The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-19

News From the Beloved Nantucket.
Interesting Notes Of Life on the Moni.
tor-Expeet 20 be Homeward Bound
Next Month.

| 10 De t1OuieVS1I0 DOunO
Next Month,
The following exceedingly interest
ing letter was received in this city
yesterday from Port Royal. s. c.:
Dear Jim:-The sun shone with all
its mighty lustre this morning. usher
| ing in a beautiful Sabbath. It was
pleasant to see fair weather as the past
week has been almost a continual
rain. We have finished the har-
est weeks work ever put in by
the naval reserves since they were
mustered into service. Monday and
Tuesday was occupied in casting
out anchors. heaving anchors and
swinging he ship in position, but
Wednesday and THURSDAY were 1.-THE
days" A number of prominent mill
tary men from Lands End, the naval
station, and Beaufort, came aboard
early Wednesday morning and at $3.50
o'clock (muster) Lieutenant McIlhen-
ny Informed the crew that there would
be no drills in exercises or small arms
and, after announcing that we would
have general Quarters and target prac-
tice with the 15-inch turret gun ono.
gun, "Sprunt No. 2, gun "Foster'), the
crew went hurriedly to the bag room
| to change their dress to working uni
form. AT 10 o'clock, with the visitors
standing on the BRIDE the clear
ship for action" was sounded by Blu
; gler Redd and a stampede followed for
the assigned positions. Every obstacle
was cleared from the deck and slowed
in the proper place below and the runs
run out ready for the command to
| fire in seventeen minutes, which was
' C11nQrh JIvnrl nc ayvnru xyanf:1ofnr Cfop-
chion, hatch, etc., had to be unscrewed
and all the battle plates screwed down.
Every visitor pronounced our rapidity
marvellous and the crew even Won
dered among themselves as it was
their first attempt while being timed.
At II o'clock the target, which vas
like a small sailing craft, was an
chored about 1,500 yards from the ship
and without dinner, the fires being put
out while the magazines were open,
the gun crews worked manfully until
late in the evening when powder be-
came compressed in the vent holes of
"Sprunt" and the fuses failed to ig-
mite the powder. No. 1 crew was or
dered to secure the "Sprunt" until
next morning, which was done. All the
shells fired came in close range of the
target and with the exception of one
would have struck an ordinary ship or
fort. Some shells were exploded with
three second fuses and some with five.
Thursday morning the following
members of No. l gun crew went in
the turret to endeavOr to discover the
trouble with the gun and fire same if
possible: Lieutenant McKoy, Barber,
Latham, Marshall, Morse, Parker, Do
zier, Lewis, Lumley, Hancock and
Plat. Every conceivable plan was
tried to get vent cleared and at about
II o'clock she was shot off laundering
/ and WhizzinO on tho limo Of tho for-
get e%nveloping it in such dense smoke
that it was not visible for some time.
The shell exploded just back of the
target. 1t was a great relief to those
of the gun crew in the turret when
their gun was cleared of an obstruction
of over 400 pounds which it would
have been very Dangerous to extricate,
although there would have been fifty
or seventy-fve men to have volun-
teered to go into any danger. The boys
are anxious to do something praise
worthy before returning home.
Friday boat drills, going after target,
housing and tricing awnings and fixing
hausers were the order of the day.
For drills the fire alarm was sounded
and the crew were to their stations
in a 'jiffy.' Today we are resting up,
answering letters and taking life easy.
A select crew of fourth-class liberty
men took a nice sail to Beaufort eav-
lhS SAIC Siip az 1.oO Ill IhC o1lCI 1lool1
and returning next morning. They re-
port d very pleasant time.
The hanks of the crew are extended
to Mr.. VIM. Neistlie for his kind re-
membrance Of the boys in sending
them cigars and tobacco.
! Mr.. B. F. Keith spent last Sunday
aboard ship with the boys who were
very glad to see n of u represen-
tative business men.
Messrs. Cause, Primer, Skipper,
Smith, Pearce, Sowell, Barber, and
Gibson nave returned from a pleasant
stay in Savannah. The Misses Beach,
of Crescent City, Fla, who have been
visiting Savannah, have returned home
much to the regret Of some of the
Nantucket's crew and Holton, Mar
shall and Burr are the saddest of the
sad. They realize that no more sweet
fruits or pretty boquets will reach
them to make pleasant their stay i n
the navy.
Fred Neff, the gentleman from Swift
zerland, with fairy tales of h high
Alps, n Charles Smith, with his
jokes in German accent, make many
a dull hour pass off pleasantly.
Large Caper" Ivy Taylor, Medium
Caper" Redd, and Small Caper'' John
had a very nice little lunch last night
in their lunch room after taps. No
one knew a thing about it. That's the
caper, John I'll muster in this suit
if you muster in hat. They can't do
any more with me than they can with
you. Ha! Hal! Hair"
Sinclair has come in possession Of a
quaint old plug which he now calls
his own and has donned himself with
it, although ships carpenter Furlong
claims to have bestowed it upon Tom
Piver's noble .~cocoanut." Nevertheless
"Scotchie" has added it to his ward
robe and as he laid it down to talk
with some ladies from Beaufort,
~"Zacharia' Lumley vas kind enough
to give he crown a coat of red lead,
and now Sinclair, when he donS his
pretty clothes says he is painting
this red for the Sixth districts next
congressman, Jno. D. Bellamy, of New
Hanover.
An iron bar fell on Coal Passer Will
liams' head, cutting a cash which was
fixed up by Apothecary Taylor in the