The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-31
nONEV ARD BOUND.
Portsmouth, With New Jerseys
Reserves, Will Sail
Tonight.
speefezto tae Jelxsp eitD Ncsrss.

on Board the L. s. S. Portsmouth,
Vineyard Haven, Mass. July 81, 1896
The jersey tars viii be homeward bound
tonight or tomorrow. The ship will sail
day and night, If necessary, in order to
reach Glen cove on saturday.
Those Of the crew who had never sailed
the Sound had been ted by their more
experienced shipmates to expect rough
seas and seasiekness off Point judith.
They found ont yesterday afternoon that
even an old sailor Will exaggerate at
times. They found the seas off Point
Judith choppy and pretty high. but the
old Portsmouth rode them gallantly. and
the s~easickness did mot ~nater.alize.
When Point Judith and Montauk Point
a out of sight on the HORIZON the green
men Of the crew were treated 70 the
novel experience Of being cut of sight Of
land. That sensation could be enjoyed
Tor several hours. for not even d light
house was sighted. except by the oekout
alcft. until the green shores of AIartha's
Vineyard came into view. Several sails,
however were met in those waters. many
Of them large pleasure yachts, whose
crews AVE always made it a point to
cheer the Portsmouth when they came
near enough. From the time the ship ar
rived at Glen Cove she has been an oh
ject of attraction. and the opinion Is ami
versal on beard that every New England
girl is out a-yaciting. Whenever the
Portsmouth is at anchor she is surround
ed by yachts, each having a number of
young women on board. and fine locking
women they are. too, They always have
a Jest for the crew. bat the crew does
not dare to reply, and this is the one
tantalizing hardship of life on board. The
officers are not bound 10 silence by the
rules of the service. Jokes ard compli-
ments fly over the quarter-rail, compli-
ments from the ship meeting pert say
ings from the yachts.
Here at Vineyard Haven the crew saw
the first bumb0at woman. She rowed ont
from shore in a skiff and attempted to
come on board. but Seaman Terry. Of
Newark, who was doing sentry duty at
the time. halted her. and on learning that
she had applejack for sale, very ungal-
lantly ordered her back into her boat.
She asked in a tone Of great surprise
whether this was not the expected man
of-war from Jersey. The poor old woman
evidently believed the stories told about
applejaek being the ~Jerseyman's sole food
and drink.
While the vessel tossed about on the
open Atlantic yesterday, the masthead
lockout. Seaman Davenport. OF Newark.
sang out that he sighted what appeared
to be q raft. II was on the ships lee bow
about three miles away, and IN the ordi-
nary curse of events it ought to be in
plain view of the men on deck in fifteen
! minute It disappeared and appeared
again. however, and again was lost and
| was not seen again. It is supposed by the
crew that The object was a whale. Sea-
man Kingston was anxious to organize a
| hunt after the monster. but his aEdor
| cooled when some one remarked that
Kingston was a fish dealer in Newark.
Jack has much to do and hss little time
for fun. He does not need mueh time for
1t. however, having a faculty Of con-
densing 1t. There are three nandoiins
and a guitar in the PortsTnouth's fore
ing as many as sixty voices in a chorus,
until the time for singing is nearly up.
| Then the men break into groups. and
each instrument takes UP a separate tune
One group may be doing justice to the
| solemn n inspiring strains of THE
serves out Take Yer Feet Out O. sand
The n song objected TO is Down Went
McGinty.. The men are not superstitious
at all. but its more comfortable to sing
There Is some rough horse play al
times. but it never goes too far. Fer in
stances q. number of the jersey City men
organized what they called the Cat
head Club. The noble object Of this or
| gan.zatson was to put outsiders through
a sham initiation. in which they would
get cuffed and belabored. Their strong
hold was 2 huge cell Of rope on the fore
castle. A few of the Newark men were
caught along and tortured by the Cat
headers. but a dozen of them got to-
getber on one occasion, storned the
headquarters and made the members take
q dose of their own medicine. The or
ganizatfon has not since iourished.
The Portsmouth was boarded before
leaving the Sound by one of the cutters
of the New Hampshire, the training ship
of the New York Reserves. They went
out for sail practice. The doctor has
had nothing to do. and the men have
been SO good in conduct tina no punish
ments nave been inflicted.