The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-30

aSSiSG CO8llQS uut snip. Asaiu pFoeoeooa,
but, like the former experience, I was
prem ptorily ordered to do as l was told.
Not satisfied with making me perform
labors that were expected only from or
binary seamen, he forced me to stand
watch on various occasions While we
were at sea was practically used as
general utility man, and neither protests
nor regulations seemed to have any effect
on Commander Madge, who issued orders
to suit himself.
The above clipping would lead one to
believe that Captain Madge was regular
martinez but it does him an injustice.
The apothecary may have cause for COM
plant but if there was anything in the
world Captain Madge disliked it was an
idler and he would not have one on his
ship if he could help.it. Had !the Wyan-
dottes crew been called upon to fight
they would undoubtedly have found Cap
tain MadgeSa good man to be with. 1t
would not have been his first fight either
and being capable sea man and trained
in the old navy where fighting was re.
duced to a science, he would have shown
some of the Spaniards how an officer of
the old school went into action.
Thsre was great many things to ad-
miral about Captain Madge and as he
became very well known to many Maine
people soma of the stories told about him
may prove of interest.
In Boston, where the regular officers
took every opportunity to "call down
theivolunteers' and make life uncomfor-
table for them some of them tried their
little games on kCaptain Madge. Across
the dock from where the Wyandotte laid
was converted tferryboat" with regu-
lar officer in command. This officer had
way of making it unpleasant for every
officer with whom he came in contact and
YVES generally disliked by all who served
with him. The regular didn't like Cap
tain Madge and made several complaints
O the commodore commandment of the
yard about the Wyandotte's crew. The
commodore was fine fellow and he paid
no attention to these complaints and did
all he could to make it pleasant for Cap
tain Madge. But thu regular officer kept
up his complaints against the Wyan-
dotte's captain and crew and for q time
war existed between the people on the
monitor and those ON the ferryboat.
Things went from bad to worse until one
day the good natured Captain Madge be.
came exasperated and sent word to the
regular officer something to this effect:
"You are not a gentleman" SO the
message went it Is said, "you are cow
ard and If I met you on the street and
you look at me will pull your nose. If
you are man you will resent this and
will want to fight and If you fight will
fill you full of cold lead"
This message of Captain Madge was not
sent directly to the regular for that would
have gotten Captain Madge in lots OF
trouble but it reached the regular JUST
the same and Eafter that he left Captain
Madge severely alone. On the last day
the Wyandotte was in Boston Captain
Madge assembled his crew at quarters, all
neatly dressed and looking fine enough to
go on dress parade. The men and officers
on the ferry boat across the dock were ex-
tremely interested in the proceeding and
said on the monitor.
Captain Madge thus addressed the men:
"You are good set of men! and much
better than those across the dock. am
proud of you and take this opportunity
to say so. AS for some of the people on
that ferryboat across the dock. they are
not worth talking about and the COM
mander of that ship, who has criticized
you so much, is too contemplate to think
Of
The men on the Wyandotte liked this
talk but the people on the ferryboat did
MT and the commander of the latter ship
in particular was so mad that had Cap
tain Madge given him a chance he would
probably have allowedaz his nose to be
pulled.
Finally the Wyandotte pulled out from
Boston and started for Philadelphia. She
was considered one of the best old type
monitors in the service but events proved
that she was one of the worst and most
unsafe. Off Cape Cod the old ship. which
was in tow of big ocean tug ran into a
gale. The sea grew very rough, the old
monitor was buffeted about in an alarm
ing way ana was under water all the
time. Finally the Wyandotte's seams
opened and she began to leak like sieve.
To make matters worse the old boilers
were liable to 60 to pieces at any time
and with this danger confronting them
the Wyandotte's Grew were in very bad
position. The ship continued to make
water faster and faster, the SEQ grew
rougher and Captain Madge came to the
conclusion that it would be safer to make
for New York. So he signalled to the tug
to head for New York, stationed his Off |
GERS with loaded reyolvers by the boats
to keep the crew from making break for |
them for they all knew that the chances of
their getting the old Wyandotte into Phil |
adelphia were about even. Here was
where Captain Madge showed what he
was made Of 1t was terrible night for
tho paonla m The old Wyandotte but thew