The Portland daily press., 1898-05-14
nONTAUK is HERE.
Arrived in Portland HarbOr YeSter-
day Morning.
is COMMANDED BY LIEUT.. L. L..
REAMEY, U. s. n,

And Manned by Naval Reserves of Cam
aa, NJ.-yhe Had Rather Rough
Trim to PortIand-Will be Manned by
Portland Naval Reserves.
The Montauk is here. She arrived yes
tedray morning about $50 O'Clock, before
many of the good people of Portland were
awake and stirring. When the mornings
sun showed it's golden rim above the sea
and threw its welcome rays out over the
blue water the Montauk was slowly
steaming in towards Portland harbor.
Towed by the big tug Argus and slowly
revolving her own screw to keep Storage
way the Montauk. crawled in through the
mine fields and dropped her mud hook
just inside Bug Light and little to the
eastward of it.
The Montauk is in command of Lieut..
L. l.. Reamey, U. S. N. He is one Of the
most efficient and most affable officers OF
the navy, and Portland's naval militia
who have been slated to man this vessel
are to be congratulated upon the officer
who has been sent here to command
them. Lieut.. Reamey has recently re-
turned from the Olympia, which is on the
Asiato station, and which was Commo-
.dore Dewey's flag ship in the attack on
Caviue and Manila. Lieut.. Reamey COM
pleted his three years of sea duty last JAM
uary and was ordered home, but as soon
as the war with Spain broke out he was
among the first officers to ask for active
service and was given the command of
the Montauk.
1t was April 80 when the Camden divis-
ion, Battalion of the West, New Jersey
Naval Reserves, was ordered to League
Island navy yard to man the Montauk.
They reported there to the number of %
men and nine officers and set about get
ting the monitor ready for sea. This was
no small job as the boat had been laid up
, In ordinary for several years and was in
no condition for service There were many
things which had to be done and the
New Jersey boys, impatient to get off with
their charge, chafed at the delay in fitting
out the ship for her trip to Portland. De
siay followed delay, owing to the great
demand made on the workmen and off.
cials of thu yard. but finally on Satur.
day. May 7th, the monitor with all he,
stores aboard and her crew, drilled dowr
to some kind OF shape, set sail Tor Port
land.
Monitor life was not altogether new to
1the Camden division. They had been
Att Co..
! and can handle the great guns of that
vessel with great rapidity and ease. But
drilling cupboard ship and sailing on
aher are two different things as the New
Jersey jackies soon discovered. Every
thing went, smoothly the first day of the
cruise The Delaware rivor and Della
ware bay were as smooth as this proverb-
sial mill ponds, and the Camden boys en-
xjoyed their novel surroundings to the ut
@nost. On Saturday night when the Del.
aware capes were reached it was found
! that the sea outside was very rough and
the wind was blowing gale. Too much
iSfor the "cheese box ON a raft it was
thought, and SO she dropped anchor just
Inside Cape May and there she staid un.
til Monday morning. The first thing
Monday morning the eyentful trip up the
j coast began. The tug Argus hooked on
to ,the Montauk, and at six.knot gait
: the old fighting craft plunged out into the
trough waves off the Jersey coast. Rough
EWen trife, and how the pillows of the
fold Atlantic curled and frisked over ant
kabout the old Montauk But she provef
Eherself to be good sea boat for a II thai
IN as been said against her. Not craft fol
pa European yachting trip, of course, mol
Zone which it would be well to sail about
when the line gales are smashing things
Salong our coast. but then she wasn't SC
bad. Her forecastle was under water q
good part of the time the first two days
and the only dry spot on deck was on the
flying bridge and super-structure. Below
deck everything was ship shape and cosy,
but of course atrif1e crowded and at times
little Uncomfortable. But the Jersey
+. boys, and every old Soldier and sailor
knows what the lads are made of, stood
their cold and dreary Watches ate their
salt horse and bareback with never a
groWl or kick. Some of them had never
rpeen at sea very much, though theoretical
~ tney were very good seamen, and as a
consequence when the Montauk got to
frlsklng about little in the trough of
the sea and rolled and rolled and wal
3, lowed under the white-capped waves, and
dipped her rail politely downward into