The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-10

arise sllch as a general outbreak OF re-
calcttrancy, but the occasion must be
abnormal for such a breach of etiquette
to be made Some captains very wisely
make it their duty to go the round OF
the ship each morning seeing that every
thing is as it should be, and these enter
the forecastle as a It of their eXaini-
nation. But this Is quite the exception
to the general rule, and is always Ielt TO
be more or less of an infringement oil
immemorial right.
In what must be called the social lie
of the forecastle, although 1t Is colll-
monty marked by an utter apsehse Oh
social observances, there are several
well defined rules of etiquette Whlch
persist in spite of all other changes.
One must not lock his chest at sea. AS
soon as the last landsman has lett the
ship unlock the donkey" throw the
key ostentatiously into the till. and, let
ting the lid fall, seat yourself upon II
and light your pipe. II is a Masonic
sign of good fellowship known and read
of all men, that YOU are SOU Spain
err indeed, at home again. The flfst
time that the newly assembled crew SIT
down gypsy fashion to a meal for ia
bles are seldom supplied) there may pe
one usually boy, who fails TO remove
his cap Then does the nearest man .
hand seek the "bread-barse' for Wnole
biscuit, generally Of tilelilSe texture ana
consistency. Grasping it by spreading
his fingers all over its circumference
the mentor brings it down crushlnsly
upon the covered head of the oiLehder'
who is thus initiated, as it were, to the
fact that he must show respect 10 MS
grub" as the term goes But ollell
when the commons have been exception
ally short or bad an old seaman Will de-
| liberately put on his cap again with the
remark, "Tain't with it,
If al man wants to smoke while meal
! is in progress let him go outside, unless
he desires deliberately to raise Storm
| And when on the first day OF serving
out stores a man has been induced TO
undertake the onerous duty Of dividing
to each one his weekly portion Whack-
| ing out"-gross indeed must be MS care
lessness or unfairness before any suller-
er will raise protest. 1t used TO pc the
practice to load the boys or ordinary
seamen ca grade between "A. Is. ana
howl with all the mental service OIL the
forecastle, such as food-fetchlng, WASH
ing up utensile, scruhoing, etc bul q
iuster and wiser plan has been borrowed
! from the navy whereby each man takes
in rotation a week as cook OF the
mess" He cooks nothing, the doctor
will take care of that, but he is the ser
want of his house for that week, respoh-
sible for its due order and cleanliness
The boys are usually kept out OF the
forecastle altogether, and berthed WIN
the petty officers, a plan which mas Wltn
some advantages grave drawbacks
One curious old custom deserves pass
ing notice. Upon vessels arrlVal ~
norts where it is necessary to anchor II
is usual to set what is called an 'ahchol
watch" the first night All hands take
mart in this for one hour each, or shouio
do en- but that sometimes there are toe
few and sometimes too many. AS suoi
as the order is given to pick TOT an
Choir watch" an old hand draws rude
circle on deck, which he subdiVldes lftt
as many sections as there are men
Then one man retires while all the res
oorna forward and make each man ms
nrivate mark in a section Wheh al
have contributed the excluded one
whose mark has been made Tor MN
nv deputy is called in and solemhlA
r,,bs ont mark after mark, the flrst II
bn rubbed out giving its owner the mrs
hours watch, and so on'-fTahh l. Du'
len in the Spectator.