The Washington times., 1901-07-29
THE FERNS CRUISE ENDED
Naval Battalion Returns From Its
Annual Practice Trip.
Citizen Sailors Go Through Routine
Like Old Snlts-Out ON the Tossing
Atlantic an Inward Uneasincss AZ
fects some of the Amateur Tur.

| Cfttxcn sailors Go Through ROuffne
Like Old Snlts-Out ON the Tossing
| Atlantic an Inward Uneasfncsx Al
fects Some of the Amateur Tars
In the historic little Fern the gallan,
| jack tars of the Naval Battalion steamed
| up the Potomac at the completion OF the
most successful cruise in the brief his
tory Of that branch of the District Mill
tia. One hundred and six men and ofi-
GERS. under Commander r. p. Hams. made
the cruise. which started Saturday week
ago. and extended down the river and the
bay and out onto the broad Atlantic
The life of the sailors who man Uncle
Sans fighting craft was the daily rou-
! tine of the members of the Naval Bat
| TALON.
The weeks stay away from home was
| just long enough When anchor was
| dropped at10 O'Clock yesterday morning on
| Riley's wharf there was scarcely enough
| left in the ships cupboards to provide an
other meal. Had any accident happened
| at sea, which might have retarded the
return, it is likely the tars would have
gone hungry instead of feeding on the
excellent fare provided by the commits
| sary of the National Guard
| There were no especially striking fea-
lures of the cruise. which was in its itin-
ei'ary similar to those of 1893 and 1900.
But there was general Improvement In
every particular Of the work of the bat
TALON. The most noticeable feature to
the officers was the jealous devotion with
| which the men attended to their duties
and the rapidity with which they got a
grasp on the details of ship life.
1t generally takes saiIorsiia the regular
service a week or ten days to get settled
down to the discipline of the navy after
they have been ashore for a considerable
time. But within three days after the
Naval Battalion weighed the anchor of
the Fern and headed down the Potomac
everything was running in superlative
shipshape fashion.
The Fern had been anchored In the Po-
tomac yesterday morning but few min
utes when the general commanding the
District militia and the inspector general
came aboard and went over the entire
ship. The Fern has not looked in better
trim for months than she did yesterday
morning The decks glistened white and
every bit of brass and metal work was
polished brilliantly
With two exceptions the health of the
members of the crew has been first class
Il I-
was sent back to Washington suffering
from an attack of appendicitis, which,
although not critical. was serious enough
to make further voyage on the Fern un-
wise. Simms lives in Falls Church. Com
mander Hams has been advised that his
condition is somewhat improved o. H.
Davis, also resident of Falls Church,
was Ill when the Fern came in yesterday
morning and was sent home His condi-
ton was not serious. Both men were not
in very good condition when they started
on the cruise.
Everyone, from Commander Hains
down to the lowest ranking landsman in
the ships company, is pleased with the
experience of the cruise, and general re-
gret was expressed that return had to
be made just at the time when the men
were beginning to gain the greatest good
from the lessons taught In the daily drills.
Before the Fern departed a week ago
last Saturday the watch. quarter, and
station bills were made out. These indis-
pensable parts of the ships routine pro-
gramme contain the name of each MEN,
ber of the crew and opposite it the posi-
tion he Is to take and the duties he shall
perform at every maneuvre which may
occur. No sooner had the ship got under
way than things slipped into the rut of
regular discipline. The watches, already
made up. began their work without hesi-
fancy. The officers of the crew are as
follows: Commander, R. P. Hams; chief
engineer. Thomas W. Power; paymaster,
Sidney Bieber; surgeon, s. Clifford Cox;
navigator, Lieut.. r B. Brummett; CON-
manding first division, Lieut.. A. p Lang;
commanding second division, Lieut. ]. A
Dempf; Ensign George III. Berry second
division; Ensign William II. Lantz. first
division; aide to commander, Ensign How
ard Fiske; pay clerk. Frank W. Sigour-
ney.
The loyalty of the crew was evidenced
In the work of those assigned to duty in
the engineers division There were thir-
ty of them. and they We're Obliged to do
all the stocking. Duty on this unpleasant
detail was divided into tricks of two hours |
each. In the fire room below the level |
OF the water line, where the thermome-
ter sometimes climbed as high as 1s5 de- |
plaint
But in the deck watches and other parts
of the ship the duties of the crew were
performed in the same conscientious man /
ner. In the long night watches there was |
never any indication that the sailors Were |
not over used.
Rough weather was encountered only |
once, and that on Thursday night last, |
Just on Point Lookout. A heavy sea was |
d forty miles an hour. The Fern stood |
the storm very well. and stood steady |
amid the big waves which occasionally |
crashed over the bows. The experience
VAS a new and startling one for the new |
piembers of the Naval Battalion
Every day but one there were deck |
drills with cutlass and the small guns.
The latter part of the week, when the
ferh was Wei out at sea, the big guns |
were allowed to bark to everyone's sat
The armament of the Fern was strength
aned Just before the departure of the |
battalion by the replacing of two small
guns with improved six-pounders With |
nese formidable weapons the sailors had
'ienty of opportunity for target practice, |
md the accuracy with which several tar
gets were demolished at great distance
1aS gratifying to the officers. n addi- |
ion TO the two big guns there are two
'ne.-pounders and two small rapid-fire
anding guns
Nearly every man was given an oppor-
unity to try his skill at gun practice |
With some of the guns, The targets stood
ver a dozen feet in the water but at a
distance of 1000 yards looked not more
han one-sixth that size, while the bull s.
we a mere black Speck The six |
ounders, which were of the latest type
Gere turned on one of these targets and |
. was completely demolished in a short
ime- Had a vessel instead of a canvas
lrget been the objective point of the pro-
ectileS 1t would have soon gone TO the
ottom.
At Fort Monroe a landing party was
ant ashore to practice with the Lee-Het
ord rifles in the range at that place
he craftsmanship displayed at that time
'as excellent While of Capes Henry
nd May there was target practice for an
ntire day sandwiched in between the
)utine work of ship drill. The large tar 1
Its for the six-pound guns were moored at
le usual distance. about 2,e00 yards, by
lie use of the range finder