Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 157, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 July 1912 — THE MAN IN THE CROW'S NEST [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE MAN IN THE CROW'S NEST

THE Titanic disaster has brought the man tar the “crow’s nest” into the limelight, and given the public a new idea of the responsibility of those Who keep watch at sea for any obstacles in the path of the ship dr for passing vessels. “All’s well!” is a familiar cry to all who have crossed the ocean. The cry is heard with every sound of the ship’s bell —that Is, every half hour. The bell Is rung by a quartermaster on the bridge and then, first, from the crow’s nest is heard “All’s well,” and the cry is repeated from the forecastle forward and repeated again and again from those on watch in all parte of the vessel, until the echoes die away aft It sounds above the vibrations and pulsation of the engines, above the breaking of the seas or the roar of the wind, ft quells momentarily the sound of mirth from the saloon and it assures all ou board that men are watching and peering into the darkness to avoid disaster.

The crow’s nest is a station high up on the foremast -on most vessels. It is a small inclosed platform built to support one or two men and sometimes looks like a barrel attached to the mast, and the men stand inside this barrel-like contrivance. It'. Is constructed so that the lookouts may be protected from the cold and storm. Often with the thermometer below zero these lookouts have to stand watch in the crow’s nest with their heads and shoulders exposed to the weather.

Different Systems. 4 Not all companies have the same system, but in general detail they all work the same way. On some lines there are two men in the crow's nest and in others only one. Nautical men are dlyided as to which is the better system. The German lines have but one man, because it is possible that two men might talk or become Interested in other affairs and so neglect their proper work. The British lines usually have two men on the lookont, on the ground that two are better than one, and these two men divide their sphere of work, one taking from dead ahead around the port side and the other on the starboard side. One of the best known of the British lines places two men in the crow’s nest It also has a man on the forecastle head and others stationed at regular Intefvals on the different decks, who patrol and watch seaward. There are also the officers on the bridge, waiching out to sea, and there Is an extra quartermaster in addition to those at Hie wheel. There are two and in the largest vessels three oflV cers also on watch. The orders issued to captains of vessels tell explicitly Just what the watch is to be and it varies according to the size of the vessel. The men in the crow's nest and stationed about the vessel are selected carefully. They must be able-bodied seamen, well trained and well able to distinguish objects in the night They use glasses in the crow’s nest and on the bridge In severe weather these, watches are changed very often, and in very severe weather these changes are made every half hoar. ' ,’L Every object sighted from the crow’s nest must be reported at once to the bridge, no matter what it is or how far away. The senior officer on the bridge Is the man to determine the ftrtate coarse of the Tesesl after the report has been made. The reportteg from the crow’s nest is made* through a telephone fixed to tee nest and leading directly to the chart room and to the bridgi. Should this get out of order there is a jspeakin* tube and a megaphone. There is also a gong on the ipore modern vessels and each tteg of this gong means a different

signal. Three rings gives warning of something dead ahead.

The crow’s nest is much higher than the bridge and often in foggy weather an officer will mount to the nest, because sometimes the fog is low lying and those in the nest can see'over the fog and so distinguish other vessels. Report by Telephone. > On the German lines one man Is used in the crow’s nest and men are stationed on the forecastle head and others qn the wings of the bridge. The reports are made from the crow’s nest by telephone or gong. These men are on duty for two hours te fair weather and have four hours off, hut in severe weather the changes are made more frequently. They give the usual cry each half hour as the bell sounds, calling out "All’s well!” and other men echo it from stem' to stern of the vessel. * ,i : ■ Each line has its own night signal. It is a coston signal which throws different colored balls or stars, when burning. These signals are used to signal an approaching vessel, the name of the line to which the vessel signaling belongs, and after the Interchange of signals the officers make an entry te the logs telling the hour and place of meeting. In case of distress or te an accident when help is wanted the night signals are the firing of guns at regular intervals and three rockets which explode In the air, sending out a shower of sparks and balls of colored fire. These are ordinary rockets, but of higher power, and attract attention at a considerable distance. A captain on seeing these rockets knows at once that some vessel is in distress and needs assistance and acts accordingly. N. In the modern vessels improvements have been made te instruments used for safety. The submarine telephone is a modern invention and is carried and nsed on every passenger ocean steamer. The telephone has grown in its uses at sea, and telephones lead from the bridge to all parts of the vessel. Before the telephone was perfected speaking tubes were used, and often messengers ran from the bridge to the engine room or to some other part of the ship. The man in the crow’s nest used to call the attention of those on the bridge by blowing a horn and then pointing toward a sail, smoke, wreckage or ice that he might have seen, after which those on the bridge would . have to search to find what the lookout had seen. Things are simpler now' and much time is saved when a vessel is te a really dangerous position.