Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
NOT USED TO COLD.
Amusing Effect Of a December Blast
on BraZiI's Crack Fleet.
NOT A STOVE AMONG THE BOATS.
0vereoats an Unknown Luxury and Woolen
Stockings PuZzlerS.
REFUSED TO TAKE ANY EXERCISE

w OnCie 0dm DOMAIN are not uSeQ 10 colQ
weather. So, when December blasts began
bowling in the rigging last week when the
boats were anchored off New York, the jolly
tars were filled with CONSERVATION.
When New York Sun reporter visited
the fleet it was not cold enough to make the
American shiver or to drive him to shelter;
the sun was brilliant, and 20 healthy man
who wore hannels and an overcoat was un-
comfortably cold even on the deck of a NOV
ing boat But to the sailors on board the
Brazilian fleet the wind was armed with
keen cutlasses. The scene on board the
Aeuidaban was a most uncomfortable one.
The total number OF men and officers is 456,
and every man of them was shivering as
hard as he could and creeping slowly about
in search of warmth. When an American
is cold his first effort is to jog his blood into
rapid action by violent motion, and he 10
glad when there is some hard work to do, for
he knows that work is as heating as a stove,
and when he has no work he is ready to
dance or wrestle. But the Brazilian sailors
seemed to be ignorant of this, for they hated
to move, and crouched in sunny corners and
shivered and shook until their teeth ratified
like dice in box.
DIDN'T COME PREPARED.
The men on both the Aquidaban and
Guanabara arrived here wholly unprepared
for cold weather, and not half dozen Off
GERS were supplied with overcoats. The
crew had only the clothing with them which
they wear at home, and when the first chilly
wind struck them they suffered severely.
The officers feared that the sudden cold
would prove fatal to many of the men, and
set about at once to do what they could to
make the ships comfortable. Neither THE
ships is provided with any heating appli-
snces, and the only fires that could be main
tained for heating purposes were those in the
frerooms and in the big stoves that are used
for cooking. But these we're of little serv-
ice, having been constructed to suit the Bra
lillian climate, so that little heat could es-
cape from the compartments which hold
them.
When it became certain that some other
method must be resorted to a large
number of little gasoline stoves
were purchased and scattered about
| over the ships. But as no care had
been taken to exclude draughts the heat
from the stoves could scarcely be felt. When
it became clear that the gasoline stoves on
the ships were not sufficient to keep the men
warm lot OF extra clothing was brought on
| board. This consisted mainly of oVercoats
of the cheapest sort, and they were handed
out to the men who instantly wrapped them
| selves in them.
DIDN'T ASK THE MEN TO WORK.
Lieutenant Eurice P. Barredo de Albu-
querque, of the Aquidaban, shiVered sug-
| gestively when he was asked if the men
were suffering much from the cold. He led
the way to the pump room which serves as a
| hospital. A gasoline. stove blazed fiercely
in the nanfar of the roou Tharo ora 6va
hard hunks in the room. -Four OF them
were occupied by men who were shivering
/ under the blankets. The Lieutenant said
the men were only suffering from colds.
| son this ship" he said, 1--WE have 220
| gasoline stoves, but they seem to do little
| good. There are so many places where the
wind can come in, and where the heat can
| go out. sincerely hope the weather will
not grow any colder, but fear that this is
too much to hope Tor. 1t was decided that
we were to remain here II days when we
came, and do not suppose the time will be
shortened any,"
The Lieutenant was asked if matters were
any worse on board the Guanshara. He
said that affairs were pretty much the same
on both ships, except that there we're more
men i'll on the Aquidaban. He was asked
| if it were true that the men had refused to
| do any work.
"Itis not true" he said, "because we
have not asked the men to do any work. We
appreciate the sufferings they are undergo
ing and we have decided to let them rest,
and no call has been made upon them to
perform any labor except that which has
been absolutely necessary"
DIDN'T USE SHOES.
Nearly all the men were clustered on the
starboard side of the upper deck, for the sun
shone here. They stood in little groups and
shivered and stared disconsolately about.
One broad-shouldered, swarthy fellow was
wrapped in an overcoat several sizes too big
for him. His little pulled cap was pulled
down over his forehead and his feet were
| bare.
"Has he no shoes ?' the Lieutenant w,s
asked.
"Oh, yes" he replied, "but he doesn't care
to wear them"
Another sailor had tried the effect of an
overcoat, and finding that it failed to keep
him warm as he expected, threw it aside and
| refused to wear il again. Several sailors
were shufiing about with their bare feet
] thrust in shoes from which the tops had
! been cut. A bumboat woman was busy SELL
| ing peanuts, sausages and other eatables
from a sheltered nook amidships the
sailors bought freely from her and the deck
was strewn with shells. A man came on
board with basket filled with red flannel
socks. The sailors crowded around him,
| and in few minutes his wares were e1-
+ hausted. The men sat down on the deck and
| pulled the flannel socks on their feet, and
| then replacing their shoes stood quietly, as
| if awaiting some remarkable result. It
never seemed to occur to them that a little
exercise might do good.
GLOVES A DECIDED NOVELTY,
One thin man bought pair of gloves with
| big fur trimmings. He pulled them on his
| hands and looked at them admiringly. Then
| to try them he caught hold of the lapel Of
| an overeoat fellow sailor wore, and with a
vicious pull tore it of. The man with the
torn coat grew angry, but he hadn't energy
| enough to resent the assault, and only
grumbled little and went on shivering.
| While the men were shivering their hardest
| a crew of eight men from the flagship Phila-
| delphia came pulling toward the ship in a
cutter. They were stripped to their blue
| flannel shirts and wore their caps off their
foreheads as though they were warm. The
Brazilian sailors shivered up to the rail,
| and with their hands thrust deep in their
| pockets eyed the visitors in wonder
| Ciruueira Buleas Of the Aquidabau, the
| fleet surgeon, has made arrangements for
getting flannel underclotning for the men as
we'll as heavy pea jackets but without any
| fire the men will still suffer. The officers
have not yet commented to cover up their
uniforms with overcoats and they hurried
about in there dress uniforms looking pretty
| chilly. Lieutenant Gannier, of the Guiana
| bara, said that their was no way of getting
| apv heat into the ships as no provisiou Rad