Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-11-01
OLD COOL IN THE ARMY.

90 when be joined the regiment;
great, tall hullling fellow, with big
honest face like boys, weighed 175
pounds if he weighed an ounce and
answered to the name of Joseph Cool
ev. We all called him Joe, to begin
with, and this yarn is to tell how he
got his other name.
We shipped aboard a river steamer
at New York for Ship Island, 1,500 of
us; maybe you boys don't know what
that means-aboard of river steamer2
1t means that every berth had two
men in it, layin' heads and p'ints and
glad to get one at that; the unlucky
ones lying side by side on the floor,
like herring in box thick as they
could be.
When we'd got about abreast of
Hatteras there came up about 5 o'clock
one of the high old regulation kind of
storms. a buster. | can't begin to tell
how the wind bowed; it come solid,
as if YOU was struck with something
steady that pressed you down; we
couldn't stan up against 1t. They
talk about waves rollin' up mountain
high, that's poetry; but I'd be willin'
to make my affidavit in court that
they did run all of sixty feet each side
of us.
The steamer couldn't make a might
of Roadway, nor wouldn't answer to
her hellum, and there we lay, side on,
in the trough of the sea, like a fly in
hammock, swingin to and fro, side
ways Every now and then a big sea-
come slap down, like close to thunder,
TO al /, ,
off her. There was hundred barrels
of beef went to feed the fishes that
night
l lay in my berth a-loolin' out of
the winder-five of us had that state
room, four in the berths, one on the
floor. Joe Cooley had the floor; right
outside there was lifeboat lying
geared on to the deck, and all around
it was thick row of men holdin' on
to her gunnel with both hands, SO as
TO get the first chance.
"Well!' says |. kind of disguised.
whats up2' said Joe, lookin' up
ut me. So told him.
Him." says he. Il guess I'd Jest
as lives be drowned in bed as out
doors" So if he didn't draw up his
blanket and go to snorin' ag'in!
You see, just a minute before the
cap'en of the boat had come through
the deck cabin where we was, and one
of the fellers sung out to him, Call
this considerable of a storm, don't ye,
cap'enl"
He ripped out some big words, tell
We, the sense of 'em being that we was
going to the bottom inside of an hour,
and Joe heered him.
Sure enough there was no chance
for the men hangin' on to that boat,
their faces white as death, and their
fingers gripped into that gunnel till
they bled; for if the ship had gone to
the bottom, that boat would have
cracked like an eggshell the first wave
that Gin it a blow. 1t was a scary time
for all of us
Some of the fellers took it one way
and some took it another; people ain I
jest alike. Some prayed and some
grit their teeth and kept still. Joe was
the onl y one that went to sleep and
slep' through.
However, we didn't go down, fol
about 2 o'clock in the morning there
came the biggest kind of thunder
storm against the big blow, and the
wind and rain out of that killed those
great waves flat. In twenty minutes
after it set in the sea was ordinarily
peaceable. the boat got so't the hellun
steered her, and we went right along
and came morning Joe got up from
his bed on the floor, shook himself
rubbed his eyes, looked around ant
grinned at US.
well, fellersv' says he, I'VE ain
drowned, be WEI"
Not as we're sensible Of" say
Chaplin, a dry sort of a chap in TIN
bunk below me.
you took it rather cool, says t.
Joe.
Names Cooley" says he, laughin'
And after that we called him Cool
or "Old Cool, just as it happened.
Lots of EN- were dreadful sick, T.
begin with, some for one day, som
for two, some for all the way. YoV
can guess if twas pleasant.
We were all in for it, goln' to fight
Wed hollered and waved flags, an,
had speeches made to us, and felt con
siderable good about it; that was tn
top dressin'. Now we began to strik
hard pan, and l tell you we didn
think about our country every minute
not much.
Well, Joe he wasn't sick a minute
he'd go steppin' round amongst tn
fellers as softly as girl, GRIMM a
one, givin' water to another, fxir
this ones head up ON to knapsacl
and proppin' that one up aginst
mast, as if he'd been hospital nurs
all his days.
When some of the men would groa
he'd say, IT'S ruther unpleasant
amt it2 Scold away; it'll do we goo
to spit it all out, and they'd have
grin.
We got landed after awhile, as dirt
and water tired lot as ever you SCI
quite certain that solderin' WASH
neither fun nor play; but bless yol