The Republican journal., 1914-02-12
SOME NAUTICAL LORE.


Gas the World Ways" the depart
ment in the Boston Herald conducted by
Philip Hale, occasionally takes a ses
turn, and the contributions on this line
are of more or less interest to those who
go-perhaps we should say, have gone
''down to the sea in ships" For ex-
ample ~. w." spins the following
yarn of
HERO OF TIE SEA.
Having had relative, an old sea dog.
who for many years was captain of a
well known clipper ship sailing between
New York and Liverpool, have natur-
ally taken q deep interest in the COM
munications of your nautical correspond
ents regarding the derivation of "three
sheets in the Wind" and similar terms.
As rule, it takes seaman of the Sir
Joseph Porter, X. c. g., persuasion to
elucidate such matter, for the reason
that your genuine tar is apt to be shy
and uncOmmunicative. except when with
his messmates. May l add that it has
surprised me that no one has referred to
that mine of sailor lore, by James JEFF
frey Roche, entitled: "a Sailors Yarn"
Twas the good ship Gyascutus.
All in the China seas.
With the wind lee. and the capstan free.
To catch the summer breeze.
Twas Captain Porgie on the deck,
To his mate in the mizxen hatch,
While the boatswain bold, in the forward hold.
Was winding his larboard watch.
"Oh. how does the good ship head, tonight?
How heads our gallant craft?"
"Oh. she heads to the ID, S. w. bV NJ.
And the pinnacle lies abaft y
"Oh, fly aloft to the cardboard strake! l.
And reef the spanker boom,
Bend studding sail on the martingale,
To give her weather ROOM"
The storm was so furious, and the sea
ran so high, that the vessel sprung aleak;
whereupon the noble second mate, taking
the anchor on his back, dove overheard
and struck out for the nearest land,
where lie made the mudhook fast and
warped the ship ashore.
'Twan't much of job to talk about.
But ticklsh thing to see,
And suth'in to do. if say it, too,
For that second mate was me.
SING US A SONG.
Mr.. Charles Edward Aab contributes
song he found among his clippings, and
luls 41dIC suggests tudC IL NC Sul&
at banquet by the members of the
Naval Strategy Board:
The chap to skip on an ocean trip
And the sort to leave behind,
With his driveling store of nautical lore,
Is the garrulous. windy kind.
He can figure why, if you let him try
And you needn't ask at that
How one can tell from the captains bell
The time and where you're at.
Both starboard port, and lot of that sort
Of junk you'd fain forget,
| He always knows, and the way "she blows"
| And why the waters wet.
If you sight speck from the hurricane deck,
No matter what be you: view.
You'll find him there in neighboring chair
And you've got to hear him through.
| So you have to bark to the seadogs bark,
And you sing both small and low,
Till you learn by look at the purser's book
He halls from Kokomo.
We hope to find suitable songs for the
"Wangan" and ''Gringo" contributors.
We are indebted to Mr.. H. L. Wheeler
of Boston for a note suggesting again
that "gringo" came from Green grow
the rushes," sung by American soldiers
in Mexico. Another contributor writes:
"Gringo: colloquial Spanish for 'unin-
telligible gibberish, applied to language
Newman & Baretti's Spanish Dictionary,
7th ed, 1881" ''Gringo" is not in the
first edition of Baretti's Dictionary. Let
us not forget that he was once tried for
murder, and although great men testified
gentle soul of letters, he was acquitted.
ON CASTING ANCHOR.
E. W. Ottie contributes the following:
Regarding the phrase least anchor,' it
should be remembered that the ships of
the Apostles and the early English were
very small, carrying anchors not much
larger than those found on an ordinary
80 or 90 foot sloop of today. When they
anchored, therefore, the anchor was pick
ed up by one or two men, and actually
thrown overheard. Originating in an
Gent times, and used in connection with
ancient vessels, the phrase Cast anchor
has accuracy, force and vlvidness, as 1t
describes exactly what did happen when
the mariners Of Jonah time came to an
anchor.
Ever since the 18th century, however,
on sea- going vessels of any size anchors
have been of such size ard and weight
that they have been dropped and hove
up by means of the rather elaborate ap-
| PafatuS u cdpStan or WlndlaSS, cat neadS
(projecting timbers at the bows acting
as cranes), and the tackle for eating and
fishing. The Pilgrims Mayfower GER
tainly belonged to this class of vessel,
the anchor being dropped from the cat
head, or bow, not "cast, when she an
chored..
Used as President. Emeritus Eliot used
it the phrase is inaccurate. 1t smacks of
affectation as well since the much sim
pier word anchored" could just as we'll
have been employed in its place.
Children Cry
Emp EIETcHEP'S