Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-02-21
lcepyr,ght. ~ Jossph B. Bow les.

lCepyr,sAt. " Jos.pA .. so~ls.
tMrs. Charles D. sigsbee. wife Of Adj
snirai Sissbee OF the United States navy.
h the daughter OF the late Gen. Lock
wood She has been much at sea and
her kindly interest In the sailors has
given her a close insight into their lives.
a. the following article disclosesl
Comparing the modern sailor with
those who enlisted on board our men
os.war so or 60 years ago We see that
Jack nowadays fares far better than
In those good old times"
In the early days Of the nineteenth
century and until about ls45 Jogging
Was administered for even minor Of
fsuses. The cat" a scourge with
nine tails, used on the bare back. was
one Of the instruments Of torture. All
the ships company were required to
witness this degradation of their com
rades. The colt" or ropes end. was
frequently kept coiled In the caps Of
tbs .boatswain's mates ready to be
used ut q moments notice on the luck
less offender,
Now what q change! Confinement
ID the brig on bread and water for a
stated time or deprivation Of liberty
on shore Is the punishment for small
oRcnses, while for the greater sum-
mary or general court-martial Is held
according to the gravity OF the wrong,
doing.
In former times the ships library
consisted Of q few old.fashioned books.
too dry mostly for Jacks taste-es-
says, lectures, sermons, with sprink.
ling OF poems and lives Of notable peo-
ple. These were kept In a cask or
barrel commonly, which was capsized
whenever a volume was to be selected.
Now Jack has q good library. com
prising tales Of travel and adventure
the newest novels, as we'll as the
standard works. histories. poems-in
fact, the kind OF books that he would
care to read.
On the battleships in summer the
men are called at four o'clock or 4:30.
according to the executive officers Or
der book. First the buglers sound
the reveirle The boatswain's mates
pipe In unison q shriil call and then
roar:
"A-a-a-l hands. Up: All ham,
mocks, Turn out! Lash and carry!
Shake . leg, Bear hand"
This in stentorian tones. The
oleepy occupants Of the hammocks
turn out rubbing their eyes and
stretching themselves. The sluggards
receive . push underneath the ham.
mock from the master-at,arms. caus-
Inc the sleepiest to turn out quickly
Half-clothed already-no. sleeping in
pajaDas-their remaining garments.
which are tucked away in their ham.
Rocks. are soon put on.
Thy proceed to lash their ham.
m0cks. rolling them In Q cylindrical
bundle secured With seven round taut
turns Of manila flashing and then neat
- slowing them away in the netting
% deck.
The mess cooks then appear. bring.
ing tin buckets two feet high filled
With hot. strong coffee. s~ee;ened and
diluted with milk. Each man drinks
his bOwl Of coffee. then comforts him.
seR With pine or with cigarettes
from his -difty box" regret to say
that lie cigarette habit has invaded
The ranks Of our ape. s,alwart body os
bluejsckess. Jsck With pipe sounds
historic and ~ he should be- but with
o c1n.etse he 10 incousistenf The
aifty boz 10 shout Q foot across aud
d tbs Jsck keeps safely locked hi.
pr.vuse letters. photographs writing
materials. perhaps cake Of soap and
sther treasures. For half an hour tn.
saslDr nay sip hts coaee. smoke. WRIT,
. lister or % ~ he pieaseS.
n eea strikes the haif-hour Tn
buoeswain's mates pipe and then sin,
on Turn to- the pipe OF whtstl,
S,aa coming frst and the order fol
Dov1nG. This means that the mel
XUst tumb,e cut on deck and IN obcdi
suao 70 the orders IS given mus
.~vnan cSoshes.- -srruh down the deck,
7 va sd wipe OF paint~crk.- o
% Wbsteeer the programme for IN
DususnGs work may BE- for 'ha; aay
Hcpe - brought css,. pumps arc siartc'
~ sual is sy-sshIcS ~ tn decks
Jke 90 .rsrIb the Acrks With lcns
ano1lsd brushes, wiytns tseB dow