Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-01-16
ABOUTTHE SHIPS BELL.
Various Uses to Which It Is Put-How Il
Tells the Time Of Day.
New York Tribune


Tells the Time Of Day.
New York Tribune.
Eight bells" does not mean that 8
ship has that number OF bells, but it is
nautical term for the hour. The
nautical day begins and ends at noon,
when "eight bells" is struck, as is
also at 4 o'clock, s o'clock and at
midnight. The bell is struck half.
hourly, one stroke being added for
each half-hour again. And if one is
asked the time on board a navy ship
the response would be so many bells,
not she hour. The Lell is of ordinary
size only, but it has sharp tone, and
is hung Just forward or absit the fore.
mast. The captains orderly usually
watches the clock and reports to the
officer of the deck what hour it is
in number OF bells, who then orders
the bell struck. But at 8 o'clock in
the morning this rule is varied, the
orderly reporting to the officer of the
deck: Eight bells. sir" when the
officer replies: Report to the cap
tain eight bells and chronometers
wound" The captain then responds !:
1" Very we'll; make it so," when the
orderly reports to the officer of the
deck, who commands the messenger
boy OF the watch: "Strike eight
BELLS" But if the captain should
chance to remain mum and not say
make it so," no one would hear the
bell strike eight, and the nautical day
would be thrown out of joint.
At noon the "eight bells" is net
struck until the navigator has cor.
rected the clock, either by his noon.
day sight for position of the ship
when at sea or from his chronometer.
If with feet or at naval station the
bell must not be struck until that OF
the senior officer sounds, and the
messenger stands by the bell with
clapper in hand, and as soon as the
flag officers bell begins to strike the
bells on the other vessels are struck.
When there is large fleet lying close
together the effect is interesting and
agreeable, and one might imagine
that chimes were being rung.
Every navy in the world except
England follows the same custom, and
England only varies at the "dog
WATCH" from 4 to s O'Clock in the
evening. In these hours the bell
strikes every half-hour till o'clock,
and then at $50 one bell is struck
and 90 on to three bells at Z 80
o'clock; but eight bells are sounded
at s O'Clock. Tradition gives this
reason for this custom: Before the
British naval mutinies OF 1897 the
bells OF the ships were struck as in
other navies, but in one of these
mutinies the signal agreed upon by
the mutineers was the stroke of five
bells (6 80 p. N.Y. and at that hour the
mutineers arose to slay their officers.
Then when order was restored through.
out the navy the dog. watch system oil
bells was adopted to allay supersti.
ton.
But the ships bell has other duties
than that of keeping the time. II
tolls on Sunday mornings for the
services of the chaplain or his substi
tute; also TO call Gall hands to bury
the dead; and it is . fire sign a1
when it is rung vigorously. and then
the ships crew take the positions tc
which they have been assigned ON the
first day each has been detailed to the
ship. The bell is not used AZ q fire
signal in engagement, however, for the
reason that the crew might become
panic.stricken and distracted from
the fight; in such cases the FIRE is re-
ported TO the captain, and he dis.
patches an officer with men to ex.
tinguish it. The bell is also used in
q fog, and when the ship is at ancho.
!, it is struck in threes, with short
interval between each set OF strokes
In the use OF the bell for these sew
eral purposes no confusion is caused
The half-hour signals are struck in
pairs, with q couple OF seconds be-
tween each, and if an odd number j.
to be sounded the single stroke comes
last. The tolling for church is by
slow process, while those for Q fog are
in sets OF three. and for a fire they
follow each other with great rapidity.