The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
TALES R OMTHEFARSOUTH
WHF 4 BoF,S BROKEN LEO Was
n ON a UNION GUNBOAT

who Accidentally Made the First Arti-
METAL Ice-The Oldest Resident OF Apn-
iachicoin-Ths Pine Forest that Covers
the site OF the Old city OF ~. Joseph.
APALACnICoLA. Fla. March Few South.
ern towns saw less OF the war than Apalachi.
cola. Not n gun WIS fired here, not n regiment
or company Of either eide was stationed here.
The nearest approach to anything warlike was
q Federal uunboat anchored in the harbor to
guard the approach TO the river. Even the
name OF that Runbont is lost. 40 far M local trn-
ditlon goes. The few present residents OF the
place who lived here In 1891 have all for.
gotten IL. They remember her lying here. and
remember seeing small parties Of marines
walking through the streets occasionally, but
that Ia all.
That Runboat. however. had n part In one OF
those romantic little stories Of the war that fire.
uuently come IN the surface In unexpected
ways and places. and that doubtless will con-
ttnuo to pop up their heads for many years to
come. The story was told by John q. Rugo Of
this place, sitting In n shady corner Of the
Fuller House piazza. Curiously enough, In
chs secluded town, IL was told ~ one man from
New York and one from Boston that could not
happen very often here. Though the story be-
gins in 1869 and does not end till 1896, IL Is
not unduly long. Here II is;
While the gunboat was lying In the harbor.
IN '62, little Johnny RuRe, then eight or ten
Soafr uiu. boVh utllGub III WUICnlnR Ine waving
of the flag with red and white stripes and q
blue corner that foatcd from her stern. He
went down often to the wharf Just to see It
and the vessel that carried II, for he felt a pc
culiar proprietorship In them, because Her
IMAM RuRe, his father, had pointed IL out to
him one day and had told him: Look at that
nag, Johnny; that ia our flag. I want You al
ways to stand by It," II the men of Apnlachi-
cola had known that Herman huge said that
AHa.y wr,,,Il I.-z - IL ~ 49, a
known that Johnny looked at the flag TO ad
miro 1t instead of to sneer at it. they would
have licked him. Herman Ruge was one of the
few loyal men in the place, and he was so hope.
lessly In the minority that he had to keep quiet.
One day, however. the boy fell out Of a tree
end broke his hip; and that was a much more
serious matter in those days than It would be
now. because there was not n single doctor left
in Apalachicola to set the bone. Every doctor
was away in the Confederate army. and through
one night he had to lie and suffer while his
father made up his mind what to do. The only
doctor within a hundred miles was the surgeon
Of the Federal gunboat lying in the harbor. and
70 apply to him would be about equivalent to
hoisting the Stars and Stripes over the house.
Besides, II the surgeon came ashore there was
every probability that he would not go back
alive.
Under the circumstance II is hardly neces-
Sary 10 say WnlCn way Jne elQer huge decided.
There lay his boy in pain. and he must be taken
In a doctor at all hazards. At daylight In the
morning Mr.. Ruge had a small skif made
ready. with a stretcher for the boy, and a white
flag flying from the masthead. This latter was
necessary because the gunbOat was in hostile
waters. and no boat was allowed TO approach
her. With two or three boatmen they set off,
the boy lying on the stretcher in great pain
from the moving. Mr.. Ruge remembers to this
day every word that was said as they drew up
near the little war ship.
Keep off thcre!" came from a sentry on
deck: and he knows from henrsay that the sem
try's carbine was raised threateningly.
~ have q boy here with a broken hip" Mr..
Ruge called. Will your surgeon set it?'
There was a pause then, as II the sentry were
waiting for Instructions; and presently came
who are your"
Another pause followed. and then tho call
Yes. Come alongside"
The skiff ran up to the %gunboat. but to get
After Various expedients had been tried a
Big sailor went down the ladder and took johnny
safely to the deck. There was the usual ex-
eminati9n; and the he surgeon urge H. DECIDED i'd that the
and the Captain interfered. and at length
the surgeon was prevailed, upon to put the
same big sailor carried the boy down the LADDER
again. and he was taken home TO get we'll.
summer nhns Il! Mr. rne R 1ssa vPfs site OF Bar sne H fsGis; a a%S
while he was out on the wharf one day he fell
e S}s taking i.a. nys With H. an str 9ld f,sss1W %sIle who he 1atSbsd
what part of the country are you FROM" the
fisherman asked. after a while.
From Apalachicola. Fla" Mr.. Ruge an
lis that sou said the fisherman. II was
there once, but IL was many a long day ago. l
was on a Union Qunboat. stationed there
Then IT was Mr.. Ruge's turn to exclaim.
DO you remember" he asked. "a boy with
z broken hip who was carried on board that
IL ought to" the fisherman answered; for
That. however, is an incident OF the compare
lively modern Apalachic1lai going no fnrthee5r
t sSsh t Oh ha Var t ee%tnry la aso. WheS of th the rived St&
bank was lined with brick cotton warehouses.
Teul alr be Slm SS,p nnsno"f Dr. II chairman i wers not +. sr fSr
ty nearly the sole connecting link between the
P pssnrs sna t aoes p, wSsn he IT void is 10 le alm of tt the t ofd
that have been rec rSesoIE 6Gsl Nowhere in print; Sn;
time. now entirely unattainable.
One OF the most interesting stories that pr.
den1 OF Apsiaeh;ools; Whatever may be the
Apalachlcola will have none OF them. Even
the modern residents Of the town are con
chine for making artificial Ice. and that the
fee came to him accidentally. DR.. Chapman is
as certain of this as any one else, and he IL In
position TO sneak with authority. as he was
Or. Gorrie's only intimate friend. and Is a man
OF such scientific attainments that. so impor.
liant an invention could not escape his notice.
''Gorrie had studied medicine" DIR, Chap.
man says. but did not practice. His bent
was more toward chemistry than the practice
N medicine; and although his means were
small, they were large enough &c. allow him to
follow. his inclinations. OCCASIONALLY, how
forts az one OF these times that led to the first
manufacture OF artificial Ice: remember the
400 old to give you such circumstantial details
70 would be considered good EVIDENCE. You
may rest assured that Gorrie was the first man
10 make ARTIFICIAL Ice, ard thus II happened;
Zone OF his friends in the town was lying
dangerously sick with a fever, and Gorrie was
Sttanding him without hope Of pecuniary re-
ward. i should say an acquaintance rather than
n friend, for I think that | was the only man
he honored with his friendship. II was in the
height OF summer, and the weather was In.
SSnsaiv hot. GOrrie conceived the idea of |