The St. Johns herald., 1898-08-13
CAPTAIN DEWEYS GOODNESS
Interesting Incident in the Career of
 the Hero of Manila.

Interesting Incident In the Career Of
 the Hero of Manila.
 A good story is told of Commodore Dewey, which illustrates not only his coolness and judgment in a moment which he is held by the men under his command. It was during the spring of 1887, when Commodore Dewey, then a captain, had command of the flag ship Pensacola, a sailing vessel, in the Mediterranean. While en route from Athens to the coast of Spain the vessel encountered a series of short but yio- lent squalls, which not only greatly retarded her progress, but proved in- tensely wearing on the crew.
 One night, when the inconsistency of the weather was particularly annoy ing, the officer of the watch happened to be young lieutenant who was very unpopular with the men, being what Is termed in nautical yernacular "Bucko" Several times during the watch all hands had been called to shorten sail, and they were naturally very much exhausted from racing back and forth from the decks to the upper rigging. Finally the order was again given to make sail, and the tired sailors set about to put 1t into execu- ton. But, after the work had been accomplished and all hands had come down from aloft, 1t occurred to the officer that the men had not exhibited sufficient alacrity tc suit Lir1, and, ac- vancing 10 the break of the poop, speaking trumpet in hand. he thuD- dered a torrent of epithets at the crew, following 1t up with m order to lay aIoft and go through the tactics Of shortening sail by way of drill. Un- fortunately, however, he had failed to reckon upon the lnborn spirit of the American sailors, and right here their forbearance forsook them, and not 8 man of their number made a move ment to execute the overbearing order. Wil-.5 fourishing his trumpet, the now frenzied martinet threatened and cursed and stormed, but to no avail; the blood of the crew was up, and they cursed back, ridiculed, laughed him to scorn. Suddenly the sea and sky were seen to grow darker to windward, and 1t was clear that another squall was imminent.
 Alive to the danger to which the ship, with all her canvas spread, was exposed, the lieutenant retreated from his threatening attitude and urged, en- treated, implored the men to save the vessel, but In vain-they had been driv- en to sheer desperation and only scoffed at him the more. Onward came the tempest, its ferceness foretold by the livid shafts of lightning which peatedly flashed from Its inky depths. The lieutenant, in despair, had sunk to his knees, with his face In his hands, awaiting the inevitable doom. Sud- denly from out the cabin companion- way a form emerged. It was the cap tain. In an instant his glance had talk en all in-the approaching storm, the defiant crew, the suppliant officer, the Tapping sails, and then, clear and loud, rang out the order: "All hands short en sailv' That was all. But it was sufficient. Before the last word of that command had been uttered the rigging was full of flying sailors, cheering ! their captain, as they sped 10 theiI | task, and In a twinkling every foot oi canvas had been slowed and the shlI placed under bare poles. Even before ] they could regain the decks the gale burst upon the vessel, demonstrating only too forcibiy the fate another mo- ment's delay would have hurled upon her.
 When the shock had passed and the crew had assembled In readiness to obey the next order, Capt. Dewey ad dressed his first words to the officer o1 the deck. "Go to your room," he said Then turning to his crew, he command ed them without the least suspicion Oi rebuke in his tones, "Boatswain, pipt downw-St. Louis Globe-DemOcrat.