The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-13
OFF FOR PORT ROYAL.
The Monitor Nantucket Sailed With
Our Naval Reserves Yesterday-They
Are Sent or With an Ovation.

ARE sent OH WIN an OSdthOus
The United States navy tug Hercules
left yesterday morning at 1918 O'Clock
with the United States monitor Nam
tucket in tow for Port Royal, S. c.,
where she is to go in the big dry dock
and have her bottom scraped and
painted.
Our naval reserves, who constitute
crew, were in high feather, and long
before the leaving time the members
of their families and their friends as
sembled at the custom house wharf to
bid them good bye. The ladies carried
them flowers and various little gifts
and when the big tug pulled the mon
itor into the stream there was a mighty
short by the reserves who were Justify
cheered by the men ashore while the
ladies waved their handkerchiefs.
Before the Nantucket made her start
every steamer that passed dipped their
flags and saluted with their whistles
and she returned the compliment.
When she started down stream, several
yachts and with ladies and
gentlemen on board, circled around and
accompanied her as far SIS the Dram
tree. AS the old war vessel passed
down stream, the flags on the custom
house was dipped. the foreign shipping
dipped their colors and the steamers
saiuted with their whistles, and the
steam whistles of the mills and facto-
ries also blew s~alutes, While great
throngs of people all along the wharves
on the water front sent up cheer after
cheer. The people were SO thick at the
foot OF Market and Dock streets that
there was hardly standing room, and
the greatest enthusiasm was manifest
ed by all alike. Hundreds of ladies
were packed on the wharves every
where and they lent their smiles and
waved handkerchiefs to add to the send
off for our boys. Men, women and. chill
dren WED with each other in getting
advantageous positions to see the moni-
tor go by the city, and all participated
in the ovation. The tugs Marion and
Navassa gay under American flags
and bearing parties of ladies and gen.
tlemen, escorted the monitor to the
Dram tree, and they babe adieu to the
reserves with cheers, waving of hand
kerchiefs and kissing of hands.
The Nantucket and Hercules was re-
ceived with cheers as they passed
Southport, and the soldiers and hun
dreds of workmen at Fort Caswell also
gave them an ovation. They passed
over the bar at 2:30 p. M, and steamed
south. 1t is expected that they will
a Port Royal this afternoon about
A o'clock. The Nantucket had nearly
her full complement of 95 on board,
and will recruit any others that may
be needed at Port Royal. After her
bottom is scraped and her hull, turret
n su~perstructure has been reprinted,
the officers quarters will be furnished,
and several rapid fire guns will be
added to her armament. She will then
be ordered into the service by the navy
department but just where she will be
sent is not known just now.
The Nantucket steers badly and when
she was pulled out from the wharf yes
terday, a fiat and small vessel were
jammed, the jibbon of the latter being
broken against the piling of the wharf.
There was no serious damage, however.
Large numbers of people on the fiat
were considerably shaken up by the
collision.
Just before the monitor left the wharf
there was an exciting incident. Pat
Kelly, a big drunken sailor, waded
through the crowd and got to the gang
plank and tried to go aboard, saying he
wanted to enlist and fight the bloody
Spaniards. Lieutenant r. H. Mckoy
ordered him way but he refused to go
and was about to get or the vessel.
Chief boatswain's mate, John Gotten,
who is something on the mussle,
seized him and LANDED him on the
wharf into the clutches of Police
man r. H. Kuhl. The sailor,
who is notorious for the number OF his
scraps, started to resist the officer, but
an up raised billy deferred him.. He
was taken to the station house and at
the city court yesterday Mayor Wright
fined him S.. He failed to pay and was
put in the COOLER"