Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-05-03

first attack, because you and / were In thos,
DAYS the personification of health-and car
claim this today, thank God Why / can dC
so will be told tomorrow, when we meet a
your dinner, as you only know that | have pass
ed through a terrible illness; my deliver,
from death being due to the wonderful discov
cry in medical science, made by a man who
to-day stands in the front rank of his fellow
workers-unequalled by any in my own opinion
That ], who heretofore have ever been the mos
orthodox believer in the old school of medi
| cine, Its application and results, should thus
recant In favor of that which Is sneered at by
old practitioners, may startle you, but "seeinl
is believing" and wheh recount the attach
made on my old hulk, how near | came to lower
ing my colors, and the final volley which
through the agency above mentioned, gave me
victory, you VIII ut least credit me with lust
cause for sincerity in my thankfulness and be-
lief. will also spin my yarn anent my China
cruise, and altogether expect 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 autumal afternoon in the year 1885, found
the taunt flagship Normal rounding the
treacherous and dangerous extremity of South
America. And this day certainly intended TO
place itself on record with those OF its pred
ecessors marked stormy, its nastness in wind
and weather giving all hands on board the flag
ship their I'LL In hard work and discomforts
The record OF the NOrmad on this cruise,
which she was now completing on her home
ward bound passage to Boston, had been most
disagreeable, when considered 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 Nep-
tunes rough characteristics, but with remark
able evcnness the health and original roster of
the ships company stood this day as IL did
nearly three years ago-with one exception.
throughout the diverse and varied exposures
incidental TO cruising over the Asiatic station.
where cholera, levers, 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 of the cruise,
there stood nine chances for, TO one against,
victory being at last scored for the DESTROYING
angel Death. When the Nonad reached Shang.
hal 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 two hundred pounds,
broad In chest and strong in limb, he rightly
claimed for himself full share OF NATURES
blessings. While returning late one night from
a 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 colu. -Only colo" remarked the
admiral TO the doctors of his ship, land easy
TO cure" So thought the medical officers, but
with quiet though insidious progression, this
cold chung TO the admiral In spite OF their best
efforts to eradicate 1t, 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 Fran
cisco, 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 ty the
doctors treatment.
No one who looked at the admiral even in
those days imagined that he would fall a victim
TO lung trouble. But IL was the old story again
typlied In this case. Only q cold at first and
in spite OF orthodox treatment the peculiar
climatic effects OF China nursed 1t, and hasten
ed the sure result Of such a deep-seated trouble
Time passed after leaving Yokohama for Bos-
ton, 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 rapid 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 in itself been sufli-
cient food for serious consideration, and now,
as in the warm autumn days the flagship gal
Ia
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 fierce northerly
wind. Leaden were the heavens and sad the
hearts Of all aboard, for that morning the usual
bulletin Of tho medical officers had set forth
this intelligence: "Theadmira is in same con-
dition as reported last night. A burning fever
has been slightly reduced, while other symp-
toms are as heretofore announced" All I'M
derstood these words without questioning. The
beloved admiral had during the past two weeks
sunk very low. The symptoms Of blood-poison-
ing, torpid liver, intense pains throughout
the body, eyesight aud mental faculties affect
ed, appetite gone, through inaction of that
great regulator-the liver. These were the
means which had reduced 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 1t 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 stand
ing by the weather rigging on the poop deck
he gazed absently over the seething waste of
waters. This was the admiral's son. lieuten-
ant, and attached to his fathers staff. He
feared that the wear and tear of ship-life would
sap his fathers strength beyond endurance,
Among group of sailors gathered around one
Of the great guns on the spar deck stood
the captain Of the fore-top, Brown a
slight but healthy looking man. His compan-
ions were listening TO 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 a discus
sion about the admiral's condition. The men
had just returned from some work around the |
deck, an order for which had interrupted
Browns story few moments previously.
E"A year ago this day was hove to in tho
pill mans sick bay in the Ranger, then off |
Yokohama, an tell you, pards, twas no use
pipip' in my number, cause 1 was nigh on
passin' in my enlistment papers for a long
cruise aloft," continued Brown. "Consump-
ton had me fiat aback, and the doctor |
my hold seen' that my bellows was condemned |
by a higher power than he could wrastle |
with"
slow did you quicker out of It'll" asked |
gunner's mate.
.'Wa'al," replied Brown, ''my Chinee wash |
man come to me one mornin' an he Gays to
me, me hab got alice same Mclean man med
ikin, do you heap good' says bring It off,
Chang, buy all the same That afternoon
Chang hove up with fourteen bottles of lush !
enough to kill or cure the whole ships crew,
an that looked fresh in their nice wrap
pers. Says Chang, 'Chinaman doctor hab got
plentee more, he make heap good well with my
sick, this number one medikin alice same
through Yokohoma.' Waall, i took the bot
ties an told the doctor was gein' to try one
as by the saiin' orders on the bottle, and the
doctor he laughed and says twas no good, but
/ done as the regulations says from the first,
an here am, ag'in the doctors ideas TO be
surc!"
With this triumphant assertion Brown look
ed about the circle. Then lowering his voice
said, "boys, I've four of those precious bottles
give lem all away vet after / was