The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-09-19
NAVAL LIFE NOT ALL ROSY
PUNISHMENTS WHICH SEEM Sc
WE'RE GIVEN FOR VENAL SINS.
| 8aIinp Water With a Teaspoon One
Of the Modes of DISQUALIFICATION
dinate Who Laughed at Superior
Atones in Singular Way.

| Atones in Singular Way.
American blue Jackets are supposed
to have no troubles. In song and
story they simply sail on and over
| billowy waves and bounding sea. They
have no servant question to worry
er and baker, no society stunts to do
in fact, the proverbial life is one
continual round of pleasure" is sup
posed to have been first written Of
the care-free sailor boy.
1t is really too bad 10 spoil the ITO
plan dream. but it develops that the
American sailor has as many troubles
of the common, everyday sort IS any
of the rest Of the human race. 1uey
have rules and regulations; true. nO
signs Don't walk On the grass" but
there is rule against splitting on the
deck While loud talking is not tab
coed. whistjing under certain coca
sions placed under the ban. And SO
on, many rules of life are laid down
for sailors, just as if they we're doing
ordinary duty of citizens On the land.
Rules always call for punishment.
Although there are great many pen
alties laid down for mira ction Of regu-
lations on the battle ships, officers
find less severe and "freakish" pun
ishments oftentimes the most effect
i've.
Splitting on the Deck.
Splitting on the deck of a, battle
ship which is shining from its fresh
coat Of soap and water, is the most
ordinary of all misdemeanCrs. So Of
fcers have long since left the blue
book of penalties and have provided
one of their own. For the first oTense
the offender is brought I'D. spit belt
strapped around his waist, and, amid
jeers and Gerisive smiles of his com
panions. he ms"lZs time in a conspicu-
Gus place on the quarter deck.
Should he forget and break the vni-
versal rule again a spit kit is this
time hung around his waist and each
sailor in turn walks up and splits in Il,
greatly to the discom future of the
wearer. Officers say the second pun
ishment never calls for a third pen
atty.
RaiIine Water With Teaspoon.
It is not an uncommon sight to see
an old erizzled sea dog squatting on
the deck of a vessel bailing water
from full tub to another with a tea
spoon. Great fun it is for the first
100 teaspoonfuls, but then the humor
wears Off and it becomes a trife ink
some. Before it is finished it has be-
come the hardest Kind Of labor.
One former midshipman, now an Of
ficer. said. in referring to the time he
bailed water with q teaspoon: "I'd a
thousand times rather shoulder a
heavy mUsket that number of times
than daily with kat tea spoon"
But. say" said another officer. WHO
has grown gray IN he service Of In
Gle Sam. did yCU ever do the nursing
stunt? That positively takes the cake
of them all. MANY time I've carried
a S-A-lLlEA DlOJSttilS "tlSulIS IUU
pounds, II my arms for an hour and
a half Once l took to the penalty
with too much alacrity and my supe-
rior made me sway that shell to and
fro and hum an old lullaby. How my
muscles did ache when I was at last
allowed to deposit that mewling in
FAINT on the deck"
Snickerine at an Officer.
Probably the most drastic, as we'll
as novel punishment, whica ever be-
fell salt happened on battleship
of the Atlantic squadron not many
years ago. One of the officers had a
slight defect in his speech so that
when he became excited he STAN
mered rather slightly, though unfor-
tunately. One day he was giving an
order to an under officer with the
marines drawn up on deck at "atten-
ton" and his stammering caused a
smoker in the ranks. The officer did
not hear it, but the subordinate did,
and, being rollicking, good-natured
son of Cork, the hUmor of the situa-
ton appealed to him so strongly that
he laughed outright.
The officer became red in the face,
choked up with righteous indignation,
and finally ordered the offender to
stand on cask in full view of all his
comrades. and was then ordered to
laugh until he twas relieved" For
an hour and half the poor jackie
was prodded on to keep up a hearty
laugh, and during the last half hour
he presented a most pitiarle specta-
Gle. Finally, when ordered relieved,
he fell to the deck utterly exhausted,
and it was so long before he laughed
again that his comrades dubbed him
"the man who never smiled again"
Whistling is forbidden on certain oc-
casions, and woe betide the offender
who is caught saving off a chord of
the latest rag-time Or grand opera
He is stood up on deck and made to
whistle with all his power until his
tired and parched lips absolutely re-
f,,co 10 q lzQ Cn,lrd