The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-28
THE "PINAFORE" SHIP.
An Old salt Frees Ills Mind About the
Liberties Taken Nth His Calling.

Liberties Taken with His Calling.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN--Sir: Avast
that Newspaper windjammns about the
real ship" at the Hippodrome! II
music critic cannot tell the dolphin
striker from the crows nest OF 100
gun ship of the line. model Of 1905. nor
the cro'jack yard from the cardboard
strake, why doesn't he stick to his riddles
and knock Off writing nautical essays?
Let's have a bit of honest sailorizing
criticism and stop this deluge OF bunk.
The ship" at the Hippodrome, nick
named II NJ. =. Pinaforc." Is not a ship
model Mt all. but only hermaphrodite.
q circus craft
A ship OF the line, all through the nine
teenth century. had three masts, square
rugged. Her upper decks were the poop
abaft the mlzzenmast. and the tgallant
fo'castle forward of the foremost SO
there were three masts between the break
OF tho tgallant fo'castie and tho break
OF the poop.
There l sat In the Hippodrome on the
opening night, seven rows from the front.
and looked at the break of the tgallant
fo'castle, ten feet in front of the foremost.
and four drummers up there beating the
Rogue's March. and only two masts stick
ing through tho main deck. Who says
that mast at the left OF stage Is the main-
mast? The music critics and the stage
manager say so? But don't they know
AFT to the mainmast7
And such t'gallant fo'castle, With
doors Hark ye, who slung your ham
mocks under the tgallant fo'castle In olden
days They have doors In the P.nafore's
tgallant fo'castle!
lofty hermaphrodite's yards and rigging.
She has two masts In sight The after
one Is the miIzen. sure enough. whatever
the other might be. Up there, on the
great cross booms' that one critic tells
about. are the yard men, furllng sail,
singing: I'VE sail the ocean blue" But
what's that we see? A sail ON the lowest
yard Of the mlzzenmast7 y square sail
bent TO the crossjack yard and man-o'-
warsmen furling 1t? And proper
spanker ean and boom ahaft It over the
poop? Forgive them. o Nelson. Paul
Jones and Farragut!
Did the Hippodrome naval constructors
not know that sail was never In the
English and American naves bent TO the
croJack yard? That there IL IA foresail
and mainsail. but there is no such thing
~ "mizzensail' on a square risged
mont prints souvenir book IN which
the following Is quoted from a recent
book by the dramatic critic OF tho Lon
don Observer In 1873:
Before III. NJ s. P!uafore" appeared the
author went down to Portsmouth. was
rowed about the harbor, viewed many ships
and finally pitched upon the quarter deck
Of the Victory Tor his scene. Having oh
tsined permission. he sketched model OF
every detail. even 10 the stanchions
The Victory. Nelson's flagship At the
battle OF Trafalgar in 1905. was what
was known az a three decker cor first
rate line Of battle ship. Her typ' "a
little smaller, hull and upper decks. can
be seen any day at the foot Of West
No
lies the Granite state, formerly the New
Hampshire, one OF four line Of battle
ships built for the American navy about
1920.
Captain IL Garbett OF the royal navy
In his standard work on naval gunnery
gives the armament Of the Victory a.
follows; Lower deck thirty AZ and 20
Founders middle deck. thirty "a pound
ers main deck. thirty l2 Founders upper
deck. ten !: Founders and two GS
FOUNDER carronades," total ioe guns. The
Pinafore was intended by Gilbert to he
modelled after a ship OF the line. and not
after frigate. nor sloop nor brig. nor
headless hermaphrodlte.
The model of a line Of battle ship
real ship" Victory model. would show
Al least twenty-four guns % "A hroadsid-
between tho main chains and TN" quarter
gallery. These would be in four tiors, the
top tier being the puop deck guns.
The real ship" IN the lilpppdruIuc tank
shows IA total OF four guns and tuta. OF
four gun ports. She has hut one gun
deck" Her huh might be that of a small
frigate to carry twen'y-fOur guns except
for those wonderful decks. tho poop and
tsallhnt fo'castle, and those f,arfuIIy
lofty masts
az course Gilbert had to t+E" way
the guns On the main dock OF the Pima
for 20 let the crew and visitors dance.
We were willing to let him do it, cspe-
nj he ha M rr
deck and poop. was technically correct
In all things except the guns. AMI.
more than al, because he let US see the
feet OF the dancers. Those in the or
chestra AT the Hippodromc can see moth
'ng below the waists az tho dancers.
Furthermore. II the H!ppodromc ship
were an honest model the audience
wouldn't bc able to see even the tops OF
the heads Of those on tho main deck. over
the huwarks
All through the performance az the
opera there Is nm evident attempt To- stick
as close ms possible To regular man-o-
war style and routine. and this If good
Gilhertlan tradition. When any action,
aside from singing, Is intended as satire
or hurlesque, the fact IL forced upon tho
attention OF the audience. Therefore |
cannot believe that Gilbert ever intende
that Lane Butfcrcup should artiv" on
the stnrboard side OF the ship ana go
aboard over tho starhcard gangway lad
der No man-o'-warsman. In any Amori-
can or European navy. ever saw o. luHn-
boat woman come over the starhoard side,
except 10y accident why such an act ~
naval sacri'cro' Yet there : Lu'i' Bur
'crcup NJ the Hippodrou" do.ug ~ every
night. No use Try .ng 10 cover up .gnO-
rinC" 10y telling u@ That The whole opera
is Intentionally -uaNal stcrilege,' We
know all about that
Did any man -Narsnau ever sea the
Admiral or any other uilicer officially
visiting ship come aboard through the
por, side And that is what sir Joseph
Porter and his sisters, cousins ana uunts
do every night at the Hppodruur do
not believe this reversal ~ ulvl' 'rr1la-
lions Is intentional, FOR II II be iokn
II has no point. The satire. 30 ~o M
tended. Was created 10y the lIpppdrome.
not bv Gilbert.
Why was not the snip tUruei. end ror