The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-29
FROM JACK At SEA-
Detective Van Buskirk's Son
Tells His Parents Of His
Life on the Badger.

Detective w. Fl. a Buskirk, of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, has a son Who is
with the New Jersey Naval Reserves on
board the Badger. He has written his
parents several interesting ltters about
his life at sea. The latest letter received
contains the important news that the
Badger is now on its way to Key West,
and is expected to go with Commodore
Watson's feet to the coast of Spain. Two
Of the letters from young Van Buskirk
are as follows:-
.On Board U. s. S. Badger, June 26, 1898
Sunday, 4.30 A.. NJ, Portland. Me.
Dear Mamma and Papa
sail for Key West. Fla, 8 0 clock this
morning, under full steam, and l think we
steam for Spain from there. When your
telegram came you could not hear for
the noise. We were out at 3 o'clock this
morning storing coal. l am very sorry
I cannot write more. Give my-love to all
hands.
Your loving SON, .r..
Address me at Key West"
ION Board the u. S. S. Badger.
Bar Harbor, Me. Sunday, June 10, 1888.
Dear Mother and Father
Your ever kind and welcome letter re-
ceived this morning with several others,
and | was mighty glad to hear from you.
T began to think you had forgotten me en-
tirely. This is the first mail | received
since leaving Provincetown, Mass, over
a week ago. But it is the same old story.
Those who patiently wait always receive.
You can bet 1T was a grand treat to get
a letter from home. Well, when the mail
same aboard last night all hands wanted
it, but of course it was too late-it was
about S.15 o'clock-so they kept it until
this morning after mess, and then gave
it to us. | was one of the fortunate ones
to receive nine letters and two bundl of
newspapers, one from Boston, and a let
ter from a friend of mine.
"WeIl, I started to tell you of yester-
days experience. We steamed out of
Frenchman's Bay early in the morning,
and passed Dear Island, and so on along
the coast to Penobscot Bay, then back to
Bar Harbor. 1t was about 7.30 O'Clock in
the evening when we reached the bay and
dropped anchor. We had a call to quar-
tiers at $50 P. NJ, and all the boys came
to their places in great shape. Well.
about nine o'clock. when they had just
finished flashing the whale boat that had
gone ashore after the mail, a man towed
alongside and shouted that a two
schooner had sunken astern of us,
so they lowered the BOAT again and a new
cadet from the flagship San Francisco,
who came aboard at Provincetown, and
the Chief BoatsWain, Ben. Sopher, a Jer-
sey City boy, and fine fellow, took
charge.
"oo chs thS
one. The sea was running high and the
wind was blowing a gale and it was as
dark as Egypt, SO they put the search
light on the bay and located the wreck.
but there was no one aboard of her, n
you could see her two mast heads. About
1926 o'clock the rain began to fall and
the wind blew so | could hardly keep on
my feet. l was on watch astern at the
boat in case it would be needed.
81 had an easy watch last night. We
had a good dinner today. 1t consisted of
canned roast beef, corn, potatoes, fresh
bread, good bean soup and
plenty of butter. Our feed is very good;
in fact. it is entirely different from what
| expected. We all chip in 81 a month at
each mess table, which seats is men, and
buy what we want when the mess cook
get shore leave. / saw -- letter.
10 a friend of his. That is one of the
cases where a man does not chip in or he
has no Judgment, and as for the work it
Is not very hard. the only ones that kick
are what we call dodgers. and you can
them kicking from morning to night
they are asked to do anything, and
are always kicking about the food.
Ii is ten chances to one that the ones
that do it never had as good at home.
Dur old captain, now Lieutenant Wash
Ington Irving, gave the boys eighteen
barrels of potatoes and the other officers
gave them different eatables.
Your loving son, JACK"