The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
"Blood Is Thicker Than Water"


Once upon a time, while guest on
board big English battle.ship, some
officers of the wardroom sought to
tease me in regari to relative merits of
American and English sailors in certain
naval engagements Of which 1 had q
sadly hszy idea. 1 was slowly gathering
steam for a patriotic explosion, when
one OF my British sailor friends turned
the tables in my favor by this little
jerky speech:
"That may all be true, but was at
the bombardment OF Alexandra, and
we were in bad fix, and all the war.
ships of other countries drew off and
left us to fry in our own fat and then
the Americans came and helped us.
They landed their men; they kept order
in Alexandria; they acted contrary to
orders; but then they said that blood
is thicker than water"
At this the whole wardroom burst into
a cheer, and nothing more was heard of
the Chesapeake and Shannon yarns,
Then another weather beaten marina
barnacle told his little story. 81 shall
never say another hard word against
Yankees" he said in a voice like a foo.
orn. "When that hurricane struck
sa amoa, our ship just managed to steam
out OF the harbor and escape total wreck.
AS we steamed anxiously and very slow.
ly through the bowling wind and blind.
| Ing sea VT could make out the Americans
IN the rigging of the Trenton-and they
were all in the presence of death. But
they didn't aink of that. Thev gave
us three cheers, and it made the hearts
OF our men jump up and choke them
when they heard those cheers. And if
made me feel at last that blood is thick.
er than water"
80 on the night of May 25th. Ameri.
cans and Englishmen sat down To
feast intended to once more emphasize
the. tact that the great English speakinp
family has mission of civilization n
perform, that we are of one parent stock
that when we quarreled it was because
we dld not know how to appreciate one
another's good qualities, and that in the
future war between England and Amer.
ca is out of the question so long as Eng.
llshmen and Americans speak the same
language.
Ihe Keynote to the banquet given by
the Englishmen to the officers and man
OF the Chicago was furnished by one
after another of the entertainers, Thev
once more told the story of how the
British men Of war lay off the mouth of
the Pei.Ho River, near the ugly mud
flats which stretch out before the Taku
forts which bar the approach to Tien.
lsln and Pekin. l have been up into
that country, and heard this story over
and over again from eye. witnesses. The
English were again in tight place, and
again the yankees overruled their writ.
ten orders to obey the great unwritten
law, "blood is thicker than water"
Admiral Erben, of the Chicago, and the
venerable English admiral of the fleet,
Peipps Horney, both dwelt upon the as.
slstance given by American bluejackets
to those of old England far away in
Chinese waters.
This dinner was remarkable one for
the hearty and spontaneous manner in
which it was conceived and carried out;
for the enthusiasm with which English.
men of every profession crowded for the
right to be present and do honor to the
Americans amongst them. For the past
week the main fashionable question has
been, Are you going to the Chicago
banquet? or, Have you met Captain
Mahan?-Pouhney Biglow, in Harpers
Weekly.