St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-03-31
4 REMARKABLE STORY.

:
| row, when We meet at your dinner, as you oaly
/ know that have passed through terrible
| illness; my de livery from death being due to
the wonderful discovery in medical science,
made by man who to-day stands in the
| front rank of his fellow workers; unequaed
| by any in my own opinion. That !, who
| heretofore have ever been the most orthodox
| believer in the Old school of medicine, its
4 application and results, should thus recant IN
| favor OF that which is sneered at by old prac-
titoners, m y startle you but .'seeing is believ-
| ing,s and when | recount the attack made
| on my old hulk, how near came to lowering
| my colors, and the final volley, which, through
| the agency above. mentioned, gave me VIC
| tory, you Will at least credit me with just
| cause for sincerity In my thankl illness and
| belief, will also spin my yarn anent my
| China cruise, and, altogether expect to en-
| terrain as well as be entertained by you.
| With best wishes, Sincerely yours,
| <ftsIa Rear Admiral U. s. Navy.
7 Lion. GEORGE WENDELL, zxfss.s IS ~ ~
Sinclair Place., Boston.
An autulnral afternoon in the year 1SS-
| found tue taut flag ship Nonad rounding
the treacherous ana dangerous extremity OF
South America. And this day certainly m
tended to llace itself on record with those OF
| its predecessors marked stormy, its nastlness
| in wind and weather giving all hands on board
| the hsgship their fill in hard work and dis
comforts The record OF the Non,ad on this
| cruise, which she Was now completing on her
homeward bound passage to Boston, had
been most disagreeable, when considered i'll
| the Light OF heavy weather work. From Suez
| to Alden, then on to Bombay, Point de Gale,
Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nagasaki
and Yokohama, the balance sheet stood
| largely III favor. OF oltaNeptune's rough char.
| acteristics, but with remarkable eyenness the
| health and original roster of the ships COM
| pany stood this day as it did nearly three
| years ago-With one exec ption. Throughout
| the diverse and varied exposures incidental
| to cruising over the AsiaIc station, where
cholera, levers. liver complaints, malaria, and
| colds of all degrees reign in full force, none
OF the crew had suffered more than TEN.
| porary Inconvenience, and thus it seemed
| very hard that now, IN the closing days OF
| the cruise, there stood niue chances for, to
| one against, victory being at last scored for
| the destroying angel Death. When the Nonaad
reached Shanghai IN the early portion of her
cruise her admiral was the heaithiest man
aboard. A grand specimen of manhood was
he. Over SIX feet in height, weighing two
hundred ounds, broad III chest and strong in
limb, he rightly claimed for himself a full
share Of Natures blessings. While returning
| late one night from diplomatic reception at
the Consulate at Shanghai, through over
heating and insufficient protection from the
dangerous effects of the peculiarly damp and
searching night air, he caught cold. Only
| cold, = remarked the admiral to the doctors
o. his ship, land easy to cure.n So thought
the medical officers, but with quiet though
snsidious progression. this cold chung to the
admiral in spite Of their best efforts to craft
cate it, and when the time came for leaving
Yokohama, homeward bound, the admiral
realized that his lungs and throat were deci-
dedly out OF order. The doctors advised re-
turning home by mail steamer to San Fran
cisco, 50 that greater means for cur ng this
Naval Hospital there; but the admiral
pre- erred to stick to his ship, still inn
agining that his trouble would eventually
be overcome by the doctors treatment.
No one who looked at the admiral even in
those days imagined that he would fall a
story again typifed in this case. Only cold
at first; and in spite of orthodox treatment
the peculiar climatic effects of China nursed
| it, and hastened the sure resalt of such a
deep-seated trouble; Time passed after ieav-
ing Yokohama for Boston, bringing varying
symptoms in the admiral's case, and the
doctors imagined that they held the disease
in check at least. But with the formation of
tubercles night-sweats, and the now r pid
| consumption of lung tissues, which had set
in with alarming symptoms the patient
realized that his cold had laid the seeds of
that fell agent of Death, consumption. The
hacking cough of the admiral had III itself
been sufficient food for serious con-
sideration, and now. as In the warm
autumn days the flagship calamity rode
over the blue waters Of the Pacific, bound for
Cape Horn, the doctors hoped much for sue
cess. But this boisterous afternoon ound
the good ship struggling with gigantic seas
set OFT from the Cape by fierce northerly
wind. Leaden were the heavens and sad the
he. rts of all aboard, for tn t morning the
usual bulletin OF the medical officers had set
forth this intelligence: :. The admiral is in
same condition as reported last night A
burning fever his been slightly r, duced,
while other symptoms are as heretofore an
nounced." All understood these words with
out questioning. The beloved admiral had
during the past two weeks sunk very low.
The symptoms of blocd-poisonIny, torpid
liver, intense pains throughout the body. eye.
sight and mental aculties affected appetite
gone, through inaction of that great regula-
tor-the liver. These were the mea IS which
had reduced the admiral from the pinnacle of
health to the valley and shadow OF de til.
Consumption held full sw Y now, and the we'll
known skill of nava. doctors was in this in
stance at least completely TO led.
The admiral had issued orders for the flag
ship to touchat MQntevideo for coal, and it
was the Intention OF the doctors to land the
admiral there for treatment. But one man
in the ship was Wra ped in the gloom OF dis
pair, as standing by the weather rig ing on
the POOP deck he gazed absently ever the
SETTLING waste OF waters. This was the adj
iniral's son, a Lieutenant, and ttache to his
fathers staff. He feared TIL t the wear and
tear of ship-life would saphis fathers strength
f pey0ud endurance, ana before the shIp could
| re oh Montevideo. Among group of sailors
gathered around one OF the great guns on the
sp:r deck stood the captain Of the fore-top,
Brown, a slight but healthy looking m n.
His companions we're listening to recital Of
his sufferings from consumption, which had
developed while he was attac g | to the sloop-,
of-war Ranger, lying in the rbor OF Yoke
hama q year ago, this s'yarn'' having been
started by a discussion about the admiral's
condition. The men had just returned from
some work around the deck, an order for
which had interrupted Browns story a few
moments previously.
IA year ago this day was hove to in the
pill mans sick bay in the Ranger. then of
Yokohama, AM / tell you, pards, tvs no use
pipin' my number, cause was nigh on
passin' in my en- istment papers for u long
cruise aloft,n continued Blown. sConsumD-
ton had me fat aback, ans he doctor s vs.
|. was no use to stow away b q lush in ny hold