrod he tramped at their
head down the broad gangplanlS to the
dock. 1t was the beginning of an ex-
odus. From forward and aft buejack-
cts streamed over the ships side until
nearly 500 men, the entire company,
were marching and countermarching in
the space between the ship and the
navy yard building They were aligned
in divisions. First they were put
through the setting up exercises.
Arms right" and right arms shot
out horizontally. Arms down!" The
extending arms dropped.
The perfect drill of man-o'-war
showed in the regularity and precision
of the movements. Lieut.. -Comdr. Rod
gers stood in front of the first division
and gave the orders, which were passed
along from division officer to division
officer, SO that In the performance of
the motions each division was few
seconds behind that Immediately in
front Of it. The result was a wavy eff
feet, which was particularly marked in
the bending movements, when it SEEM
ed as if strong breeze blowing bent
the heads of each succeeding line as it
passed.
attention." shouted Mr.. Rodgers,
and the men stood motionless, lines Of
blue making a gridron of the field
Suddenly the blare of the bugles rang,
a drum was beaten, and then the notes
Of Pop Goes the Weasel rolled brisk
ly out. Every division started to run.
1t was the double time The men ran
in columns of two, and the field seemed
covered with the long lines of blue
Jackets, wheeling this way and that,
squrming in and out, every man in
step with the others and in time with
the music and the red stripes of the I
marines flashing amid the sober and /
stripeless wilderness of sailors legs. |
For Is minutes the exercise was con-
tinued, and then the men returned to
The ship.
AS they did so bluejacket walked |
to the flagstaff and began handling the |
1alliards. The buglers began to play |
"a
which blew out straight and stiff In the !
strong wind, and stood at attention.
rhe bluejackets pulled at the halliards
ana the stars and stripes came fiutter-
ng down. AS they touched the deck
,ficer and men lifted their hands in
salute The day was officially at an
md on the battle ship Indiana. 4
This exercise Is gone through at
vening and morning quarters on all
he ships in the navy" said one of the
ulcers when all the men had gone be-
ow. "1n the old ships the men got ex-
rcise enough in working the vessel.
There was rigging to be looked after
nd many other duties had to be at
ended to which have no place in the
fc of the modern man-o'-war's man.
i battle ship nowadays is hive into
which men are crowded. We must have
hem for the guns and for the engines,
ut there is little work to be done which
ives them open-air exercises. So we
ut them through the oalisthenic eN-
rcise and the double time to timber
hem up. Usually these exercises are
erformed on the ship, but when the
round is dry we send the men out there
n the dock where there is plenty of
pom. They get better chance for the
oubla time, and enjoy If much moro
nan they do on shipboard.- The
lew York Sun.
INTER DEP A Z rrAI E,NT DER ATE,