The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1908-07-16
QUEER TERMS USED,
CURIOUS LINGO OF SAILORS ON
BOARD BATTLEsHIPs
Names Of Animals Applied to Various
Articles OF Utility - Very
Mystifying to Lands
mon.

The timeworn growl OF the dis
Eruntled bluojachet. why did | ever
sell my farm and go 20 scar shows
the trend OF the sailors mind toward
the peaceful occupation o. his rustic
brother, and may account for applying
terms agricultural TO things nautical,
a the Detroit Tribune,
The casual visitor to the warship Is
always mystihed by seeing what APP
pears to be a bale OF hay IN the fore
hold. and his curiosity is not abated
when told that it goes to feed the
''iaokasses. kept appropriately In the
manager" His shrunken %oredulity re-
sumes normal dimensions when II IS
explained that ~'jackasses" are canvas
bags filed with oakum, which are
forced into the hawse pipes to prevent
water from entering at sea.
Neither IS a Flemish horse" a rare
breed OF equine, nor a bride port" a
place FOR hitching him; the former is q
foot rope for men to stand upon when
urling sail. and the latter Is an air
port IN the bows through which tow
ing hawsers used to be led The sad
die" Of the bowsprit completes the
riding outfit Of the ship.
The menagerie OF a man-o'-war con-
tAlns a "cat" and fish" both OF which
are used 20 weigh" the anchor; cat
heads" where the lookout Of sailing
ships stands his watch; Wildcats"
which. with ~"whelps" hyld the chain
on the capstan, ard the best OF tho
b~owsprit." On some days Il Is pOssi-
be to ind a "catspaw"-a sudden pun
Of wind-and a l|andlubber can easily
catch a crab" IN pulling a boat; in
deed. Il IS hard 10 let n 50 without
u~nshipping the BAR.
Dog watches" are OF nightly occur
renee between 4 and 8 O'Clock. when
the usual four-hour watch is split into
two parts. The dog watches are sup
posed to get their name from the fact
that they are "~cur-talled." and not
because the dog star, Sirius. KEEPS
those hours.
When the gunner orders his mates
to "clean the dashpCt." he Is not using
polite profanity. but directing the
cleaning Of that part Of the gun recoil
cylinder. The pillow Of a rntling gun
may assist In turning the "eNf" for
the enemy. but not In a literal sense.
Nor DO the te~il-tales" OF the engine
room give Il away; instead they
peacefully record the revolutions OF
the screws.
The propellers are usually on a
strut" but II ia o the vulgar, par
lance for saying they are angry: the
I strut Is the steel arm that holds them
Ia position. Ships masts, like men,
have partners" which. though wood
en-. strengthen them and make them
Hrm. These are "payed" with pitch.
Awnings have "backbones a sharks
mouth. dogs ears, and earrings"
The trimming tanks" are huge CON-
| partments for holding SEA water which
may be let IN 10 change the trim or in
/ clination OF the ship, due 10 the fact
that the coal may have been used from
only one side. giving the ship a list"
A queer commodity In the engineers
storeroOm Is -loofa,' a kind OF Japan
,se sea cucumber. used for a alter IN
he boilers. Ground glass Is also car
ned to grind valve seat and bearings
The ~wardroom country" is the space
around officers quarters. The ham
mock nettinEs" are no more an affair
u thread mesh than Is the main
sheet a part Of the sail; the former
being stowage space for the crews
nammocks when not In use, and the
latter a rope made fast to the clew, or
corner Of the sail. Even anchors have
'shanks, rings" crowns" arms"
and ''hukes."