Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-06-08
O'TOOLE THE GHOST.

the ships wherein they serve, and a cruiser
now out on the Pacific station, to which !
was attached few years ago, might easily
have got reputation as 'bewitehed ship
on certain uneanny occasion had not the
mystery been so prosaically cleared up"
said a naval officer on leave OF absence in
Washington. "The ship was ordered from
Mare island to San Diego to take part in the
winter flower fiesta at San Diego, Cal, and,
incidentally, to go through its semi-annual
great gun practice and deep water drills
as side issue Of the excursion. When We
got into the harbor of San Diego the PEG
pie ashore made a whole lot of us, and the
men forward were almost taken off their
| feet with the hospitality they found on the
beach In truth everything came so easy
for them in San Diego that the ships com
pany was a good deal demoralized, and, lib
eral as the skipper was in the matter OF over
| looking absenteeism on the part OF the blue
! jackets, the master-at-arms was kept pretty
busy all the time putting of to the beach
, TO bring in long-overdue Sailors ho got so
mixed up in the whirl Of the carnival that
they couldn't navigate back to the ship.
After we had been in the harbor of San
Diego for week it became necessary for all
hands to report aboard for the captain de.
cided. to have first-rate exhibition Of the
drill, all hands abandon ship So the ehiet
master-at-aI-ms went ashore for big round
up Of the dereliets, and he succeeded in
gathering in all Of the liberty breakers ex
eept one man, an oiler named OIoole.
0'Toole had been five days over his leave,
and when the Jimmy Legs returned 20 the
ship with the boat load he had hauled in and
reported that 0'Toole wasn't fndable any
where, the oilers chances for a court-mar
tial when be did return were considered OF
the best.
"Steam was got mp in a couple Of boilers
and the ship pulled out into the open haT
Dor for the all hands abandon ship exer-
else, big flock Of tugs and yachts carrying
people from San Diego who wanted 10 take
in the drill following after us
Now when the officer Of the deck passes |
the word and the bo's'nis mate gives a |
prolonged blast on his pipe and bawls that |
long-drawn-out, rather moving call, All /
ha-a-nds abandon shipl' there is surely
whole lot Of movement on an American |
man-of-war, for it is the mos. exaeting drill l
on the programme, not even excepting the
drill, clear ship for action Every map in
a ships company has got a number and in
the abandon-ship drill his number calls
upon him to do certain things, and the hur-
rying and scurrying for five minutes after
the call goes is something lively to look at.
The deck crew handle the boats, load them
up with provisions and all useful appliances
for prolonged season in the open sea, and
every man in the black gang down below
in the engineers department has also good
deal Of business on hand. II the ship is
under steam the fires are banked, the valves
all set, the engines all locked fast, water
tight compartments closed, and everything
below arranged so that in cast the ship real
b doesn't 60 down she shall be found in de-
cent ship-shape order in case she rides
through and is picked up later on with
aawser
"Well, when the ship had steamed
couple Of miles from the anchorage road in
he harbor Of San Diego the call All hands
ABANDON ship' suddenly went, and the usual
rush ensued. Within just four and a halt
minutes from the time the eau went all
hands were in the boats, and the captains
zig was alongside waiting for the old gentle
nan 20 finish his rapid inspection and shake
he ship himself. After he had seen that
verifying was made tight, the skippef ,
topped into his gig, which sheered of in {
family, and there was the fine white
ruiser standing utterly deserted in the ,
well, with every officer and man Of the
rev in boats two or three hundred yards
III. The drill was first rate success, and
he skipper was getting ready to pour out
us expression OF approval as be stood 10 the l
tern sheets Of his gig, when a queer thing
appened. The water right above the twin
crews began TO ohurn, and the ship slowly
ot into motion. The wheel, before the
hip was abandoned, had been dashed hard
port, and the cruiser, under a pretty fair
roadway Of steam, TO Judge from the churn
ng Of the propellers, began to to turn around
apidly in circles. NouneversIw such a sensa
ion on land or sea as that Job created. II I
vas utterly inexplcahle. The engineer officers
nocked their foreheads ike crazy men.
here was absolutely no theory upon which .
he movement OF the ship could be explained.
he steam had been shut off the main
team pipe before the ship was abandoned,
nd il Is quite an operation to get a ships =
team into her cylinders and to make every. /
hing ready 10 turn the engines. But there y
lrcled the ship, apparently turning on a \
ivot, and obviously under as much steam
5 there was left in the boilers.
She's bloomin' witch some Of the =
ld-time iiat-feet Of the crew shouted, and :
be men looked at the crazy acting ship with v
bit Of fear in their eyes She was eireling p
bout still when the chief engineer, who was 4
b the steam cutter, had the cox 'un make for !,
he cruisers starboard gang with al speed, !.
nd in a short time he, with half dozen !,
Their officers and men, he'd clambered q
board and were rushing down the engine o
Dom hatch. a
well, the chief engineer. the first man to y
each the engine-room, found Mr. O'Toole, a
iler, at the throttle Of the port engine. | A
fToole was as drunk as an owl, and he !,
noked a clay pipe turned upside down i
nth al the complaoency in life The chief i
lgineer had the man by the throat ia a i
fly, and couple Of minutes later, when a.
ome Of the marines got aboard, 0'Toole was m
Ut in irons in solitary confinement. When %
fIoole got sober enough be was brought 10
he mast and questioned by the skipper. Il
sems that on the night before O'Toole, be
g in a crafty state Of drunkenness, and
moving that he would be thrust into the II
rig Immediately he arrived aboard the ship o.
II liberty breaking, had hired a shore boat. Ct
4