CHAPTER XXI. THE DECK.-MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. On getting clear of the harbor, the first lieutenant causes everything about the decks to be secured for sea; the boatswain, upon receiving the order, secures the anchors, and, if a long passage is anticipated, the chains are unbent and the hawse-bucklers put in. If the chains are not unbent the hawse-pipes are closed by means of jackasses (canvas bags stuffed with oakum). The chains after being cleaned are paid below. Dry and stow away everything used in getting under way. If the vessel be under sail alone, the anchors and chains are kept ready for use until a good offing is made. On piping down from getting under way the first lieutenant turns the deck over to the officer having the watch, who is at once to acquaint himself with the position of the ship, her condition, and all orders remaining to be executed. Before losing sight of the land, the navigator takes the departure, puts over the patent log and sets the course, when the officer of the deck will commence heaving the log and marking the log-book. The chafing gear will now be put on, the boats topped up and secured, and the studding-sail gear will be rove, if not done before leaving port. The Officer of the Deck. An outline of the daily routine at sea will be found in the internal rules and regulations of the ship, but a few minor details may be here mentioned. Let it be supposed that an officer is called at 3:50 A.M. to keep the morning watch. Ten minutes is the usual time allowed for him to reach the deck. Having received all the orders, information, &c., he will, on the watch being reported up, and the wheel and lookouts relieved, "relieve the watch," and have the watch on deck mustered. In the meanwhile he "passes the course" to the man at the wheel, looks at the compass if going free or under steam, or at the sails if "full and by," and this he should frequently repeat during the watch. After the mustering of the watch it is well to make a rapid survey of the deck, to see that the yards and sheets are properly trimmed, weather lifts and weather braces taut; lights burning brightly, lookouts properly stationed, and to give any cautionary orders to the officer of the forecastle he may deem expedient, such as to have the topgallant clewlines led along, and keep a bright lookout ahead. Except when making such inspections, or when obliged to satisfy himself personally of any fact, the officer of the deck should make it a rule to stay at his proper station, on the bridge or horse-block. He should observe this rule, especially when giving orders, instead of rushing about, as is too often the case, to assist in carrying out his own commands. The captain of each part of the ship should be supplied with a list of his men. Petty officers may generally be relied upon to muster their own parts and to report absentees, if there are no junior officers available for this duty. The very great advantage of calling the watch ten or fifteen minutes before eight bells, giving the men time to prepare for their watch, and to be mustered before the time for relieving, may be here reiterated. It would add to the health and comfort of the crew, to the safety of the ship when under sail, and relieve the mind of the officer of the deck of the anxiety felt during that painful interregnum when neither watch feels it incumbent to "man the main clew-garnets and buntlines," let it look never so squally to windward. The habit cannot be too earnestly recommended to the young watch officer of anticipating various emergencies and casualties, such as a man falling overboard, parting rigging, &c., &c., and determining what should be done in each event, that when it does occur, the right order may burst involuntarily from the lips, and the mind be fully prepared for the necessary evolution. The orders of the executive officer in reference to washing clothes or scrubbing decks, called "morning orders," and usually written in an order book, are put in execution immediately after mustering the watch, unless trimming yards, or other essential duties, or want of light prevent. If clothes are to be washed, the command is given to lay up the rigging fore and aft" and "sweep down," and the boatswain's mate is ordered to call the "watch scrub and wash clothes." A certain time should be allowed for washing-not over an hour-and the clothes should be neatly stopped on the lines so as to lap, each piece, by an inch or two, the white and blue separate, the former always being above or on a different set of lines, that they may not be soiled by the dripping of the latter. At sunrise the command is given, Lay in, deck lookouts! Lay aloft the masthead lookout! The lights are taken in, forward officers called, and the master-at-arms directed to turn out and report up the idlers. The mates of the decks get their orders from the officer of the deck. If the main deck is to be washed, the second part of the watch is sent below. But if under sail, an officer should be cautious not to allow the watch to become so much engaged, or the running rigging so encumbered, that the sails may not be readily handled, or the yards braced in any sudden emergency. At six bells the boatswain will be directed to "call all hands and pipe the hammocks up," after which get all the sheets home and sails taut up. If on a wind, proceed as follows: Get a jigger on the main tack, slacking the weather lift and lee brace, and the sheet if necessary. Then haul taut the lift and brace, haul aft the sheet. Now get jiggers on the weather, then the lee topsail sheet, getting them home alike; overhauling well the clew-lines and reeftackles, slacking the halliards and tending the topgallant sheets. Then clap on to the topsail halliards, heaving off the lee brace and tending the weather one and the topgallant sheets. Get the topsail up to a taut leech, then haul home the topgallant sheets, pull up on the halliards—always attending the braces and the sheets of the sail next above, and then get the royal sheets close home and the sail up Proceed similarly on the fore and mizzen, haul the heads of the fore-and-aft sails chock out, and then the sheet or foot out-haul aft. See the head-sails hoisted with a taut luff, and trim aft the sheets. If free, with studding-sails set, get the lower studdingsail halliards up, then trim the out-haul. With the other studding-sails, get the tacks boom-ended, halliards chock up and sheets trimmed, in the order named. In trimming studding-sails, if the tack of the sail will not reach the boom end when the halliards are up, the boom has probably been rigged too far out. The sails being trimmed, put the tops to rights, hammock cloths and boom cover smoothed over and stopped down, bright-work cleaned, chains swept out, peajackets put in the bags and stowed away, and rain clothes hung on the jackstays between the launches. An officer should never leave anything to be done by his relief which he should have performed himself. At sunset the command is given, Get out the running lights! Station deck lookouts! and Lay down from the mast-head-the side lights are lighted and placed in position, in the light-boxes. Send aloft the mast-head light if under steam. Half an hour before each meal the ship's cook makes his report at the mast; before breakfast and supper that "teawater is ready for serving out," and at 11:30 brings the dinner for inspection. If nothing has occurred to interfere with the regular meal hours he is ordered to serve out. Everything affecting the health and comfort of the crew should receive the earnest attention of the officers. There are minor points of duty which no rules or regulations can reach, and which must be left to the thoughtfulness and good sense of the officers themselves. Thus a considerate officer will anticipate a rain-squall, and get washed clothes or scrubbed hammocks down in good time. He will not commence an all-hands job fifteen minutes before twelve o'clock, and send the men down to dinner at one bell. Boats and working parties will be recalled in time for their meals; timely preparation will be made for rain that the men may not be exposed to it unnecessarily, and a dry place reserved for the watch below. MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. Young officers should make themselves familiar with the lead of the running rigging, and where it belays, and on first getting to sea, it is well to exercise the crew at manning the ropes, that they may learn their lead and be enabled to find them on the darkest night. To Set a Foresail, give the command- At this command the men jump to their stations, the fore tack and sheet are manned, one hand being by each clew-garnet, and the buntlines and leechlines let go. Lay down on the fore yard and overhaul the rigging! At this command, one or two of the topmen lay down, and overhaul, through their blocks, the buntlines and leechlines. If the weather is moderate, as soon as the officer of the deck sees that the men are at the stations, he commandsClear away the rigging! HAUL ABOARD! At this the clew-garnets are, let go, the tack hauled forward, and the sheet aft. The Mainsail is set in the same manner, substituting main for fore; and to get the tack close down, it is advisable, if the yard is braced sharp up, to ease off the lee main brace,* and overhaul the weather clew-garnet, weather main-topsail clewline and main lift. After the tack is down, brace up the yard, haul taut the lift; reeve and haul the bowline. When the yards are square, and the wind directly aft, the mainsail is never set, but is hauled up snugly; with the wind quartering, the lee clew may be set to great advantage. To do so, Man the main sheet! Overhaul the main buntlines and leechlines! When ready: Ease down the lee clew-garnet! HAUL AFT! *Not applicable to the fore, as the brace has more of a horizontal lead. To set the Foresail before the wind. Man both fore sheets! The rigging being let go and overhauled as before, command DOWN FORESAIL! As the sail comes down, take through the slack of the tacks; haul taut both lifts, haul through the slack of the sheets. To set the Courses (by the wind), command- Lay down on the lower yards to overhaul the rigging! Haul taut! Clear away the rigging! HAUL ABOARD! To take in a Course in moderate weather. If a foresail, command, Man the fore clewgarnets and buntlines! The clew-garnets and buntlines being manned, men stationed at the tack, sheet, and bowline, command The tack, sheet, and bowline, are let go, the clews of the sail are run up by the clew-garnets, the body by the buntlines; man the leechlines and haul the leeches to the yard. In a fresh breeze, or gale of wind, it is necessary, in order to avoid shaking or flapping the sail, which may split it, to proceed thus: If you wish to set a course, the yard being braced up, everything being manned, command Ease down the lee clew-garnet! HAUL AFT! Then when the clew is sufficiently aft to fill the sailEase down the weather clew-garnet! HAUL ABOARD! To take it in, under similar circumstances, the men being stationed, command, Ease off the fore-tack and bowline! HAUL UP TO WINDWARD! Then, Ease off the sheet! HAUL UP TO LEEWARD! Having the buntlines well manned, run them up the moment the sheet is started; the lee clew being the first set, and the last taken in, steadies the sail during the operation.* Setting the mainsail when bracing up, it is better to get the tack down before the lee brace is near the sharp-up mark. On setting courses by the wind, before hauling aboard, check the lee braces, for the bunt of the sails may nip or be jammed between the yard and the stay, and at all events, the main tack will come down better. Topsails are the first sail set in getting under way, when cruising under sail, and the last taken in, in coming to anchor, except the spanker. At sea they remain constantly set, are reduced by reefing, in fresh winds, but never taken in except in gales of wind, or for the purpose * In taking in a course, blowing fresh, haul taut the lee lift before starting the tack. |