The Portland daily press., 1898-06-28
ON BOARD THE BADGER.
A Newspaper Writer Tells of Her Visit in
Portland.


Portland.
a recent issue of the Call of Newark,
N. j., contained long article from a
correspondent on beard the Badger, the
auxiliary cruiser which put in here for
coal last week. Of her Portland visit he
wrote:
At 4 O'Clock Wednesday morning the
anchor watch on duty got the ship ready
for sailing, anchor being weighed about
half an hour later. 1t was beautiful
morning and the Badger started out to
sea under full steam. General quarters
and fire drill were just finished when the
crew was mustered on the quarter deck
to witness the sentencing of the first man
OF the Badgers Grew to be tried for break
ing the rules of the ship All the officers
were present when Lieut.. Gearing, the
executive officer, read the findin s of
court. 1t charged the prisoner, coal
passer, with appropriating for his own
use another mans hammock. The SEN
tence was one days confinement and po-
lice duty for a shorJ time. 1t was quite
evident that the crews sympathies were
with the man. About noon Portland
Light was sighted and the Badger entered
the barbor, preceded by government pa
troll boat. She dropped anchor off Fort
Gorges, and to the great delight of the
crew two coal boats immediately came
alongside and that pleasing order of 't.All
hands shift in dirty white and coal ship, I"
resounded from stem to stern. The order
was obeyed, and in q few minutes grimy
forms could be seen shoyeling, hoisting
and slowing away that important factor
of modern warship.
At O'Clock the crew knocked OF coal
ing, but resumed operations at O'Clock
next morning 1t will take day or two
to finish the Job, when all hands will be
given shore leave to get rid of their sea
legs and see what a city looks like again.
The old monitor Montauk lies farther up
the harEor. Her commander was received
aboard the Badger as soon as the anchor
struck bottom. One of the artillery Off
GERS, stationed at the fort, came aboard
shortly after and was given q warm well
in the best of health, no sick list exist
ing, consequently the ships surgeon is
not being overWorked.
The Badgers people are we'll pleased
with their lot. The food Is good and
abundant. The climate Is bracing and
the SCENERY along the Maine coast
arouses the constant admiration of the
Jerseymen, SO used to the long, low, SAN
dy stretches of their own coast. Officers
and men have but constant regret that
they are not ordered south to the actual
scenes OF hostilities The opinion seems
to prevail, however, that the Badger VIII
be ordered south before long, and the
men seem to get their idea from the OIL
GERS. 1t may be that the government is
waiting to satisfy itself that the so-called
Cadiz feet is not bound for this side Of
+ I, md hot I1nn1p So
knows definitely that the Spanish fleet
has gotten we'll under way toward the
Philippines he will send the Badger to
help in the operations about Cuba or
Porto Rico, since it is well known that
Admiral Sampson needs every ship that
he can get for one sort Of duty or an
other.
June 24.-The boys went at coaling
ship with a royal good will. The coal
baskets we kept travelling to the bunk
ers in a continual procession, and when
the crew was ordered to knock OFF, at 8. 30
Thursday evening 1877 full-weight tons
had been slowed in the bunkers. This
record beat the best previous record OF
naval reserve crews by sixteen tons, the
Yankees crew having put in 121 tons in
one day. 1t should be remem bered that
the hosting was done by steam power,
but every pound was shoveled, passed and
slowed by hand.
At O'Clock the cry of 'Man over.
boardI'' went up from the gang working
the starboard side. The port gang rushed
ovsr in time to behold Seaman Prindle' IS
grimy face emerging from the water,
while ready hands oluto a;s1v his hair and
yigor than good Judgment, in making the
rescue ' a sure one. It seems that the IN
suspected bath was due to the unlimited
energy and vigorous method handling
coal baskets displayed by this worthy
sailorman. A board slipped and precipi-
tated him into the briny depths, and the
coal dust still hung on. Numerous
laughable incidents occurred from time to
time, which lightened the work without
impeding it.
At 5.45 Friday morning the coal was
again travelling bunkerward, and the
crew went at it like shaking hands with
an old friend. The good work WAS kept
up all day, and will probably be t finished he'd
crew expect the participated shor 9
leave,