The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-25
JACK TAR AND HIS YARN.
Some "Reminiscences of Life In the
Navy as He Found II.
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
A broad-shouldered wiry man of medi-
UNI hight and about IS years old came TO
Kansas City Thursday night from Little
Rock, Ark. His face was bronzed and a
weeks growth of black beard covered his
chin. He walked with a swinging gait
and his derby hat and pepper-and-salt
hand-me-down SUIT of clothes seemed mis-
fits. They were a landsman's toys and he
was sailor The force OF habit was
strong with him. Although he wore sus-
penders, he frequently placed the back OF
his left hand over his right hip pocket, his
right hand on his left front pocket, and
gave his trousers a characteristic hitch.
His name was John T. Collins. lie stop
ned long enough in the city to get hts
bearings and mark his course for Rose
dale, where he found a former shipmate,
Ensign Holsinger, young man with
whom he had served two years on the
United States war ship Baltimore. and
from whom he wished to get a letter TO
aid him In re-enlisting in the service of
Uncle Sam. Armed with such a letter,
he is now speeding In the direction of the
Mare Island navy yard at San Francisco
as fast as the freight trains can carry
him. He said he would try to stow away
on a fast freight with pershable goods
aboard
Collins is a type of the United States
seaman During his brief anchorage in
this port he exchanged "reminiscences with
his late shlpmate and told of things that
happened since they parted company in
Chinese waters. Many of these reminis-
censes have become part of the recorded
history of the United States navy and
others will live among the blue Jackets as
traditions They are all a graphic por-
trayal of life among the war dogs of the
sea These are some of the yarns he spun,
Just as he told them:
BLAST me, sir" Collins said, while he
and Mr. Holsinger were Swapping lies, =
as he gave his pepper-aud-salt trousers a
hitch that brought them above his shoe
tops, "the hardest experience of me life
has been in the navy, but / want to get IN
to it again, and on short order. IL has a
charm, sir, that a landsman can't appre-
ciate.
Ever since the Baltimore went out Of
commission I've seen a bloomin' land
heels and elbows and feelin' like one as
isn't ANYBODY But when j git shed o.
these bJoomin' togs and take me place
with the mates in the fo'estle with respec-
table garments on me body an a substan-
tlan dish O. beans in front O me, I'd feel
again as if ! am somebody
Speaking of the mates O you an me.
sir there's O'Connor and Shea, and the
others that shipped on the Maine. Lord
help EN-; / guess the sharks got O'Con-
nor. He was the lad that made verses and
had 'em set to music in Frisco. ! got a
letter to say that Shea was bowed to
pieces, but the doctors in the hospital at
Key West said he would live. Well, sir,
IL used 90 be Sheas great crack on the
Baltimore that you couldn't XIII a Shea
an il / used 10 think so then / can't gain
saw 1t now II always makes the boys feel
bad when any O them shipmates goes out
You know, sir, how they felt when Capt
Bridgernan got his release"
Capt Bridgeman of the Baltimore was
the youngest captain in the navy. After
two years service on the China station he
was ordered for shore duty and died Of
Asiatic fever on reaching San Francisco
Collins continued sadly:
MANY a hard-hsted old beaneater stuck
a finger in the corner of his eye 20 dam
up tear when the news came that Bridge