The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-14
BACK FROM THE WAR.
Henry f. johnson, Gunners Mate,
Tells Very Interesting Experiences.


Tells Very Interesting Experiences.
Great Falls, Feb. 13.-Harry e. john
son has returned from the war and is
visiting his parents in this city, Mr..
and Mrs. J. X. Johnson. He enlisted
in the, naval reserve from Ohio last
May, but when the war department
decided that this force should be sent
to Cuba as infantry, he objected and
Joined the regular navy as an ordinary
seaman. His promotion was rapid ind
he progressed in the ranks until he be-
came gunner's mate, when he was dis
charged. or in other words, going from
pay of $40 month to $40 a month. But
he did not like the service, and when
he was given his choice of re-enlist-
ing or quitting, he took the latter. He
has served on the Brooklyn, on the Cae-
sar and on the dispatch boat Apache.
The Caesar was an English boat which,
through the strength of the feeling Ct
England for this country was rented
to the United States after the crocla-
nation of neutrality had been declared.
OF course, this matter, although men,
toned by Richard Harding Davis and
other war correspondents, never, for
obvious reasons. became part of the
official records. although the Caesar
for three weeks was the flag ship of
Commodore Schley.
Mr.. Johnson, who is a young man of
late to participate in the destruction of
Cervera's fleet. but he saw plenty of
service in spite of that The life on
board the great floating forts was any
thing but agreeable The confinement
was almost uncomfortable, and when
one considers the situation, that a sea-
man had to be on shift for all save
eight hours of the "a hours of one day
and all save four hours Of the next day,
and this work performed on diet of
coffee and hard tack it is not strange
that few care to go back to the life
when once their terms of enlistment
has expired. Mr.. Johnson would have
had to serve for two more years had
not the accident of being on the Gaze
sar occurred. When the boat went out
of commission in New York harbor
there was nothing for the crew to do,
and so he obtained his discharge.
He says that shore leave was a thing
almost impossible to obtain, and in con-
sequence was most highly priced by
the men. At one time when they were
anchored three miles from the shore.
four of the men, including himself,
stole over the side of the boat with
their clothes strapped upon their heads
and climbing down the chains, struck
out for land. They arrived safely in
spite of the sharks and after an hour
or so, in which they took good care
to fill their stomachs with food more
palatable than hard tack, they started
back to the ship. Ali were safely on
board, save Johnson. He made a slip
and ratified the chains just as he was
climbing on board. The marine doing
sentry duty nabbed him and the re-
suit was 10 days in double irons on
water and hard tack. Later his mess
got even with the marine. The latter
had laid his carbine down while on
duty. The seamen, who were watching
from their hammocks. observed this
and capturing the gun quietly, they
let it down over the side attached to
lanyard. The salt water ruined the
gun before the marine could guess its
location, and he got a month in double
irons for the dereliction in duty.
Mr. Johnson relates that possibly the
2 most exciting episode in his experience
was the attempt by Lieutenant Decatur
with a crew of eight men to capture
a Spanish flag f1oated over a water
fort off San Juan. This fertilization
was but primitive pile of masonry ris-
ing out of the water just off Che shore
and fitted with port holes for heavy
guns. The flag, which was a magnifi-
cent one OF silk fioated from staff
at the apex. The Spanish fleet had
9 been taken, but the shore Notifications
had not yet fallen, and this flag, Haunt