The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-03-03
THE OLD SAIL DRILL
PeriIs the Modern Warship Mers "
Not Have to Face.

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One OF the dangers and 8ry1of tie
hardest tasks of the man-of- wars man
vanished out OF his life when. with the
supplanting of the frigate by the steam
(! cruiser, the old time sail drill became
thing of the past. Fleets in the old
days were continually exercised in
making and shortening sail, shifting
spars and all similar maneuvers aloft.
says Captain ]. W. Gambler of the
British navy In E.s "Liaks>ln~ S.ife."
AS the greatest rivalry eSsske.d among
the crews as to which EgGfp should
carry out the evolution first accidents
were frequent, Hardly drill day
passed without men being seriously in
jured.
Once during drill in Kiel harbor.
where the rivalry in the feet WAS in
creased by the eagerness of foreign
ships to compete with the English. an
unfortunate French midshipman went
head first from the mizZen crosstrees
Of the French flagship to the deck.
That numbers Of accidents should
take place in sail drill was not aston
measuring perhaps seventy or eighty
feet long and weighing two or three
tons were whisked about with be-
W1ldering speed with nothing but
mems hands and brains to guide
them; hundreds of men crammed into
space of a few hundred square feet,
where nothing but the most marvellous
death on deck or aloft
To the landsman, who understood
nothing of the difficulty involved in
rapidly shifting these great masts and
yards or in reeling and furling thou
sands of square feet of stiff canvas
perhaps wet or half frozen-the rapid
ity with which it was done was per-
haps the chief wonder.
Ropes, running like lightning nugh
blocks that were instantly too hot tro...se
friction to be touched, had to be
checked to within a few inches, requir-
ing the utmost GOODNESS and presence
OF mind, while the officer in COM :.
mand had to superintend what to the :
uninitiated looked like a tangled mass
of cordage, but which was in reality
no more in confusion than the threads
In loom.
In an instant his officer might see
something goiug wrong. To delay
single second meant a terrible catas-
trophe. Every one. allow and aloft,
was relying Oh his Judgment
"Belay. Ease away
The order came in an instant. The
boatSwain's mates repeated it In
particular call which this life and
death necessity soon taught every one
to understand. the shrill whistles rising
above t. din of tramping feet and
running pes or the thunderouS crash
Of the g.>lt sails in the wind. Death
had been ayerted-or not. If not you
looked up and saw some unfortunate
man turning head over heels in the
air. Your heart stood still Would he
catch hold of something, even If only
to break his fall, or would he come
battering on the deck? j was mere
toss up. If he was killed outright it
stopped the drill for the
day; If he was only seriously injured &.
the drill went on. for this was part
Of the lesson that must be learned
hat in peace, as in war, one must take
HE chances
Like NIUE.
"a man wifi 4 bad disposition" said
Uncle Eben, lis a heap like mule.
fous always havin' yoh doubts about
whether his usefulness on some occa-
'ions pays fob his troublesemeness on
'thers. "-Washington Star.