Milford chronicle., 1883-05-04

E. with Just cause for sincerity in my thankful
"a ness and belief. 1 Will also spin my var
IL anent my China cruise, and altogether. e1
D pect to entertain as well as be entertained
by you. With best wishes,
Sincerely yours,
+ Rear Admiral U. S. Navy.
@ Hon. GEORGE WENDELL,
Sinclair Place, Boston.
An autumnal afternoon in the year 1sS
I found the taut flagship NOmad rounding
S ! the treacherous and dangerous extremity oil
South America. And this day certainly in.
tended to place itself on record with those o1
its predecessors marked stormy, its nasti-
ness in wind and weather giving all hands
on board the flagship their fill in hard work
and discomfOrts. The record of the NOmdi
on this cruise, which she was now complet-
ing on her homeward bound passage to BOs-
ton, had been most disagreeable, when con-
sidered in 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 in favor of old
Neptun S rough characteristics, but with
remarkable eveuness the health and original
roster of the ships company stood this day
| as it did nearly three years ago-With one
exception. Throughout the diverse and
| varied exposures incidental to cruising over
! the Asiatic station, where cholera, fevers,
/
! degrees reign in full force, none of the crow
| had suffered more than temporary incon-
Venience and thus it seemed very hard that
now, in the closing days of the cruise, there
stood nine chances for, to one against a vic
tory being at last scored for the destroying
angel Death When the N0Dldd reached
Shanghai in the early portion of her cruise
her admiral was the healthiest man aboard
grand specimen of manhood was he. Over
six feet in height weighing two hundred
pounds, broad in chest and strong in limb,
lie rightly claimed for himself full share of
Nature $ blessings. While returning late one
night from a diplomatic reception at the
Consulate at Shanghai, through overheat-
ing and insufficient protection from the dam
ger0Us effects of the peculiar damp and
sta-ching night air, he caught cold. only
a cold, remarked the admiral to the doctors
of his ship, land easy to cure" So thought
the medical officers. but with a quiet though |
insidious progression, this cold clung to the |
admiral in spite of their best efforts to Grad |
icatc it, and when the time came for leaving |
Yokohama, homeward bound, the admiral re- |
allied that his lungs and throat were decid- |
edly out of order. The doctors advised re |
turning home by mail steamer to San Fran |
cisco. so that greater means for curing this
persistent cough might be found in the
Naval Hospital there; but the admiral pre-
ferred to stick to his ship, still imagining
that his trouble would eventually be over
come by the doctors treatment
No one who locke al the admiral even in
those days imagined that he would fall a
victim olung trouble. But it was the old
story again typided in this case. Only a
cold at first; and in spite of orthodox treat
ment The peculiar climatic effects of China
nursed il, and hastenei the sure result of
such deep-seated trouble. Time passed after
leaving Yokohama for Boston, bringing
varying symptoms in the admiral's case, and
the doctors imagined that they held the dis
s3se in check at least. But with the fOrma-
lion of tubercles, night-sweats and the now
-op'd consumption of lung tissues, which
lad set in with alarming symptoms, the pa
lent realized that his cold had laid the seeds
IT that fell agent Of Death, consumption.
The hacking cough Of the admiral had in
tself been sufficient food for serious consid-
ration. aud now, as in the warm autumn
lays the flagship gallantly rode over the
llue waters of the Pacific, bound for Cape
iorn, the doctors hoped much for success.
Sut this bolSierOus afternoon found the good
hip struggling with gigantic seas set off
rom the Cape by a fierce noTthery wind.
leaden were the heavens and sad the
carts of all aboard, for that morning the
Sual bulletin Of q medical officers had set ,
Jrth this intel gence: 81 he admiral is in Z
ime condition as reported last night =
urning fe5 @ has been slightly reduced !
hlle other symptoms are as heretofore an :
All understood these words =
ithout questioning. The beloved admiral l
I'd during the past two weeks sunk very low. =
ne symptoms of blood-poisoning, a torpid a
'er, intense pains throughout the body, / 4
eslght and mental faculties affected, appe- a
- Sohei thtOugn lnactlon of that great reg n
ltor-the liver. These were the means n
nch had reduced the admiral from the n
lacle OF health to the valley and shadow of a.
ath. Consumption held full sway now,
q the well-known skill of naval doctors r
IS IN this instance at least completely q,
led. g.
The admiral had issued orders for the flag .,
p to touch at MOntevideo for coal, and it n
S the intention of the doctors to land the II
mlTal there for treatment. But one man fr
the snip was wrapped in the gloom of de- IN
.lr as standing by the weather rigging on ~
poop deck he glzed absently over the e.
mag waste of waters. This was the ad- AZ
raj g son, lieutenant, and attached to AT
fathers staff He feared that the wear
1 tear of ship life wouldsap his fathers ST,
ength beyond endurance, and before the III
p could reach Monteyideo. Among a on
up of sailors gathered around one of the If
at guns on the spar deck stood the captain 20
the foretop, Brown, a slight but healthy IN
king man. His companions were listen I'M
to recital of his suiferings from con- IN
lplon, which had developed while he was
.ched to the sloop-Of-war Ranger, lying &c
he harbor of Yokohama year ago, this fai
a of
ut the admlrals condition. The men had vo
returned from some work around the Pi
k an order for which had interrupted "e
wn's story few moments previously. ma
year ago this day was hove to in the fro
mans sick bay in the Ranger, then off sfr
ohama, an I tell you, pards, twas no ali
ppm my number, cause l was nigh on din
in in my enlistment papers for a long Is
Sc aloft,' continued Brown. "COn- snr
ption had me fiat aback, and the doctor dis
1t was no use TO stow away his lush in Inn
lold seein' that my bellows was con- I'M
ned by a higher power than he could mo
tile with" Ias
How did you pucker out of it?' asked a sIi ski,
ler's mate. ,,ar
Naall," replied Brown, "my Chinee nov no,
lnan came to me one mornin' an he Gin,
to me, ''me hab got alice same Mclean lis
medi1in, do you heap goodP / says ma
g it of, Chang; l buy all the same rasl
afternoon Chang hove up with fourteen so-,
es of lush, enough to kill or cure the or I
@ ships crew, an that looked fresh in IS
nice wrappers. Says Chang, China clea
doctor hab got plentee more, he make col
good well with my sick, this number iou
nediken alice same through Yokohama sire
il, | took the bottles an told the doctor este
goin' TO try one as by the sailin' or
on the bottle, and the doeter he laughed f.
said twas no good, but done as the ifel
aiiOns SAYS from the first, au' here I deed
gin the doctors IDEAS to be eslre!' TIE
ih this triumphant assertion Brown cons
q about the circle. Then, lowering his tafHl
said: "Bovs, I've four of those it th
ous bottles left-ain't give iem an TIE
yet after was cuted-au' if you all lNor
that it would not be too free with the thos'
nan, suppose go TO his son there on r3pi.
1op deck an say what / have to you, the
kin his pardon, say we want the ad- the |
to try he stuff In NV bottles. seein' eases
1nV furnd y r1r aftrff TT iOrt -
! idea met with approval from ali TIL
gress