With the Battle Fleet Part 6

"Why, that isn't a patch compared with the real thing! This was just a sort of tuning up process, no more to be compared with the real thing than the tuning of a piano is to be compared with a Paderewski performance."

You thought him a little strong in his a.n.a.logy until of a sudden all the lights went out and there were sixteen battles.h.i.+ps quietly sailing along a sea as smooth as Long Island Sound in the summer time, with only regulation lights showing, distances kept perfectly and nothing to indicate that there had been anything out of the ordinary in a sedate and peaceful pa.s.sage from one port to another.

An unexpected use of the searchlights followed about thirty hours after this first display. It was 2:30 o'clock of the second morning after when the unforeseen happened. A gun on the Missouri boomed out. It was the signal for a man overboard. At once the life buoys were cast off from the s.h.i.+p, their lights burning brightly, and the Missouri and the entire eight s.h.i.+ps of the second squadron, running parallel with the squadron that Admiral Evans was leading, burst into a blaze of light. In two minutes the entire fleet was stopped. Boats were lowered from the Missouri, the Illinois and Kearsarge following. The searchlights were thrown upon the water and upon the boats, showing the men at work rowing about and searching for the lost man. It made a brilliant scene in the dead of night. Carefully and systematically the boats were rowed about for half an hour. Then, when it was evident that if a man had fallen overboard he had been lost, perhaps by striking a propeller or being hit by some other part of the s.h.i.+p, recalls were given and the boats returned to the s.h.i.+ps and the squadron proceeded. At that time the Missouri signalled that she was not sure she had lost a man, but a sentry had thought he had seen one fall overboard.

Later the facts came out. The alarm was given by a man who had a sailor's nightmare. No one was found missing at roll call the next morning and every one felt so sheepish that no formal report was made.

A few hours previous, at 10:35 in the evening, one of the perils of navigation--especially for the other fellow was brought home vividly to the fleet. A barkentine with a dim light was sighted about 800 yards to the west of Admiral Evans's squadron. The vessel was going north.

Probably the man on watch had gone to sleep. He suddenly awoke and before the officer of the deck on the Louisiana could recover from his amazement he headed straight for that vessel, the fourth s.h.i.+p in the squadron. It was soon plain that the barkentine would clear the stern of the Louisiana and would become a menace to the Georgia, the following s.h.i.+p. The officer of the deck of the Georgia had to sheer off and this made the officer of the deck of the Rhode Island sheer also. The barkentine went right between the Louisiana and the Georgia.

By that time the officer of the sailing vessel had got a lot of lights out and apparently was in a state of complete obfustication. He had never seen so many lights at sea in such a limited s.p.a.ce in his life.

Clearing the first squadron he came into full view of another over to the east. There he was, all mixed up in a fleet of wars.h.i.+ps going at the rate of ten knots an hour. He became rattled again and turned to go outside the line of the first squadron, which he had just pierced. He came near hitting the Virginia, but finally got away safely. It was a hair raising episode.

"That's what I call dancing a Virginia reel at sea by boats," said one officer after the incident was closed.

"It seems to me," said another, "to show that not only does a kind Providence usually watch over a drunken man on sh.o.r.e, but seems to guard men at sea who go to sleep on watch."

It was a miraculous escape for the barkentine, threading her way in and out of a fleet of wars.h.i.+ps proceeding at fair speed and only 400 yards apart. No skipper would have dared take such chances in the daytime and in full control of his craft. The officers of the fleet breathed a sigh of relief to think that they didn't have to record against this cruise the running down of a vessel at sea with the consequent probable loss of life.

And so the voyage went on placidly with the usual drills and daily ceremonies until Cape Frio, some sixty miles east of Rio, was sighted and then there came the journey along the coast, the entrance into the magnificent harbor, the splash of the mud hooks and the feeling that one-third of the voyage to San Francisco was over, and the fleet was shaking itself down into a smooth working condition better and better with every day at sea.

CHAPTER IV

NEPTUNE AHOY!

Weird Nautical Doings on Crossing the Line--Officers, Sailors and Newspaper Man Pa.s.s Traditional Initiation--Ocean Monarch and His Gay Spouse Amphitrite Pick the s.h.i.+p President Roosevelt Once Sailed on for Their Visit--Rest of the Fleet Only Thought He Was on Board--Court Physicians and Ducking Bears--Paternal Messages From the Flags.h.i.+p--Sons of Admiral Evans and Capt. Osterhaus Made Real Sailormen--A Great Sight.

_On Board U. S. S. Louisiana, U. S. Battle Fleet_, RIO JANEIRO, Jan. 14.

Neptunus Rex! Long live the King!

Neptune, the only king who never dies, had the biggest job of his career on Monday, January 6, in the year of our Lord 1908 and the year of 4,000 or 5,000 and something since Noah set up a sea calendar and headed for Mount Ararat. More than 14,000 officers and men of the United States Navy, practically one-half of its members.h.i.+p, crossed the equator at longitude 37 11' W., and of those fully 12,500 had to be initiated into the "solemn mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep." Like the man who tried the rheumatism cures, every one of the landlubbers, pollywogs and sea lawyers was "done good."

It was the proudest day that Neptunus Rex ever experienced. He said so himself, and he put on great airs and strutted about with the dignity and pomp that befit his majestic rule as he declared that he was the only king, by all the mermaids, sea serpents, whales, sharks, dolphins, skates, eels, suckers, lobsters, crabs, pollywogs and jellyfish, who could ever take possession of the United States Navy. And by the selfsame creatures of the deep he swore solemnly that none but he and Uncle Sam should ever have the right to boss that navy. Whereat the duly initiated members of his royal domain cheered him l.u.s.tily and declared everlasting allegiance.

To get right down to business, let it be said at once that it was a spectacle worth travelling tens of thousands of miles to see. It was the most elaborate, painstaking, well planned, rip snorting initiation of the kind ever produced. For be it known that Neptune does not recognize as a thirty-third degree member of his domain any one who has not crossed the line on a wars.h.i.+p.

Neptune, not having the attribute of omnipresence, was able to visit only one of the s.h.i.+ps of this fleet. That s.h.i.+p was the Louisiana. Of course, every other s.h.i.+p will make the claim that he visited that vessel, but the fact is that he honored the Louisiana alone with his personal presence and had to send representatives to the other s.h.i.+ps. He said he came to the Louisiana because he had heard she was the most famous s.h.i.+p of the fleet, President Roosevelt having made a trip close to his royal domain in her. He therefore selected her for his visit and he ordered that a special honorary certificate of members.h.i.+p in his realm be sent to the President and Mrs. Roosevelt.

The preparations for Neptune's visit began formally on December 19, three days out from Hampton Roads, when "Fore Top, the Official Representative of his Majesty Neptunus Rex," received a wireless message to organize the members of the royal domain on the s.h.i.+p and prepare for the initiation ceremonies. Thereafter every day while the s.h.i.+p was at sea mysterious proclamations were posted at the scuttleb.u.t.t (the drinking tank) telling the landlubbers, pollywogs and sea lawyers of the terrible things that would happen to them when they crossed the line.

Dire penalties were provided for any who might try to hide, and long extracts from the Revised Statutes were posted prescribing the punishments to be inflicted upon the willing and the unwilling. There was decided uneasiness among the youngsters on board--and it should be remembered that most of the crew of the s.h.i.+p are just above or below 21, having come almost green to the vessel from the training station at Newport--when a proclamation was posted containing this notification to Fore Top:

"There has been ordered supplied to you upon arrival at Port of Spain, Trinidad, 750 gallons of coal tar, 90 gallons of varnish, 400 pounds of sulphur, 4 sets of razors complete, 18 brushes, 4 sets of fine rib saws, 4 surgical knives, 2 large meat axes and 15 pairs of handcuffs."

Orders were also given for sharpening the claws and appet.i.tes of the royal bears and warnings issued lest any one of the uninitiated should speak disrespectfully of Neptune's subjects. A day or so later came orders prescribing the height of the ducking chairs. These chairs were to be so high that four flipflaps would be turned by the victims before hitting the water in the royal tanks. Six powerful electrical batteries were also ordered for use. The bears were not to have any food for fifty-seven hours preceding the crossing of the line.

Other proclamations provided for towing recalcitrants in the sea from the hawse pipes for from five minutes to four hours, according to the degree of the offence of the victim.

Marvellous yarns were spun at all mess tables of the severity of the initiation, all of which got on the nerves of the youngsters, and the crew was in a state of semi-trepidation as the day of the crossing approached. Then came a glimmer of fun, for one day there came a "scuttleb.u.t.tic, telephonic, atmospheric" communication in which after more warnings that there would be no escape this was said:

"I understand that there is a newspaper man on board, and if such is the case you will report to me at once, as there is a special provision in the Regulations of the Ceremonies of Initiation of the Royal Realm for such animals."

Many were the grins among the crew that greeted the Sun man that day, and some of them ventured respectfully to salute him and ask him if he had seen the message and had noticed that orders were also issued "to the royal doctors to have their pills and goggle water mixed in accordance with the regulations and the barbers to use the proper per cent. of coal tar, oil, mola.s.ses and india ink for their lather." The next day Neptune ordered his subjects to "do stunts" with the newspaper man. Printers' ink was to be used in his lather so as "to give him a dose of his own medicine." A special oven was to be constructed to roast him, and then he would know how it felt himself.

General Order No. 7 of Fore Top told the barbers to mix mucilage with the printer's ink and to prepare the oven, and the officers and crew were now in broad grins as they greeted the Sun man and informed him that he was going to get his all right. Then came "brainstorms" from his Majesty telling how the policemen were to act, ordering that their "clubs be stuffed with grate bars" and such, and providing how the hair should be clipped. Forthwith it was remarkable how dozens of men rushed to to the s.h.i.+p's real barbers and had their hair clipped close.

"I ain't goin' to have none of that coal tar and grease in mine," said a frightened signal boy. A windsail was made to supply air to the officers' quarters, and the messenger boy of the executive officer came to him and asked him if it was true that the members of the crew were to be shot down that canvas tube.

So the proclamations grew in number and with them increased the power of the yarns. The royal electrician was ordered to test the batteries and the royal boatswain was told to prepare his towlines and co-operate with the royal diver to see that the towing was done properly, and finally came the last message from Neptune on the day before the line was reached. It approved all that had been done. Old Nep. howled with joy because the bears were hungry, the knives and razors were sharpened, the lather had been mixed just right, the electric batteries were sizzling, the drop into the tanks had been put up to thirty-eight feet, and he wound up with this sentiment:

"G.o.d help the poor rookies!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Courtesy of Collier's Weekly_

Neptune Ahoy!]

Whereupon Fore Top issued this final order:

GENERAL ORDER NO. 23.

All loyal subjects will at once make their final reports to me in detail. Report to me the names of the pollywogs, landlubbers and sea lawyers whose names have been entered on the books for severe punishment.

Good-by and good luck to the poor rookies who will come under your notice to-morrow! Deal in a befitting manner with them all. See to it especially that the newspaper man gets his.

FORE TOP, O R. O. H. M. G. M. N. R. R. R. D.

The names of about a dozen well known sea lawyers of the s.h.i.+p were posted immediately upon the scuttleb.u.t.t and the newspaper man "got his"

later.

That afternoon Capt. Wainwright and his executive officer, Mr. Eberle, being sticklers for the preservation of as many of the old time naval and sea traditions in modern wars.h.i.+ps as possible, took official notice of what was going on and this order was published to the s.h.i.+p:

U. S. S. LOUISIANA, AT SEA, LAT. 1'-30' N., LONG. 39-10 W., January 5, 1908.

ORDER.

1. Official notification has been received that his Majesty, Neptunus Rex, will visit this s.h.i.+p in state at 9 a.m. on the 6th day of January, 1908.

2. His Majesty will be received with due ceremony at the time appointed. At 8:45 a. m. the divisions will be called to quarters, after which "all hands will be called to muster" to receive his Majesty in a manner befitting his high rank. The boatswain and eight boys will attend the side. When his Majesty reaches the quarterdeck the officers and crew will salute, the band will play a march and the Royal Standard of Neptune will be hoisted at the main.

3. After the official reception the royal ceremonies of initiation will begin.

4. All ceremonies will be conducted in an orderly manner, in keeping with the time honored traditions of the Naval Service.

E. W. EBERLE, Lieutenant-Commander, U. S. Navy, Executive Officer.