New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-28
YARNS SPUN AT THE ALDINE
"FORECAsTLE NIGHT CELEBRATED BY
THE MEMBER

THE MEMBER.
STORIES TOLD BY COMMODORE" MABIE. ADJ
MrRAL ERBEN. JOHN KENDRIcK BANGS.
JULIAN HAWTHORNE AND OTHERS
1t was "Forecastle Night" at the Aldine Club.
No. Is Fifth-sve last night and the old salts and
the landubbers and the rotund members OF the
Rocking Char fleet were out In force Some
were thee who. II the stories OF Wads-
worth Longfellow were true, had no "hair-settn' y
party to enrich their youthful lives with capillary
adornmeht. But there were no forecaste grumoiers
In the that gathered in the big double parlors
OF tn clubh' use and revelled In the yarns that
were glibly reeled off by the hawser-length by
one after the other Of the guests Of the evening
However. before any stories were told. there was
preliminary gathering In the gr-room. There
the guests Of the evening royalty entertained
dinner by some OF the club members. The guests
Admiral Erben. Rear-Admral Richard W.
Meadn Lieutenant a. C. Dillingham;. Pay director
Schenck. Commander Miller, of the Naval Reserves;
Julian Hawthorne, F. Hopkinson Smith. john
Kend-ick Bangs. William Carey, John r. Spears
and James Barnes. President Frank II. Scott pre-
sided at the dinner. and other members present
were William W. Ellsworth Robert Bridges. A. w.
Drake. Charles T. Mills. Charles s. Patton. General
Alfred c. Barnes J. Cleveland Cady. Colonel Daniel
Appleton. Chalmers Dale. Efngham Maynard
CnarleS f. Merrll, george H. ndLcH' W. ~ D>'-
bour. c. F Chichester. DR.. Albert Shaw Arthur
scribner Hanford Crawford. N. y. Rowland, Il.
f Abbott, J. J. Little. w. f. Pulsfer Everett
Yeaw. W. f. Benjamin J. b. Pond. ID. b. Keller
and Cornelius b. Gold.
BEGAN AT "ONE BELL"
As an illustration of the nautical spirit that per-
yaded everything, the trouble Of the evening was
announced to begin at zone bell" The fact OF the
case is. II was just two bells. or O'CLOCK wneh
Commodore Mable chairman OF the Committee
on Entertainment. and consequently the presiding
genius OF the occasion. raped on the reporters
table with a bone-handled pocket knife for order
and pronounced. In the phrase OF the historic IN
terlocutor, Gentlemen will please be seated lie
remarked by way Of an introduction that Mr. Els
worth had informed him that the lee scuppers were
battened down. that the bnnacie lamp hao oeeh
set and everything had been made snug ror the
night Yet despite all these precautions. ne hao
never he continued so 70 speak. approacheo
nos,,ion with so much trep!dation. In order to re-
gain hi. composure In measure. Mr. Maoe theh
branched OF to Kentucky. which Is about as rar
,ror, water as a mortal can hope TO get. and told
nooa s,orv on Senator Joe Blackburn A con-
,,c,ed man was to be hanged, but redues' was
made that the Festivities be postponed until MT
blackburn could make a few remarks; whereupoh
trio Condemned man. appreciatins his SITUATION
said: IN he's gon 10 SPEAK, "'' ' ~
swingin me or hrst
..Xo one in that audience thought OF what was
. ,ouo, ~, with a sweeping gesture Mr.. Mabie
,,,-r.a and introduced John Kendrick Bangs. who'
no said was the first man who had buit mouse
boat Mr. Bangs read a chapter. OF rather u'h'e"
into IT, from his book. "A Houseooat on 'ne
s,vr" At the end contained In the utterahce Vi
capta,n Kidd as he looks down the companion"ay
=, 49, hoo, and discovers the feminine contents OF
-. .ah,n "Pipe my eye for sardne II we
baven,, captured a female seminary, there was
,,uch applause But Mr.. Mabie would permit no
encores
TILT WITH WEBSTER
He had story to tell oil Daniel WEBSTER lou
Of Young fellows thought to get the staI"art Seha
| tor intoxicated Mr. Webster had not been IN
Washington for nothing and fell into their game
x,b a RICH, good will. When he had them all
,,. .orr.rsd he sent out for a big punch bowl
and therein ne brewed a punch that was mighty
n gay, or swift 10 destroy. and then ne said IN
/ ,hunacrouc voice: We have been skirting the
shore and We will now hoist sail and put out 10
sea-
This story was simply to pave the way suitably
- tho presentation Of Admiral Erben. The blum
Old seaman who still carries the blush from Nep-
tunes kiss In his bronzed cheek. rose and was
greeted In right royal fashion. He said that AFTER
n. had accepted the invitation OF the club ne had
been asked II he would not relate some incidents OF
~. 40, mr. n. they say on board ship. spin yarn
lie wished
sailor OF whom Marryat: wrote Is fast passing away
7, fac, no had about disappeared from the sea.
I'm, sailors had always been loyal. Jack had always
been true 10 his ship. true TO his oicers no matter
what might come. He had known them ~hen
courtmartlal was about TO he held 10 20 10 tneir
officers and ask for exact Information as 10 what
they were 10 testify This led him to recall that
I'm the war a big drydock lying at Pensacola had
broken from her moorings and noated down the
bav only TO strand under the guns OF Fort Pickett
boats crew OF sailors were at hand 10 assist the
army people and finally II was decided. inasmuch
s the drydock could not be recovered. TO SEND OUT
and 40, her on fire The boats OF twelve
men and coxswain assigned 10 this duty.
They did their work and although my own ves-
40, was seventy three miles out to sea-. said the
Admiral you could almost to read by the light
OF the hre An inquiry was Instituted Aa'sr tme
OF course the had their eyes turned on tne
burning dock Yet when they were called up to give
evidence and were asked Did you see any "s"'
they answered. No. sir
AT THE ROYAL OPERA.
",yhe, was in London last year" the Admiral
| o,,,,ued when the laugh had subsidized. we were
well treated. The theatre people were very kind to
us sending tickets and telling us that our men would
have the entree Of any theatre at any time SO
lack went 10 every theatre In London. and enjoyed
himself one night. with party OF friends. went
70 The Royal opera We were hardly seated In our
stalls and said: why. Admiral, there are some OF
vnur men here | sad thought not. for none or
them would wan. 10 sit out performance OF Verdi
| .Irolstaff' BUT I looked down. and sure enough
! there were three of my men. and they stayed the
! performance through. The next day called up
thai hickory faced old boatswan.s mate and asked
him how he liked the opera. Well. he said. Al
! miral you couldn't leave I'LL the Prince of Wales
left and couldn'; eave'ti you did. and we stayed
| II out. -. ., -. ri,
work. and he told still another yarn on the late
! Admiral Gregory, when the latter was a captain
| in The Navy The latter was serving In European
woters and had taken his ship into Malta, where
british ship was lying. The idea OF hosp, aiity
| in those DAYS was TO entertain man until either
hos. or guest went under the table and the work
was not considered well done until this had been
| accomplished. They kept changing the oincers on