The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-09
WITH JERSEY SAILORS.
Exciting Service Seen By
the Boys on the Badger
Men Who Are
Prominent
Correspondence of the Newark Sunday
hsHH Do1 ,sA

Call.")
The boys on the auxiliary cruiser Bad
ger, the members of the Battalion of the
East, New Jersey Naval Reserves, have
seen a great deal of service in the last
fortnight. most of which was no doubt
very gratifying, for the ship had been roll
ing and pitching on the blockade for
about a month without a nance to fire
a gun in anger, and with not so much as
the flick of a blockade runners topmast
colors to arouse them. The prizes taken
by the ship off Neuvitas are quite valuable
and as. there are a large number of Span
iards aboard, no doubt the young Jersey
men rave found the time passing very
rapidly while getting acquainted with the
new arrivals.
When the three prizes came near the
Badger they hoisted Rec Cross and fever
flags, but Captain Snow sent DIR. Simpson
aboard to find out just how much sickness
since he knew the Spaniards always had
a trick or two ''up their sleeves ready
to spring if they got a chance. Dr.. Simp-
son went over the men on the three ships
| and found they were shamming and that
| there was very little sickness aboard
them. That settled, and they We're at
once legitimate prizes. DR.. Simpson, by
the way, enlisted in the Naval Reserves
| with the Newark Division. He was one
of the first to join. He is a practicing
| physician in Plainfeld, and when he
learned of the Naval Reserve movement
he came to Newark and put his name
down. Ever since then he has been one
of the most regular Attendants at the ship
and one of the most enthusiastic MEM
bers of the entire battalion. Some years
ago he Travelled in the West. where he
| saw a deal of wild life, and satisfied his
love for adventure for a little time. AL
though a quiet and undemonstrative man
he seemed pretty well pleased when it be-
came certain that the Naval Reserves
were to be called out with a fair chance
of taking a hand in the "shindy'' some
wherewhere. When the battalion was
mustered into the service of the State DR..
I Simpson was chosen surgeon, and he has
served in that capacity ever since.
Lieutenant Edward Mcclure Peters was
the man placed in charge of the prize
crew on the tug Rodriguez. and Captain
Snow, of the Badger, showed his sound
sense in his selection. Lieutenant Peters
is navigator of the Portsmouth when the
Battalion of the East is not in active SER
vice, and he. too, was one of the first to
join the organization. He is a brother of
the Rev. Madison Peters. of New York,
and once followed the sea, serving at one
time as the mate of a large sailing yes
sci. When at home he resides in Jersey
City.
With Lieutenant Peters was sent Lieu
tenant Irving Blount and Ensign Kemble.
Blount is a graduate of Annapolis, where
he stood high in his class, leaving the
service a few years ago to enter in bust
ness. He is one of the most popular men
in the naval reserve, and in the ward
room mess is Familiarity and a~ffectionate-
" known as 'tBetsey'' Blount. Ensign
Kemble comes from Orange, where he is
known as one of the star players OF the
football eleven. An odd story is told of
how Kemble became interested in the
naval reserves, and is voucned for by men
who are in fine position to DO SO. Last
summer, when the Portsmouth was max
ing ready for her annual cruise. two or
three of Kemble's friends, who were in
the reserve, urged him to come along
with them for a lark. He was not a
member of the organization, but when
he consented to go for the fun Of it,
they had him entered on the ships ros-
ter Vnaer unable the to nam go. K e { c mae
aboard and went aft, putting on his work
ing clothes and making ready for work
like an old tar. His friends expected that
lie MOtld 1Odl al lie OOuiQ- div iif&AC d
genuine summer outing of the cruise. but
they didn't know Kemble. He turned to
with the men like a Trojan and worked
like a horse. There wasn't a NAL on the
ship who could do more pulling and haul
ing and other work such as falls to the
lot of a common sailor. than he. Herealy
couldn't seem to get enough wurk, and
the result was that when the cruise was
over Kemble was fairly in love with the
| service, and Immediately signed an ap-
plication blank and got admission to the
| Hoboken. or Engineers division. Then he
set to work with the zeal which seems to
be characteristic of the man to get al
| intelligent idea of the duties of a sailor
man. He became very popular with the
| members of his division, as Well as with
| the entire battalion, and q few weeks be-
| fore the war began he was made ensign of
his division to fill a vacancy. WITH three
such men as Peters, Blount and Kemble
on the prize there is no DOUBT but what
| things will go as they ought to.
But Captain Snow has kept some of his
| best men with him, too, and the pro-
| found regret all over the ship. beyond the
shadow of a doubt, is that the captains
| orders forbade him going into the inner
| harbor Of Neuvitas and trying conclu-
sions with the two Spanish gunboats that
| are, or were, there. The Jersey boys, as
| the writer has gathered from numerous
| letters received from the Badger, are
| fearful that they will not have a chance
to show how they can handle the big
Nordenfeldt guns. with which their ship
b~ristles. To be sure, she hasn't an men
| of armor, save a slight protection IN the
deck about the guns, but that doesn't
| seem to make a particle of difference to
the reservemen. They are full of fight,
| and feel thai if they only get the oppor-
unity they will make as good a record
under fire as the New York reserves on
| the Yankee. The Badger, however, would
| prove a fine mark for an enemy's guns.
for she has a tremendous high freeboard
and stands out of the water like an ark.
| If the Spaniards can hit her, then the
| tales told of their wretched markham
ship rave all been too mildly drawn.
The last heard of the Badger was that
| she had been ordered to coal ship at Key
| West with all haste and put off for
| Porto Rico. The boys will probably see
no fighting. but they will see a deal more
Of the world thar most of the naval re-
| serve. and will come back to Jersey with
warns enough to keep the ~fo'c's.le of the
4 -, r,, few h pnvf fHn Uaa r c