The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-26
TRIP WITH DEWEY.
Frederick Palmer Visits With the Ad-
miral From Naples to Leghorn.


miral From Naples to Leghorn.
Frederick Palmer in Golfers Weekly
This bay of Naples has the reputa-
tion of being the most beautiful bay
in the world. 1t had an early start over
other bays in this respect, winning it's
reputation before there was Suez
canal and the ordinary mortal could
afford to go round the world and see
some of it's rivals. In it's best moods
it is worthy of it's great name. 1t is
not at its best in the early morning
when Vesuvius is obscured by the mist
which hangs over the water. So timex
was the mist when the Olympia came
in just after daylight that she was not
visible at the distance of a mile AT
this hour the consul and all the Italian
officials were asleep. The admiral was
up, however, and early on deck. The
voyage from Trieste had been simply
fine" Captain Lamberton said. There
was not a ripple on the blue sheen OF
the Adriatic and the Mediterranean In
passing through the Straits of Messina
the Jackies, who had heard of ScylIa
and Charybdis, looked the current over
with practiced eyes and concluded they
would like to have try at 1t IN the
captains gig. Bob" the admirafS
chow dog, saw enough of land to keep
him from the melancholy Which deS-
troyed his appetite in crossing the IN
dian ocean. 'Sagasta" the pig, who
had recovered from the bruises received
tossing L
bump his nose once. The whole family
of the Olympia was in the best spirits
I have ever seen sailors. Apparently
ivers are working well again All
hands denied the possession of any
such organ. There was not a case OF
fever or of sickness on board. He was
the exception who had not gained from
five to ten pounds since the Olympia
arrived at Trieste At this rate (say
an average of three pounds a man
week), with seven weeks between now
and October 1, there will have to be
some radical alterations in uniforms
before the receptions and dinners in
New York You, at home, will not see
the real heroes of Manila at all. They
were slim men.
All of which is great joy to the ad-
miral. In fact, it is the snapper" as
Captain LambertOn says, to his little
joke; no less than other men he likes
to have his prophecies come true. This
Mediterranean trip was his own idea,
though he didn't tell his officers the
secret of it at the time of its cOncep-
tiOn. They do their duty, and he thinks
knew the Mediterranean of old: first as
an ensign on the Wabash, and again
as a commander; he understood the eff
feet its balmy air would have upon
his officers and men. The rough pas
sage from Colombo followed by the
heat of the Red sea developed a hun
dred cases of fever. If, then, the Olym-
pia had headed straight for New York
from the Suez, if the fine crew had had
no rest, if everybody had been on duty
all the time without the luxury of a
few days ashore, it is more than prob
able that some pale and fever-stricSen
beings would have been the object of
your greeting. The receptions and the
dinners would have finished the work
and put them to bed, while the navy
would have had a tropical sick list as
well as the army.
Yes. that was what the admiral had
in his head all the time said an en-
sign. I'VE didn't exactly understand.
It seemed to US a long way round to
get home. But we knew it would come
out all right. 1t always does with the
admiral. That is just the reason that
we would feel perfectly confident in
going against anything with him in
command
The admiral's cheeks are actually
rosy He is not living a rice diet
now as he was from Hong Kong to
Singapore AS a trencher-man, at the
little official dinners which must take
place whenever he stops in any port,
he does very we'll. I can state on the
highest authority, as those wonderful
being the Continental journalists would
say, that he has gained enough flesh,
and that he would be quite content to
have the scales balance just where
they do for years to come
When he said at Manila that his
health was not equal to the strain of
the receptions in crossing the conti-
nent, it absolutely was not. When he
said that his health would not permit
Kong, it would not But he little real
lied at the time what he was bringing
on himself The papers at home got
the impression that he was d very sick
man. The people received their i'm
pressions from the papers, and once
they have an impression it is hard to
change their minds. 1t is just as reas-
enable that the admiral should be quite
well, even strong for his age now, when
he was not strong in Hong Kong two
months ago as it is that a man who
had an attack of Indigestion two
months ago should be at his office to-
day.
About half of Naples and less than
half of LeghOrn knew VINO Admiral
Dewey was. Many admirals come to
both places. and the populace thought
that he was only another. Those OF
Leghorn will be enlightened in the
course of time, just as they of Naples
We're by the local papers, whose re-
porters will 80 on board and ask what
it was that the admiral did that the