The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-02-24

duced into everything in the navy,
everything from target practice
through sailing and signal drills and
to coaling ship a greater length of
time would be consumed by less en-
thuslastIc crew in the unpleasant
! task of replenishing warship's
bunker supply. This factor which
| makes of the most arduous and dis
agreeable task a sport is competi-
ton.
The first division emptied its
! lighter before the second at the last
coaling; the second tries to outdo
the first at this. The division sta
toned at the forward hunkers has,
according to the flag hoist, slowed
more coal in the last haur than the
division at the after bunkers; in the
ensuing hour the men at the after
bunkers will try to stow more coal
| than the men at the forward. Yes
terday the New York took aboard
2,100 tons of coal in eight hours; to-
day the Texas will take aboard the
same amount in seven hours. And
! thus it goes through all stages Of
life in the navy.
Just how much of an ordeal coal
ing ship is, is not within the con-
ception of the average landsman.
One must experience it to realize all
of its fine lights and shades-not
once, but many times under the vari-
Gus conditions produced by hot and
by bitter cold weather, in rain and IN
snow, in a broilig tropical sun on the
business end of a shovel and down in
the pitch, dark hold of tramp col
lier, where the heat is sitting. the
sweat pours from glistening body in
rivulets, and the dust rises so thickly
that a water hose must be played
continuously to enable breathing in
an inferno where there is no fire.
A warship enters an Atlantic port
late in the evening. She no more
than anchors when a collier creeps
to her side Strong lines mate the
two until such time as the bunkers
of the warship are filled, then the
collier casts off and a general clean
ing period begins. But before that
time many things have been done
and the sun has gone down on an
other day.
Even before the collier has made
| her appearance, aboard the warshlp
hoarse voices of boatswain's mates
have followed the shrill call of their
pipes with "all hands clear ship for
n
ship shape appearance of the decks
and of the natty appearance of the
crew follows.
The hellicose muzzles of the sec
ondary battery withdraw their brist-
ling array from out the side of the
ship as they are dismounted to per
nit the mounting of coal chutes
within the decks. Spotless uniform
ed men are succeeded by men in.
haphazard uniforms of Heterogeneous
combinations engaged IN various
duties connected with the work of
the morrow. From the coaling
locker are procured conventional four
wheeled freight trucks that are TO
be used TO haul their loads OF two
600 pound bags of coal to the bunk
ers on the side of the ship away from
t..7e collier. The ships boats are low
cred from their cradles on deck into
the water for conveyance to a dis
lance safe from flying dust. A
thousand ond one duties are per
formed before the advent of the
strenuous tomorrow.
At four-thirty in the morning the
bugles blare forth in for the nonce
unmusical 'reville." The impatient
voice of master-at-arms summons
sIeeper to wakefulness with "heave
ont and lash up sailor" and shake
a leg there sailor and hit the deck"
the invitation is often emphasized
with the more or less gentle tap of
baton on the suspended hammock. If
the hammock be unoccupied dull
sound reverts, if occupies, probably,
an imprecation. Soon hanimocks are
slowed in the MEETINGS and a Leavy
eyed crew sit about on dirty boxes
with cups of "J-va" and the
''makins'"
A half hour after rising turn to-
is piped and the bugle sounds com
mence firing" The warm lower
decks are relinauished for the top
side" where a fine drizzle IS falling
and the air is chill. Day has not
begun to break, but the powerful
beams of the searchlighfs IN the
masts illunine the surroundings and
sprinkle the scene with jewel trans
formed mist. The derricks and wire
rigging of the collier along side
loom up like the gaunt, intricate
frame of some building in construc-
ton.
Each of the eight deck divisions,
the yoemen and the artiflcers nave
been assigned their various duties
for the day. To their stations they
repair, a motley horde in composite
uniforms, the collars of peacoats and