Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-10-29
FROsrBURG, Md, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1892.


sustenance our ship carried a COW. But
size died. She stood the Bay of Biscay
brayelv, but she drew the line at the
equator 1t was IL dreadful misfortune
for our party The babies were inces-
SAINT and all Absorbing as babies al
WAYS are They deprived u> oi >lccp.
They affected the majo" generals liver.
They demoralized the ships crew 1t
was truly awful.
Imagine six living babies i'll full pos
session of their larynSeal organs but
without milk, We were on the verge
of desperation when a ray of hope
dawned A steamer appeared on the
horizon floating the stars and stripes.
We hoisted our signals we told our
tale of woe in the unvarnished language
Of fact.
Our COW is dead-six babies send
milk.
But Uncle Sam was in II serious
mood. The civil war was not over, and
he had run up rather a long bill. Our
plain statement of fact appeared like
Joke perpetrated on the high seas. 1t
was an insult to the American flag. A
reply was quickly hoisted. 1t was,
GOOD-BY, STRANGER.
Our captain raised his fist i'll fury,
and shook it as long as he could see the
American ship. He cursed the whole
South, from Sandy Hook to San Fran
cisco. Our babies pined their mothers
sighed in hopeless grief, and the whole
company of the ships passengers grew
frantic as they heard the ceaseless moan
ings of infantile humanity night and
day
But to our relif and JOY a German
vessel came in sight, laden with the
milk of human kindness, and bearing
a precious freight of canned Swiss
milk.
Tranquility restored, we all set our
selves seriously to work to supply some
amusement for the long evenings as we
sailed in the direction of the south pole
for we drifted a long way into those
regions.
/ organized an evening concert, with
a few dramatic recitations in which
Lieutenant Bowles, now distinguished
political officer, took an active part.
Bowies was the most cOmical fellow
| ever met, and between us we very
nearly sunk the ship.
| made a sort of stage on the quar-
ter deck, and lighted it up brilliantly
as / could before the discovery of
kerosene. Bowles did his best in what
he called his serious readings to
caricature our ship life And it was in
the midst of this performance that he
diverted the attention of the man at
the wheel when at that unlucky mo-
ment red light was seen bearing down
upon us, and but for the presence of
mind of our captain. who sprang from
his seat to the rudler, we should have
been sunk in mid-occan with the songs
of innocent merriment ON our lips.
4 The captain would have no more
/ evening concerts, aud things became
/ decidedly dull The major generals
/ S, ,orics were all told. The runaway
couple had become old marri ad people.
| The babies were satisfied with canned
/ mi X. and we really did not know what
( to do.
We have nothing in the world to 90
but to eat, sleep aud Iiirt, said Miss
/ Gertrude Rosebud. And it WAS Ger
/ tlinIy true We breakIaStcd at nine,
/ lunrhed at one. dined at five and took
/ our ship biscuit and lime juice and
/ whi*kev at eight, whilst on Thursdays
! and Sundays the monotony of our exist
ence WAS varied with potation, of cham
pagne and pudding.
But we Md nirt | never was on
board a ship this very frivolous recrca-
/ tion was not indulged in | have often
wondered that papas and mammas, who
are always loud in their denunciations
of this common vice, have not insisted
on complete division of the sexes on
board ship, as is the practice in some
ritualistic churches in London.
The most consummate hlrts on tho
ship were Miss Gertrude and her sister.
They We're daughters of a distinguished
civilian in India, and in charge of the
captain Their special attractions were
the "middies. But the captain was
determined to stop it, and as the dam
sells were equally determined, he locked
them in their cabin after sunset. But
the middies hauled them up from the
portfolio, and there We're revels on deck
while the captain and four parsons
slept soundly in their berths.
The next morning the captain heard
of the escapade. Nautical discipline
does not provide for the punishment Of
young ladies, but the middies were Sc
vercly reprimanded.
! BY the time we reached the "sand
heads at Calcutta we We're all very
much in the condition of the ships
stores-complctely run out. The Eng
Ish pilot who brought us five months
news from the outer world was II very
prophet, indeed, and the native cooley,
who carried the pilots bag with his
darkened skin and scanty clothing,
seemed an angel of light.
Little did / think that those stars and
stripes which in the year 1864 greeted
me in mid-ocean as stranger would
welcome me in the year 1884 as IL cltl-
zen.
Shall and Will.
For the benefit Of any who find a diff
-, l. .,