Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-03
CURIOUS CUSTOMS.
Traditions of the Past as Shown by
Uniforms of British Officers, Sailors
and Marines.

and Marines.
Many quaint and curious customs
will be found by the inquisitive visitor
to the warships lying off the James
| town Exposition TO be held at Hamp-
ton Roads in 1907. These customs de-
rive their greatest charm from the fact
that they are a survival of olden days
and events long since forgotten.
For instance, the visitor will see on
the dark sleeves of many British Of
ficers patch of lighter colored cloth
| with row of three buttons If the
| visitor is so curious as to ask what
rank that sign indicates, his host will
tell him that it is not indicative of
rank, but is a survival of the time
when My Lords of the British ADJ
! miralty' found it necessary to curb the
| young midshipmans tendency to use
! his sleeve as an impromptu handker-
| chief Hence the three buttons. Chev-
| rons worn on the sleeve of petty Off
| GERS survive from feudal usage. Chevron
is the French word for "rafter," and the
/ chevron worn on the sleeve was put
! there TO show the wearer belonged to
| the house of the lord whose heraldic
emblems We're displayed underneath
| the chevrons. For long time the
! United States army wore their chew
origin of the custom of wearing chew
! rons, this was wrong, and when 1t was
called to. the attention of the war de-
partment, the custom was Immediately
! changed so that now army chevrons
/ point upward as do the rafters in any
we'll behaved house.
{v;fa
the British navy the officers leave and
| enter their ship by means of the port
or left gangway instead of the star
board gangway which is on the right
side looking toward the bow. as is the
custom in other navies. This custom
also prevailed in the British navy until
the great mutiny at More in 1850 when
the crews of the vessels in the mutiny
sent the officers over the port gang
way as a mark of disrespect and set
them down On the beach When the
mutfny WAS suppressed the officers
came back into their ships over the
port gansway and have ever since used
that as the most honorable entrance to
the ship.
Time is counted on shipboard by
bells. The day is divided into six per-
iods of four hours each. The periods
or watches commence at noon, four p.
m, eight p. M. midnight, four am,
eight a. m. AT 1880 p. m. the ships
bell is struck once. Two bells an
nounce one O'clock, three half past one
and four, two p m. This goes on |
until four p. m. is sounded by |
eight bells when the count for that
watch is ended At half past four it is |
begun again with one tap on the bell. |
This custom is followed in all navies |
except the British which instead of I
striking four bells at six o'clock, strike |
only once. This also is in memory Of I
mutiny. The legend as still told in the /
British navy is of a great British fleet !
lying at anchor in a British port
crowded with mutinous men who had I
pledged each other to arise and over
power their officers when the last
stroke of four bells in the second dog
watch 6 p. mo- were dying away in
the echoes. With his hand poised to |
strike the bell four times, the marine
whose duty 1t was to keep the time,
first learned of the mutiny. His cap
tain and the admiral of the fleet were
both absent. If he struck the full
measure the mutineers would be on
him before help could reach him To
confuse them and gain time the marine
struck the bell but once and for some
time the mutineers supposed it to be
only half past four o'clock. Their first
intimation that their plot had been
discovered was when the soldiers APP
peared among them and arrested their
Still another curious fact for the Wis
itor to the jamestown Exposition to
will be that the three white
stripes running around the wide collar
of the bluejacket was originally placed
there to commemorate Lord Nelson's
three greatest victories. the Nile, Cop
enhagen and Trafalgar. Not Knowing
what they represented at that time the
French and Spanish navies also adopt
ed the idea and to this day the three
white stripes run around the collars of
French and Spanish bluejackets, COM
their own defeat at Trafal-
gar.
Another interesting fact those at the
Jamestown celebration will have an
opportunity to observe will be tina.
while every other officer goes down
he gangway facing down, the Major
Of Marines always backs down with
elaborate care, as if he were leaving
The presence of his sovereign. Those
who are puzzled by this fact will find
sufficient explanation when they look
Town at his feet where long spurs
project, making descent If not dis
inctly hazardous, at least exceedingly
The Major of Marines
S the only officer in the British navy,
" probably any other navy, who has
he honor of wearing spurs.
Many other customs equally quaint
md originating from causes equally
curious will be found in active force
oday on ships of not only this coun-
ry. but others Also and especially in