Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-04-15

OU00 1u0n IN INC
great tight with the
N japanese, in which
he won the title of
1.-The Hero of the
Yalu,'' was mem
Der of the class
Of 1882 at the United States Ma
val Academy at Annapolis. He
was whole souled and good natured
and great favorite with his fellows.
McGiffin started the two years cruise,
which every Annapolis man has to
make before final graduation, on the
old Hartford, which was ordered to the
Pacific station to take the place OF the
PENSACOLA as flagship for Admiral
Hughes. There was young surgeon
on the Hartford who was an extreme
~ bad sailor, and succumbed to the
least motion of the ship. The Hartford
was expected to make as much of the
voyage as possible under sail. One day
when she was loaflng along down in the
tropics she was caught in the doldrums.
While she was lying with her sails
Mapping big German merchantmen
dr1fted into view. In the forerigging
OF the merchantmen the lookout on the
Hartford saw the international code
signal of distress. Steam was got up
on the Hartford and she moved over
toward the merchantmen. AS she drew
up the merchantmen set the signals
which mean, "Send DOCTOR" It was
the turn Of the seasick little surgeon
of the Hartford to do duty that day,
and he was ordered to go over to the
merchantmen. The whaleboat was
sent to take him on his erraud.
AS the whaleboat left the Hartford
the cadet officers all crowded up on
the forecastle to watch it. The little
doctor was thin and white and looked
very miserable, As the boat pulled by
the bow of the Hartford, McGifhn, who
was leaning against the rail, turned to
his mates and said in his slow drawl:
Boys, when they see that fellow.
they'll think we're the ones that are
in Distress
McGifin shifted from the Hartford
to the Pensacola, and finished his
cruise In that ship. He did not take
nigh enough rank in his class to secure
one of the few appointments to service
which were to be made that year, SO
he got his $1,000 and an honorable dis
charge from the government as sur
plus graduate" The next year he went
out to China as newspaper CORE
spondent for the Tonquin war. Cap
tain Mannix Of the United States ma
rane corps was at that time in China
on long leave Of absence, and was
engaged by Ii Hung Chang to reor-
ganize the Chinese naval school. Nc
Gimn knew Manntx, and after the war
was over he asked the captain for
place In the naval school. The captain
sent him to see Ii Hung Chang. Nc
Gtd1n went up to the big Chinaman's
palace, and was stopped by several
sentries. Every sentinel wanted to
know what the Americans business
was, and each sentinel in turn was
showed aside with the good American
remark that it was all right, and Nc
Gifhn was going to see Ii Hung Chang.
The result was that he did see III
Hung Chang, and he told the Chinese
earl what he wanted.
Ii Hung Chang was greatly amused
and pleased by the long-legged Ameri-
can and his method of getting an au-
dicncs. But he refused utterly to be-
l1eve that McGifin had received a dis
charge from the United States navy.
The Americans are not fools." said
the Chinaman. "They would not let
such good man CO."
But Captain Mannix vouched for
McGiftin. and SO he got the job. He was
made instructor in navigation. and
that was a great joke to McGifin's
classmates, for they knew that this
was the subject in which McGiffin was
least thoroughly prepared. But they
were mistaken in the man. McGtffin
turned out to be a first-rate Instructor
in navigation. He knew every method
by which the cadet could hope to hood
wink the instructor. A good many of
them he had devised himself when he
was in Annapolis, and the cadets soon
found out that they had to do their
work.
Three years afterwards some of Nc
Gifin's classmates who were on the
United States ships met McGidin at
Gibraltar. when he was taking the
Chen Yuen. which had just been built
in England, out to China. They toked
McGiffin about his appointment az in
structor in navigation, and in return
he showed them the notebooks of his
cadet officers. McGiff1n had hoon
great man for what the naval officers
call taking berth deck sights" that is.
he would take the sights, and let some
of the boys work out the ships reck-
oning. There were no berth deck
sight" takers on the Chen Yuen. Every
cadets notebook was filled with his own
figures, and the Americans were amazed
at the amount Of work McGifan got out
Of his cadets. s.
Corrected.
Mrs Grov-Ifsa nOa{tjvoly d{ou,o oo%.,I