We used to be sent to work on any sailing ship that came into port in order
to gain experience. The most vivid experience I remember was when the ‘Lucania’
caught fire. Us boys were told to cork up the coaling ports. The ship was laying at an
angle of 45 degrees with her funnel resting on the dock shed. We sat on the side of the
ship until it became too hot for us to work.
An amusing incident happened at the docking of one of the Atlantic liners, the
‘Lusitania’. The boss rigger, a burly individual we called ‘Buff’
Davies, on a account of his resemblance to a buffalo, was in charge of the docking
operations. As the liner nosed between the entrance to the locker, right in the bow stood
the first officer. He was an imposing sight, dressed in full uniform, gold braided cuffs,
etc. 
One of the shore gang sailors attempted to throw a heaving line weighted with
a heavy monkey’s paw at the end. This consists of a turk’s head made of rope
plaited round a small sand bag.The rope fell short. The bow of this vessel, at that time
the largest in the world, rose to a considerable height from the quayside. Old Buff, with
a snort of contempt, grabbed the line and, coiling it into loops, turned to me and said,
“ Watch me carefully boy. I’ll show you how a line should be thrown”.
Whirling the sand bag round his head in increasing circles, he shot it upwards with
terrific force. It went fair and square to the bow of the ship and struck the imposing
figure of the first officer on the head. He disappeared from view as if he was shot. Buff
immediately turned round and roared “Who threw that ---- heaving line?!”
Everybody roared laughing, including me, for which I got a clip in the ear from old Buff.
He was a great old character and we boys thought a lot of him.
