Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-02
CURIOUS NAVAL PUNlSHMENTS.
Baliug Tub Of Water with spoon-Laugh-
ing for Hour aud Half.

ing for Hour aud Half.
Naval officers do not always mste out
TO the men the punishments laid down
in the Kings regulations. They ire-
quently adopt punishments of their own
invention Whloh prove most effective
IN preventing the recurrence Of
offences. These Tunishments are often
OF very curious and even ludiorous
nature.
IL is an every day occurrence to see
half 1ozen sailors line up on deck
facing the Iaint WoEK, their hammooKs
on their shoulders ana their faces pre-
senting a most Woeiul picture. For
this punishment is not so trivial as IL
appears, says London Iit-hits. ] he
hammock is not yeIy heavy, il is true,
bus after an hour or SO it dTags on
ones shoulder like lead. Besides it is
lar from pleasant 10 stare hxedly at a
square foot of gray painted woodwork
for sixty minutes at a stretch. Jack
would much prefer to do a few days
Ten" OF TO have his leave ''jambed. -
Splitting upon the deck Of a man-o-
war - strictly prohibited. AS soon as
the bugler has sounded the "Stand
| Easy spittoons are placed at inter
/ walls along the deck Tor the use Of
sailors, aud wee betide the tar who
ignores the presence OF these tubs and
expeotatorates about the spotless deck.
On iuany vessels a wide bell is kept,
and this the man who departs from the
regulations Ia compelled to Wear upon
his person, and is thus subjected to the
iidicule OF his shipmates. lie Is given
an opportunity of retrieving his char
acter. however. lie is permitted to
walk the deck with the other men,
and should he SPOT a sailor commit
ting like offence he at once presents
him with the hated belt and the new
victim has to undergo a similar ordeal
Some officers ADOPT more drastic
measures. II Jack Is detected expect
Grating nyWheIe but in the O. ptaoles
provided "spit-kit'' is strapped 10
his chest, aud any man who cares to
10 so may make use Of this curious
walking receptacle. As may be sup.
posed. this humiliHting punishment
effectively prevents the men from
violating the regulations.
We're a civilian gi5en two large
wooden buckets, one empty and the
other full Of water, and told to bale
the liquid from the full tub into
the empty vessel with a small spoon,
he would consider the order to be
that Of madmau OF a revival OF ancient
iairy lore. Yet this punishment has
on several occasions heen meted nut
to refractory "sea dogs. Nothing is
more amusing than to see a weather
beaten sailor carefully bailing out
spooniul'a after 81, onfdl Of water, and
as carefully depositing the fluid in a
large bucket at his side.
punishment frequently employed
is that of setting the oefaulter to walk
] I..Ia L. H..
deos, nursing in his arms a 6.inoh
proiectile weighing little-over 100
pounds). Alter quarter of an hour
or 80 oi this beneficial "exercise" the
unhappy victim is glad to droF the
load and rub his aching limbs. AT
the same time he probably makes a
solemn resolve never to repeat the
offence for which be has been award
ed" this dire penanoe.
An old naval captain-one Of the old
school-was at one time sally addicted
to stammering. lie could not utter a
simple sentence without a great
amount Of splutteTinR and hesita.
tion. This was one day too much for
an intrepid sailor, who was receiving
an order from the captain IN that
oilicial's usual halting manner, and be
unfortunately burst into an uncon-
t trollalbe tt Of laughter. This rash
laugh be bitterly Tepented. Capt. was
: disciple OF the homeopathic system.
/ Making Jack stand upon the ole
bridge, in full view OF the entire
ships crew, the officer commanded
his victim TO laugh continuously for
an hour hour and half. This he was
compelled TO do, though the pitiful
expression Of his wea athef beaten, sun
burnt visago denoted anything but a
happy and oon'ented frame OF mind.
WhistlinR in forbidden parts of the
D ship has often been punished in a
similar manner. The offender has
been Obliged to whistle his loudest,
under the eagle eye OF the commander,
l until poor jacks lips have become &C
r parohed and cracked that he could
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