The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-27
EXERCISE FOR aLug,AckE1s.
Daily Drill Made Necessary by Condi.
tions on Modern NIen-of- War.

Daily Drill Made Necessary by Condi-
tions Modern Men-of- War.
From the New York Sun.
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 Lieutenant-Command Rodgers, ex-
ecutive 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 ears and hose testified to the
sharpness of the breeze, approached
him.
Shall we have the setting up exer-
else ashore or on board, sir?" he asked.
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 saluted and went away. Eight
bells sounded, and the ships buglers
began to blow the call for evening quar-
tiers One by one the officers struggled
up the companionways, buckling on
their swords and pulling on their
gloves. Mr.. Rodgers stood in the lee of
from the different divisions.
Engineers division all accounted for,
SIR" one messenger would say, and
then scurry away to his quarters. The
marine guard Lieutenant 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 to the
dock. 1t was the beginning of an exo-
dus. From forward and aft bluejackets
streamed over the ships side until
nearly five hundred men, the entire
ships company, We're 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
extended arms dropped.
The perfect drill of a man-owar
showed in the regularity and precision
of the movements. Lieutenant Com
mander Rodgers 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 per-
Torrance of the motions each division
We're a few seconds behind that I'M
mediately in front of it. The result was
a WaVy effect, which was particularly
marked in the bending movements
when it seemed as if a strong breeze
blowing bent the heads of each succeed
ing line as it passed.
attention. shouted Mr.. Rodgers,
and the men stood motionless, lines of
blue making a gridiron of the field.
Suddenly the blare of the bugles rang,
a drum was beaten, and then the notes
of Pop Goes the WEASEL rolled briskly
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,
squirming in and out, every man in
step with the others and in time with
the music, and the red leg-stripes of the
marines flashing amid the sober and
stripeless wilderness of sailors legs. For
fifteen minutes the exercise was contin-
ued. and then the men returned to the
ship.
AS they did so bluejacket walked to
the flagstaff and began handling the
halliards. The buglers began to play
"colors' Every man faced the flag,
which blew out straight and stiff in the
strong wind. and stood at attention.
The bluejacket pulled at the halliards
and the Stars and Stripes came t1utter-
ing down. AS they touched the deck
officer and men lifted their hands in sa-
lutte. The day was officially at a end
on the battleship Indiana.
This exercise is gone through at
evening and morning quarters on all
ships in the navy said one of the Off
GERS when all of the men had gone be-
low. I'm the old ships the men got ex-
ercise enough in working the vessel
There was rigging to be looked after,
and many other duties had to be at
tended to which have no place in the
life of the modern man-o'-war's man.
A battleship nowadays is a hive into
which men are crowded. We must have
them for the guns and for the engines,
but there is little work to be done which
gives them open-air exercise. So we
put them through the calisthenic exer-
else and the double time to timber them
up. Usually these exercises are per-
formed on the ship, but when the
ground is dry We send the men out
there on the dock where there is plenty
of room. They get a better chance for
the double time and enjoy it much more
than they do on shipboard."