The Portland daily press., 1898-05-20
PORTLANDERS ABOARD.
The New Jersey Naval Reserves
Leave for Home.
AND THE MONTAUK MANNED BY
PORTLAND BATTALION.

Crowds of People Thronged the Wharves
to wa'ch the Shift of the Crews
The "Goodbys" Not as Sad as When
the Infantry Left Home.
The historic old Montauk, which makes
such a picturesque foreground in the
Cape shore landscape. us viewed from
Portland pier, experienced shifting of
crews. yesterday afternoon. The New
Jersey bluecoats, who brought her here
from Philadelphia, left for their homes
and were relieved by PortlanG's new
naval reserves. 1t was great afternoon
for the sightseers along shore.
The half-hundred Portland men who
had enlisted for service on the monitor
were on hand in the basement of the
Armory at ten o'clock in the forenoon,
obedient to the orders from their COM
manding officers. There they lined up
and received instructions from Lieuts.
Clifford and Bigelow. They were told to
go home, provide themselves with q
blanket apiece, what few articles Of extra
clothing they considered it necessary to
take with them, and to report for duty at
the armory promptly at two O'Clock.
They were further informed that the plan
of dealing out of rations on board the
boat would not admit of their being
served on the evening of their arrival,
and they had better provide themselves
with sandwiches or whatever else they
chose to include in that meal. Their
regular rations would begin this morn
ing.
From one O'Clock till two there was a
crowd around the entrance to the armory,
watching the assembling of the recruits,
who came in twos and threes, bearing
blankets and gunny bags A few fond
parents came down to see them off, but
most of the goodbys were said at the
wharf.
When the men were formed in line.
Lieut.. Clifford delivered final message
of mingled cheer and caution. He re-
minded them that it was serious business
in which they had volunteered to engage.
that he should expect obedience and faith
fulness from all OF them. They should
make up their minds to cheerfully per-
form any duty assigned them, and that
they were likely to encounter not little
hard work.
Then the word was given and the re-
cruits, fifty in all, marched out in double
file, through the armory door, down Mar
ket street and along Commercial street to
Portland pier. where passage was to be
taken for the monitor. So large crowd
had gathered there that it was not an
easy thing to clear the way for the naval
volunteers. They were halted at the
steamboat landing, on the east side of the
pier, till the Montauk's cutter, manned
! by eight New Jersey oarsmen came up
for its first load.
The names of the men were then called
off and dozen of them passed down the
gangplank to the deck Of the tug q. A.
Dickey, and then climbed over her rail
to the cutter. Lieut.. Clifford of the re-
serves took his seat in the stern, the
cockswain gave the signal and the first
boatload was headed for its destination,
Lieut.. Bigelow remaining on the wharf
in charge of the men.
A second trip of the cutter was made
in short order, and when 1t came back
for its third load it's oars wers manned by
Portlanders, who had an excellent oppor-
tunity to display their skill as sseamen
Though green crew, it was easy to see
from the outlook on the pier that they
were not unacquainted with the handling
of small boats. Their stroke was much
more regular and graceful than that of
their predecessors.
When the last Portland naval reserve
had reached the monitor, the cutter was
promptly filed with New Jersey men,
whose smiling faces as they approached
the wharf gave evidence of their delight
at the prospects of home-going. Most of
them had come here with the supposition
that they would be relieved from duty
Immediately on the arrival of the boat.
They all had pleasant word to say of
Portland ana its harbor, and the treat
ment they had received here.
| At 4 45 the last man of the relieved
battalion had set foot upon the wharf,
and lines were formed for march to the
station. Though Portland's four COM
panies of the National Guard are in the
field, the New Jersey reserves were not to
be without escort. The Portland High
School Cadets, alw avs ready for such SER
vice. appeared on the scene, and headed
the lines of bluecoats to the Union
station, where they took their departure
on the Eastern division at six O'Clock.
Many words Of good cheer were
showered upon the Portland Naval reserve
as boatload after boatload left the pier.
Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and
sweethearts We're there, to join in the
send OFF, but their adieus were, for the
most part, tearless-a striking comparison
| anti, ~. ;xfc