The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-30

and Pains He Didn't Take to Conceal
It-Was One of the Rebels Who Stole
the Cushing in Portland Hsrbor in
War Times.
Lieutenant I. E. Madge, recently hon.
orably discharged from the United States
navy, who commanded the U. s. 5.
Wyandotte during the late war, has an
interesting history. An officer IN bhe
old navy before the civil war. an officer
in the Confederate navy and one OF those
daring men who came into Portland har-
Dor and seized the q. S. revenue cut
ter Cushing, right under the guns Oh ort
Preble, an officer with Wilkes during MS
cruise of destruction, a Cuban planter
who was driven out of the island by the
Spanish during the ten years war and
again forced to leave the country at the
outbreak Of the present war, Iammany
hall politician with big pull In new
York and a reputation as stump speak
or for Tammany with the power OF WIN
ming votes and lastly an officer once more
in the United States navy, and COM
mander OF the monitor Wyandotte, on
which many men from Bath served dur
in the late trouble with Spain.
Captain Madge is an interesting charac-
ter and those who came in contact WIN
him during his late service in the onlteo
States navy heard many tales from MS
lips. told in an inimitable manner, wnloh
they will not soon forget. 1t was salo'
and perbaps with some reason, that Cap
tain Madge proved rather strict is
ciplinarian while on the Wyandotte.
He was one of the old school Officers
who didn't care so much for etiquette
and polished manners as he did for strlot
obedience to orders on the part OF
every man and officer on his ship. His
officers stood in awe of him and fayorise
habit of his was to round up his omcers
for what he considered disoDedlence TO
orders as quickly IS he would an enlls5eu
man, and it didn't make much dlnerence
TO Captain Madge where or how ne ola
this, Some of the Bath naval reserves
who served with Captain Madge had
hard time of it at first but when they
found out what the "old man"s was they
didn't mind his ways SO much and nao
less complaint to make about their 1000
or treatment. The officers in the Boston
navy yard who tried to run over "a pol1t-
ical volunteer officer" as they considered
Captain Madge found themselves up
against the real thing and were sorry
that they had tried to turn down the
"m ustang.'' They called him an "old
pirate'' and to tell the truth the Wyan-
dotte's crew at times did resemble In
dress and discipline the crew OF piratlcal
ship. They were demoralizsd by being
SO long in the dock at Boston navy yaro
but they could handle boats well, could
load and fire the big smooth bores in the
old turret with startling rapidity and
under Captain Madge's tuition became as
good sailors as there were in the navy
though they did not put on as many
frills and furbelows as did some OF the
other ships
Captain Madge swore by the Bath men
who we're good sailors and who did their
work we'll but he had it in for some OF
the other blue jackets on the ship and
made their life anything but pleasant, 80
it was said about the navy yard. The
following clipping from the Philadelphia
Ledger gives some idea of the way things
were conducted on theWyandotte.
1t is not often that an apothecary in
the United States naval service has had
such an experience as has fallen to the
lot of one who enlisted in that capacity
in July OF the present year. Soon after
enlistment he wps assigned to the moni'
tor Wsandottt. on,patrol duty in Boston
harbor. This monitor is now in the
back channel at the League Island navy
yard, and the apothecary, since the boat
went out of commission, has been living
on the receiving ship Richmond, where
he was seen yesterday by a Ledger" re-
porter His story is as follows:
1.-the first surprise that experienced
after boarding the Wyandotte was when
discovered that there was no beith for
the apotheoary, and was instructed to
swing my hammock outside the galley.
This was more surprising after discov
cred that the ships cook, ward room
cook, captain steward and yeoman each
had berth. AS ranked above them, 1
was naturally indignant, and reported the
matter to Commander Theodore I.
Madge. I received no satisfaction, and
was forced to put up with this state of
affairs while aboard.
"For nearly month no medicines were
distributed, and, as consequence, I had
scarcely anything to do When we put to
sea, however, Commander Madge came to
me and said that no person ON board was
to receive medicine unless on an order
from him. One day. as I was sitting on
deck, the commander came to me and
ordered me to go and scrape the deck.
Naturally [ objected to such strange
and unheard-of order, and told him that
my position exempted me from perform
ing such labor. even went so far as to
show him the naval regulations on that
point, but he exclaimed: 4 don't care