Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-11
When the Havy Jackies Undergo Gu.
rious Punishmerts.

rious Punishments.
Naval officers do not always mete
out to the men the punishment laid
down in the Kings regulations. They
frequently adopt punishment Of their
own invention which prove most ef-
fective In preventing the recurrence
of offence. The puishments are
often a very curious! and even lu-
dicrouS nature.
1t is an every day occurrence to see
half dozen sailors lined up on deck,
facing the paintwork, their hammocks
on their shoulders, and their faces
presenting a most woful picture. For
this punishment Is not so trivial as 1t
appears. The hammock is not very
heavy ii Is true, but after an hour or
two 1t brags on one shoulder like lead.
Besides it Is far from pleasant to
stare fixedly at a square foot Of gray
painted wood work for sixty minutes
at stretch. Jack would much prefer
to do a few days "Ten A." or to have
his leave "jambled."
Splitting on deck of man O. war is
strictly prohibited. AS soon as the
bugle has sounded the "Stand Easy"
spittoons are placed at intervals along
the deck for the use Of the sailors,
and woe betide the tar who ignores
the presence Of these tubs and expec-
torates about the spotless deck. On
many vessels a wide belt Is kept, and
this the man who departs from the
regulations is required to wear upon
his person. and Is thus subjected to
the ridicLle of his shipmates. He is
given an oportunity Of retrieving his
character, however. He Is permitted
to walk the deck with the other men,
and should he "spot" a sailor COM
mitting like offense he at once pre-
sents him with the hated belt, and
the new victim has to undergo sim
liar ordeal. -.
Some officers adopt more drastic
measures. II Jack is detected ex-
pectorating anywhere but in the re-
cepticles provided, a spit kit" Is
strapped to his chest, and any man
who cares to do so may make use Of
this curious walking spectacle. AS
may be supposed this humiliating pun
ishment effectively prevents the men
from violating the regulations.
Were a civilian given two large
wooden buckets, one empty and the
other full Of water, and told to bail
the liquid from the full tub into the
empty vessel with a small spoon he
would consider the order to be that Of
a madman or a revival Of ancient
fairy lore. Yet this punishment has
on several occasions been meted out
to refractory sea dogs. Nothing Is
more amusing than to see a weather
beaten sailor carefully bailing out
spoonful after spoonful of water and
as carefully depositing the fluid in a
large bucket at his side.
A punishment frequently employed
is that Of setting the defaulter to
walking slowly backward and for
ward along the deck, nursing in his
arms a six-inch projectile Weighing a
little over 100 pounds. After a quar-
ter of an hour or so of this beneficial
exercise" the unhappy victim is glad
to drop the load and rub his aching
limbs. At the same time he probably
makes a solemn mental resolve never
to repeat the offence for which .he
has been awarded this dire penance.
An old naval captain-one Of the
old, old school-was at one time sadly
addicted to stammering. He could
not utter a simple sentence without
a great amount Of sputtering and hes
itation. This was one day too much
for an intrepid sailor, who was receiv-
in an order from the captain in that
officials usual halting manner, and he
unfortunately burst into an uncontrol-
liable fit of laughter. This rash act
he bitterly repented. Capt. --
was a disciplinarian Of the homae-
opathic system. Making Jack stand
upon .he fore bridge in full view Of
the entire ships crew, the officer
commanded his victim to laugh con-
tinuously for an hour and a half.
This he was compelled to do, though
the pitiful expression of his weather.
beaten, sunburnt visage denoted any
thing but a happy and contented
frame of mind.
Whistling in forbidden parts Of the
ship has often been punished In a
similar manner. The offender has
been obliged to whistle his loudest
under the eagle eye Of the command
er until poor Jacks lips have become
so parched and cracked that he could
not produce another note.-London
Tit-Bits.