The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-04-20

Decn the MOSJ OrtnOuOX DeleVer III Jue Olu
school of medicine, its applicat on and re-
suits, should thus recant in favor of that
which is sneered at by old practitioners,
NAV startle you, but seeing Is believing"
and when / recount the attack made on my
old hulk, how near L came to lowering my
colors, and the final volley which, through
the agency above mentioned, gave me
victory, you will at least credit me with just
cause for sincerity in my thankfulness and
belief / will also spin my yarn anent my
China cruise, and, altogether, expectto enter
tain 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 lSS-
found the taunt flagship Nomad rounding
the treacherous and dangerous extremity or
South America And this day certainly in
tended to place itself on record with those
of its predecessors marked stormy, its nasti-
ness in wind and weather giving all hands
on board the flagship their till in hard work
and discomforts. The record of the Nomad
on this cruise, which she was now complet-
ing on her homeward-bound passage to Bos
ton, had been of heavy weather work. From
Suez TO Alden, then on to Bombay, Point de
Gale, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai Nag
asaki and YokohOma, the balance sheet stood
largely in favor of old Neptune's rough char
acteristics, but with remarkable evenness
the health and original roster of the ships
company stood this day at it did nearly
three years ago-with one exception.
Throughout the diverse and varied exposure
incidental TO cruising over the Aslatlc sta
ton, where cholera, fevers, liver complaints,
malaria and colds of all degrees reign in full
force, none of the crew had suffered more
than temporary inconvenience, and
thus it seemed very hard that now,
in the closing days the cruise,
there stood nine chances for, to one
against, a victory being at last scored for
the destroying angel Death. When the No
mad reached Shanghai in the early portion
of her cruise her Admiral was the healthiest
man aboard. A grand specimen of manhood
was he. Over six feet in height, weighing
200 pounds broad in chest and strong in
limb, he rightfully claimed for himself "a full
share of natures blessings While returning
late one night from q diplomatic reception
ut 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 of his ship, land easy to cure" SO
thought the medical officers, but with n
quiet though insidious progression this cold
chung TO the Admiral in spite of their best
efforts to eradicate it, and when the time
came for leaving Yokohama, homeward
bound, the Admiral realized that his lungs
and throat were decidedly out of order. The
doctors advised returning home by mail
steamer to San Francisco, SO that greater
means for curing this persistent cough
might be found in the Naval Hospital there;
but the Admiral preferred to stick TO his
ship, still imagining 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 n
vf,.t,,, DIT
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 fastened the sure result of such deep
seated trouble. Time passed after leaving
Yokohama for Boston, bringing varying
symptoms in the Admirals 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
rapid consumption OF lung tissues, which
had set in with alarming symptoms, the pa
tent realized that his cold had laid the seeds
of that fell agent of death, consumption
The hacking cough of the Admiral had in
itself been sufficient food for serious consid-
Grafton, and now, as in the warm autumn
days the flagship gallantly rode over the
blue waters of the Pacific, bound for Cape
Horn, the doctors hoped much for success
But this bOisterous afternoon found the good
ship struggling with gigantic seas set off
from the cape by a fierce northerly wind
Leaden were the heavens and sad the hearts
of all aboard for that 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 has been slightly reduced, while other
symptoms are as heretofore announced"
All understood these words without ques-
tioning. The beloved Admiral had during
the past two weeks sunk very low The
symptoms of notwithstanding torpid liver.
Int ha DIV CitrI 4
and mental faculties affected, appetite gone,
through inaction of that great regulator
the liver These were the means which had
duced the Admiral from the pinnacle OF
health TO the valley and shadow of death
Consumption held full sway now, and the
well-known skill of naval doctors was in
this instance at least completely foiled
The Admiral had issued orders for the
flagship to touch at Montevideo for coal and
IL was the intention of the doctors to land
the Admiral there for treatment But one
man in the ship was wrapped in the gloom
of despair, as standing by the weather rig
ging on the poop deck he gazed absently
oyer the seething waste of waters This
was the Admirars son, Lieutenant, and at
tached TO his fathers staff. He feared that
the wear and tear of sh p-life would sap his
fathers strength beyond endurance, and be-
fore the ship could reach Montivideo.
Among a group of sailors gathered around
one of the grea guns on the spar deck stood
the captain of the fore-top Brown, slight
but healthy looking man His companions
were listening TO q recital of his sufferings
from consumption, which had developed
while he was attached to the sloop-of war
Ranger, lying in the harbor of Yokohama a
year ago this "yarn" having been started
by discussion about the Admirars condi-
ton. The men had Just returned from some
work around the deck, an order for which
had interrupted Browns story few mo-
mants previously
a year ago this day was hove to in the
pill mans sick bay in the Ranger, then Off
Yokohama, an tell you, pards, twas no use
pipin my number. cause j was nigh on
paSsin' in my enlistment papers for a long
cruise aloft,' continued Brown "Consump-
zion had me fiat aback and the doctor SAYS
10 was no use to stow away his lush in my
hold seem that my bellows was condemned
by higher lower than he could wrastle
with
"How did you pucker out of its" asked
gunner's mate.
@Wa'all, replied Brown, my Chinee wash
man come TO me one mornin' an he says TO
me, me hab got alice same Mclean man
medikin do you heap goodl' / says bring 1t
of, Chang, / buy all the same. That after
noon Chang hove up with fourteen bottles
of lush, enough To kill or cure the whole
ships crew, an that looked fresh in their
nice wrappers Says Chang, China man
doctor hab got plentee more, he make heap
good well with my sick, this number one
medikin allee same through Yokohama,