The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-05
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~. 8. s. BROOKLYN" WENT ABOVE
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A Heroic Feat at Muscat By some
Of Uncle sam's Old Time Jack Tars
That Thrilled the Hearts of . whole
ships Crew. III
There was once another Brooklyn,
the forerunner of the present armored
cruiser, but the old Brooklyn, which,
during the civil war, gained the name
Of the Butcher Shop" had no resem-
blance to the floating fortress that
hurled destruction into the feet Of Ad.
miral Cervera. '
The old ship bore great spread Of
canvas and had but auxiliary steam
power. Her lofty masts and creaking
yards would seem singularly out Of
place today, but they served thsir pur-
pose In their own time. Her open deck,
with double row Of muzzle loading,
smoothbore gnns, looked like a scene
from q medieval drama. and when she
went to-ssa the fipping Of the sails
and the snap Of the cordage were not an
unwelcome lullaby to those who slept
beneath her cool white deaka.
This old brooklyn sailed one day
from New York, bound upon rowing
cruise and came in time to the Azores
islands, whence she sailed for Lisbon
and Gibraltar and, passing through the
Mediterranean and the Suez canal,
steamed slowly down the scorching Red
sea. A stop at Alden for day or two
made her ready for journey to the
Persian gulf, but when the gulf Of
Ormaz was reached the skipper thought
to take look at Muscat, and go the
course was shaped for the capital Of the
son of Abraham, whose forefathers for
hundreds, hay, thousands, Of years, had
been sheiks of the desert. rs
In all her journey the good ship had
entered not port where the proud
cross of st. George could not b. seen
from the staff of a British man. of. war,
but here at Muscat it was thought that
at least our flag would be the only token
of western civilization in evidence. But
it was not so, for, as the Brooklyn
rounded high promontory that shut
in the little hsrbor, there, lying at an
ohor, was seen the English gunboat
Sphinx with her milk white flag float
ing above her. I'D.
Muscat had much that was strange
and weird to interest the Americans,
but neither the palace Of the sultan,
with its double wall, between the two
parts of which are kept the tigers !
whose duty it is to guard the palace at I
night, nor the imperial harem's GRIM
exterior, nor the gorgeous apparel Of the
sultan himself had half the attraction
for the weEterners that the grim, sheer
face of the promontory that shuts in the
harbor had for there upon the bleak
wall Of this towering height were
painted the names Of many ships, and
high above them all, in a Place that
seemed inaccessible were the words,
III. M. s. Sphinx"
The men of the Brooklyn stared at
that name day after day, until it seemed
burned into their brains. and the spirit
of emulation grew within them.
The night before the Brooklyn was
to sail for Persian waters there were
evidences of secret movement among
the crew, and after the night had fallen
still and black boat pulled off from
the vessels side, and with muffled oara
made rapidly for the shore. 1t carried
many things of various sorts, and among
them a lantern, whose tiny glimmer
those on the ships watched with bated
breath as 1t reached the shore and slow
ly began the ascent of the promontory.
Now it would disappear and then gilt
ter again like star Of hope and COM
fort, and 10 it went slowly on, ever up
and up the face of the outlined preoipice.
The hours dragged slowly by, and it
was far into the night when q tired
boats crew olambered slowly over the
Brooklyn's side and dropped exhausted
into their hammocks for a short sleep
before the call of "all hands" in the
morning.
The Brooklyn sailed away just as the
Gun began to show above the eastern
horizon, and as she swung upon her
course and stood for the waters of the
open gulf cheer burst from the threats
Of the whole ship company. For there,
in great letters Of white that caught the
warmth Of the rising sun, far above the
name Of her majesty's ship Sphinx, far
above the highest name Of ALL could be
seen the legend ~. S, S. Brooklyn"
And there today, looking down upon
the tiger guarded palace and the harem
of the sultan, ever before the Arabs and
the Beloochistanese Of the tiny sultan
ate, still CLEANS the magic name that
Schley and Cook once again made ia
nous and that shall endure in history
when Muscat itself shall be forgotten.
Washington Post.