The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-10-24
OLD JOE COOL.


-.
-. OLD JOE COOL.
Though He Was Not Very Old He
Was Undoubtedly Cool .
He wasn't old at all, not day over
twenty when he joined tho regiment; q
great, tall. hulking fellow with big.
honest face like a boys, weighed one
hundred and seventy-fivc pounds il he
did an ounce, and answered W the
name OF Joseph Cooley. We all called
him Joe, to begin with, and this yarn
is to tell how he got his other name.
We shipped aboard river steamer
at New York for Ship Island, fifteen
hundred Of us; may be you boys don't
know what that meaEs-aboard OF a
|. river steamerp 1t means that every
berth had two men in ii. lynn heads
and p'ints, and glad to get one at that;
the unlucky ones lynn side by side ON
the fioor, like herring in box, thick
4 as they could lie, IS
Lots 81 'em were dreadful sick Is Be-
gin with, some for one day. some for
two, some all the way YOU can guess
II twas pleasant. =....szss.-s...--.az-
We were all in for it, goin' to fight
for our country. We'd hollered and
waved flags and had speeches made to
us. and felt considerable good about IT.
that was the top dressin'. Now we be.
gan to strike hard-pan, and tell you,
we didn't think about our country ev-
cry minute, not much.
Well, Joe he wasn't sick minute
he'd go steppin' around amongst the
fellers as softly as girl. GRIMM al
at one, givin' water to another, Akin
this ones head up onto a knapsack,
and proppin' that one up ag'inst a
mast, as OF he'd been a hospital nurse
all his days.
When some OF the men would groan
and swear, he'd say: "'Tis ruther
unpleasant, amt itp Scold away; it'll
do yez good to spit It all OUT" and
they'd have to grin. Il
When we'd got abreast of Hatteras,
there come up about Eve O'Clock one o.
the high old regulation kind OF storms
a buster; it como solid, as If you was
struck With something steady, thai
pressed you down; we couldn't stan
up against 1t. They talk about waves
rollin' mountain-high, that's poetry
but I'd be willin' to make my affidavi
in court that they did run all OF sixty
feet high each side of us.
The steamer couldn't make mite O
Roadway, nor wouldn't answer=to hel
hellum, and there we lay, side on. IL
the trough OF the sea, like fly in 1
hammock, swingin' to and fro side
ways. Every now and then big
sea'd come slap down. like close-tt
thunder onto the deck and SWEEP
every thing off her. There was !,
hundred barrels OF beef went to feet
the fishes that night.
I lay in my berth, a-looking out o
the winder-five OF us had that stat,
room, four In the berths, one ON tn,
floor Joe Cooley had the floor; RICH
outside there was life-boat lyin
geared onto the deck. and all arount
twas a thick row of men holdin' ont.
her gunnel with both hands, SOS to ge
the first chance.
"Well!" says /, kind of disgusted.
Whats npp" says Joe, lookin' VI
at me. So told him. Y
III Him. says he. II guess I'd jos
as lives be drowned in bed as out
doors" So II he didn't draw up hi
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 on,
OF the fellers sung out to him: ''Cal
this a considerable of a storm, dom
ye. Cap,ena"
He ripped out some big words. I tel
-ye.-the sense OF lem being that. we wa
going to the bottom inside of an hour
and Joe had heered him.
Sure enough, there was no chanc,
for the men hangin' ON to that boat
their faces white as death, and thei
fingers gripped onto that gunnel til
they bled; for II the ship had gone t,
the bottom, that boat would hav,
cracked like zegg-sheH the frs
wave that gin 1t blow. 1t was
sscary time for all OF us.
Some OF the fellers took it one wa,
and some took it another; people ain
all jest alike. Some cussed and som,
prayed. and some grit their teeth an,
kept STILL. Joe was the only one tina
went to sleep and slep through.
However. we didn't go down. 70
about two o'clock in the morning thor,
come the biggest kind OF thunder
storm against the big blow. ard tn,
J, wind and rain ont of that killed thos,
great waves Nat. In twenty minute
after it set in, the sea was ordinaril,
epeaceable. the boat got so't the hellun
\ steered her, and we went right along
and come morning. Joe got up from
his-bed, on the aoor, shook himself
rubbed his eyes. looked round an,
grinned at us.
.sWell. fellers!'' says he. 1--WE ain
drow pded, be wei"
Mot as we're sensible Of" say
Chaplin, a dry sort OF chap in the bun
below me.
"You took 1t rather COOL saysI I
Joe,
Names Cooley says he. laughin'
And after that w called him Cool,
Os "pld Ccoilr just = u happsnsA