National Republican., 1882-09-04

we have coffee, bread an butter, an hash or
meat OF some kind. Then we have a roast meat
dinner at noon, an supper at six. Between meals
we make baskets an nats an things, nd' sell 'em
IN the city fur spendn' money. We are allowed
one pound Of tobacco month by Governor Mel
vile, who has charge Of the Arbor, an IL we want
any more we buys IL Then we have readin'.
room an library, an we play domlnoes but what
we 90 most is what we're doing now-rcsllng."
suppose you have many queer companions
wordT'
I'VE have said the ancient tar, decidedly,
man here who was great man, an who is great
man yet in memory; FOR he isn't here, which he's
dead,' The old man paused sfcr this singularly
concise and lucid statement TO observe the one
legged old tar, who. after intenty studying the
character OF one OF the Staten Island ferry boats
slid his glass together slowly aud softly and shook
his head with mournful air as he slowly sat down
In his place
Dead as my grandmother's catr' said the ono
eyed old salt, In jerky bass voice that seemed to
rumble up aud down his throat at will sometimes
sinking almost TO silence, and then suddenly bark
Ing out grufiy, while his eye wandered sadly over
leg. Deader, II ifanything, cause he's buried eight
feet deep. An say now fur the hundrcdth time
that he was man such as amt orften exalted, was
Cap'n Spencer, man -o'- wars man, an gunner to
the second gun on the la'board side of the quar-.
ter deck the Essex, 1912.
Yes, sir; begun as powder monkey on frigate
E'sex, ono of the midshpmen bciu' Admiral Far
ragut-leastwise he arterward become Admiral
thrragut. Cap'n Spencer died in November, in
this ere Arbor In the year ~ havin been in-
mate, of the same for twenty eight years. When
Admiral @ ALI Farr9gut was alive capn Spencer went
yyofs OF the great fight, am FarraGut treated him
Ike an ekail, II he was an admiral What cheer,
Spencer2' the commander used ter say an Spen.
Ger d say, 'Tip-top your honor, an movin
along, whereon they would talk over the great
fights of iS2S-l4 When he took leave of Cap'n
TIE ADMIRAL USED TO SAY,
We'll, spencer, you're creepin' toward eighty, an,
I'm gettln along myself l wonder which Of us
God, it's me. your honor, aud come back to the
,Arbor.. The Admiral went first, an was buried
ter risk 1t; but Cap'n Spencer followed his old
commander through the storm of hail and rain
he had through storms of shot an shell. an stood
By, though drenched to the skin. while the re-
mains was slowed away. Then he cum back ter
the Ar6or, an stood the only man RS lived who
fought IN the Essex that day at Valparaiso"
1T was, sir" rumbled the one. legged old sailor
lerkily-"h was, indeed. Capn Dave Porter,
war, was In command that March day at Valpa.
raiso when Spencer an' Admiral Farragut fought
side BY side. Dave Porter wauted fight. He sent
tho arbor, sayin' to the English admiral that If he
would send Que of the memo war, the Phoebe,
three leagues seaward, he would come out and
engage the Cherub, which was bigger frigate
than the Essex an hesvier manned. Well, sir,
the English admiral agreed an the Phoebe put out
to sea-
OLD DAVE PORTER
was so anxious to fight, sir, that lie wouldn't wait
fur that there Phoebe 10 get any distance away,
but cum right out and engaged the big Cherub,
In minute the other Euglishman come about,
an before Dave Porter could get his honest old
head into workin' order, the Essex had it hot an
heavy, with one on the sta board quarter an the
other on the lab board bow emptying hot shot into
her like hail. tell you, sir, That wasn't II pleas
ant fight by no means, an America amt
call ter feel ashamed of her boys aboard the Essex,
FUR they was sound an true nm lone more 20
Than Capn Spencer late of the Sailors Snug Ar
Dor, now no more of this life"
up-lp
sighted a row. boat with great carnestness. The
old captain Of the Percy Is. looked at him sadly,
and said, aside to the writer: "Peg-leg feels his
loss There was no closer frien.s in this Arb r
than Peg leg an Capns Spencer OF the Essex 1872"
Yes, We has odd characters here" he con-
tinued; "men who have fought the world for
many years, and been cast about by the elerments
till they're bunged an tattered an torn; men VINO
has led lives that they wouldn't dare to live again,
an' men who has been wrecked on many seas.
They are all here, drlftin' slowly toward the end
but comftable an happy, passin' their las days
snug an sound In the berth provided by good
mall whose memory's always green-Cap'n Robert
Richard Randall. ."-Hdrper's IPeeklU.