The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-10
A. episode Of the Ola Breokly..

washington Post.
,o There was once nee another Brooklyn, the
ser. but thin old Brooklyn, which, during
the c!vn var. gained the name Of the
butcner-ehops" had no sembiance TO the
noating fortress that hurled destruction
into the feet Of Admiral Cervera- The old
ship bore great spread OF canvas and had
but auxiliary steam power Her lofty
gularly on, Of place today. but they served
their purpose In their own time. Her open
deck. with double row OF smooth-hore
guns. looked ike a scene from q mediae-
val drama and when she went 10 sea
the Mapping Of the sails and the snap of
the cor1age was not an unwelcome lullaby
to those who slept beneath her coei white
decks
This old Brooklyn sailed one day from
New York. bound upon . rowing cruise.
and came IN time to the Axore Islands,
whence she sailed for Lisbon and Gihral-
tar. and passing through the Mediter-
ranean and the Sues canal, steamed slow
~ down the scorchng Red sea- A stop at
Alden for day or two made her ready
the Gulf of Oman was reached the skip
per thought to take q look ~ Muscat, and
so the course was shaped for the capital
Of the son of Abraham. whose fo7efathers
for hundreds. nay. thousands OF years,
have been sheiks OF the desert.
In all her journey the good ship had en-
tered not port where the proud cross OF
st. George could not be seen from the STAFF
Of a British man-of-war. but here at Mus
cat Ii was thought that our flag would be
the only token. Of western civilization in
evidence. But 1t was not SO. for as the
Brooklyn rounded high promontory that
shut In the little harbor. there, lying at
anchor. was seen the English gunboat
Sphinx. with her milk-white flag floating
vide above her
Muscat had much that was strange and
weird TO interest the Americans, but
neither the palace OF the sultan. with its
double wall between the two parts of
nj kE-a+ t5pnr nh Tyr-x tc
TO guard the palace at night. nor the i'm
perial harem's grim exterior. nor the gor-
geous apparel OF the sultan himself, had
half the attraction for the westerners that
the GRIN. sheer face OF the promontory
that shuts in the harbor had. For there
upon the bleak wall of this towering height
were painted the names OF many ships.
and high above them ala. in s:3ce that
seemed Inaccessible. were the words III. NJ.
s. Sphinx
The men OF the Brooklyn stared at that
name day after day until 1t seemed burned
into their brains. and the spirit Of emula-
ton grew within thea.
The night before the Brooklyn was to
sail for Persian waters there were EVIL
dences Of secret movement among the
crew, and after the night had fallen still
and black. a boat pulled of from the yes
sells side and with muffled oars pulled
things Of t various Sorts. and among them
lantern, whose tiny glimmer those on the
ships watched with bated breath as IT
reached the shore and slowly began the
disappear and then glitter again. like a, a
slowly on. ever up and up the face of the
outlined precipice.
The hours dragged slowly by. and it
was far into the night when q tired boats
crew clambered slowly over the Brooklyn's
side and dropped exhausted into their
hammocks for short sleep before the call
of 'all hands In the morning.
The Brooklyn sailed away just as the
sun began to show above the eastern hori-
zon and as she swung upon her course
and stood for the waters of the open gulf
a cheer burst from the threats OF the
whole ships company. For there, IN great
letters OF white that caught the warmth OF
the rising sun. far above the name OF her
majesty's ship Sphinx, far above the nigh,
est name OF all. could be seen the legend
'JT S. S. BROOKLYN"
And there today, looking down upon the
t,ger.ruarded paiace and the harem of the
sultan ever before the Arabs and nt,n Hslo ss
the magic name that Schley and Cook
have once again made famous, and that
shall endure in history wben MUSICAL IL
eaiF shall he forgotten.