The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-06

a AAADoto ~ w nICh must Have
Thrilled Those Who Heard It-Brave
Charette's Reply to His Spanish Inquisi-
tor.
New York, August 5.-1here was such
display of patriotic feeling at the
Metropolitan Opera house last night as
this city has not seen for years and years.
Nominally, it was meeting in aid of
the New York Soldiers and Sailors
Families Protective association. Actu :
rally, it was q continuous outbrust of
the strongest, warmesa kind of national
feeling, and of generous tribute to tn,
men who have shown thei- gallautry in
this war, whether they were for us or
against US, os
The event of the evening was the
speech by Lieut.. Hobson, who showed
that he is. an orator as well as fighter.
1.-THE deck has been turned over to
me-" Mr.. Hobson began in clear, full
voics that could be heard in the top
most gallery without the slightest effort
to fix the attention, but 1 cannot say
in any way the deck of a warship. The
sailor abhors words. If you have fol.
lowed his routine from the time he is
turned out in the morning to taps at
night. you will find that he has small
opportunities to make use OF words and
phased The pipe of tbs whistle and the
blust of the bugle are the oratory that
sway him. Even at the task OF man1pu.
lating the great engines or firing the 49,
inch gun in action, he will have simple,
easily understood signals to direct and
encourage him.
when the deck is turned over to me,
and / am called upon to use words in
abundance, l am, indeed, on an un-
known and perilous sea. But must
confess that I knew that should have
to embark upon that sea when consent
ed to appear here tonight. But sailors
have gone into unknown seas before
when adequate causes have called them
there - -
Here the lieutenant had to pause
while his audience rose and cheered,
apparently to his surprise, and certainly
to his embarrassment. IF ever any
cause called me it is the cause of the
soldiers and the sailors, the army and
navy of the United States, and the cause
of ali who are dear to them are dependent
upon them. A mans knowledge is lin
tied by his experience, and In talking to
you about sailors, l can do little more
than tell you what my experience with
them mas Deem. (CneerS
"My first experience was when a naval
cadet swan too far from the Constella.
tion. Cit WAS when I was in the naval
academy and we were ON our practice
cruise.) This cadet, being seized with
cramps, threw up his arms and called
for help: so word was passed to send
boat to him. Then sailor, bluejacket,
a Jackey, as the popular word for them
goes, made a clean dive over the side
- c+o rod 10 cxxyiIy fny rd the paHat
Then another went over the bow, and
another and another, until there seemed
to be d continuous stream of sailors
dropping off from the booms. The officer
of the deck gave stern order, and it was
passed up by the boatswain, that no more
sailors should go overheard.
"I'ye seen the same thing when an
other naval cadet, a classmate of mine,
had fallen overheard. The boat was
manned and dropped without waiting to
turn the ship for lee. Before it had
gone any distance at all from the ship
the boat was tipped over, and the men
spilled out. There was no longer one, but
seven. men struggling in sea that was
running high and ugly. There was no
the boat was ready and manned without
an order, and it was filled with the same
kind of seamen that are on every ship
of our navy.
"This was my introduction to Jacky,
the sailor, and recently, my friends, i
have had occasion to see Jacky where his
endurance, his bravery and his loyalty
certain features of the recent incident in
which Jack played his part, and played
it WELL should be referred to in public
manner. I feel it is my duty to refer to,
it here. 1t is known to everybody that
when the call was made for volunteers
to go in on the Merrimac. men fell over
one another in their haste to be accepted.
On the New York alone 40 men volun-
teered before the order could be passed
that no more volunteers were needed.
"When few of this number had been
assigned to stations on the Merrlmac,
all, in obedience to orders, lay flat on
their faces. Two were stationed by the
anchor gear. others by the torpedoes ar
ranged along the side. two in the engine
room. 1t was agreed by each one that
he should not even look over his shoulder
no matter what happened to the ship, to
any of his companions or to himself. If
wounded, he should place himself in
sitting or a kneeling posture, or what
ever posture was necessary, so that when
the time for his duty came he could do
it to the best advantage.
"And SO, they lay, each man at his
post, and under what difficulties you
may understand, when l tell you that,
out of the seven torpedoes placed along
the side, five had been shot away by the
enemy's fire before the order was given
for the Merrimao's crew to gather at the
on the quarter deck. Projec-
tiles were coming more as continuous
stream than as separate shots. But. .
the whole storm, Jacky lay
there ready to do his duty as he had been
instructed to do it. There was not only
the plunging fire from the forts on both
sides, but a terrific horizontal fire from
the fleet in the harbor, and it seemed as
if the next projectile would wipe all the
sailors out of life at once. If ever a
feeling of each man for himself, a
feeling of get away from this, get out
of this any way, anyhow. was to be JUS
titled it was Justified then. Not man
so much as turned his head. y
'sThree cheers for Jacyl T. howled
voice. Three big cheers filled the opera
house, and Hobson led them, throwing
back his head and waving his hand as
he cheered.
"Ihen, later, when we were on the cat
amaran, ana the enemy's picket boats
came crawling out of the darkness with
their lanterns, the impulse was just as
strong to slip off the raft and swim for