The daily morning Alaskan. (Skagway, Alaska) 1899-1904, 1899-04-28
&EkAeHHoNs
WEN DEWEY WAS I'LL.


His Shipmate. Gave Him Up For
Dead 40 one Time.
II was in intimate relations with
Admiral Dewey for eight or ten months
and never heard him mention poll
ties. Therefore | have no sort Of knowl-
edge as 90 the admirars political views
og iucluatious Broadly speaking, poll
tic, i, never discussed by the officers on
board American warships The navy
has uo politics It. business and sole
purpose are % do the work assigned 20 II
as one arm ~ the national defense.
- spoke Mr. Thomas W. Worthing-
ton of Birmingham 20 a reporter Mr.
Wor,hingtvn was graduated from An
uapOl, IN lSS2 and was assigned 20 the
Juniata. commanded by Dewey. who
ai that time held the rank Of command
er in fhe navy. Mr. Worthington was
40 that time an ensign and was a flag
officer Tor Dewey He resigned from the
navy 90 engage IN private business but
retains some extremely interesting inn
prt,sious 0f the now famous admiral.
He is very reluctant 90 speak Of these
matters but his friends managed in
some way Co draw him ont privately
yesterday
Admiral Dewey was given up 10 die
while iu command OF the Juniata in
lS>3. said Mr. Worthingtou. THE
ship sailed for the far east ON the long
course Commander Dewey's health
was very bad and got very much worse
after We sailed from the United States.
We got into Fayal. in the Azores. and
lay there for half month. The com
mandsr was extremely in. and the
ships surgeon couldn't tell what was
the matter with him. The commander
himself couldn't tell Nobody knew.
Doctors invited on bard We're no wiser
than the rest OK Us. Finally Dewey
gave order, for the ship 90 sail for Gil
braltar Arrived there. our surgeon
went ashore and got two army surgeons
from the British garrison 90 come OF
90 the ship and consult with him re-
garl.us the commanders condition.
They failed Oh discover the cause Of the
patients suffering We remained az
Gibraltar for a time and proceeded
from there 90 Malta. At Malta it was
decided to take Commander Dewey 20
the hospital IL was there discovered
Is ou. os the doctors that the COM
maujr was suffering from Gbscess of
th, liver
"A surgical operation was decided
upon igt thr doctors informed the -uf-
t.r.r 'H.f tl- chances were greatly
against bis recovery Dewey made his
Will and prepared Tor death He die
tI-,I O.. m- letters Co members ut his
family and they We're mailed also,
under his instructions. drew mp "a de-
tailed statement as Co his private affairs.
SD thl- there might be- ~ necessary
trouble after his death The surgeons
performed the operation. and Of course
the u>, of the knife made the patient
weaker than ever Those who assisted
in 'hv painful work became convinced
aitsrward that Dewey could not long
survive ana they told MN SO ne To-
ceiyej the statement calmly and COM
pleted his arrangements for passing out
We staid there a month. during which
time I attended Dewey ia the hospital
He showed no signs Of recovery. and 50
finally We had 20 leave him. expecting
never % see him again. We sailed for
the east and spent a year or two in
Chinese waters. The next time I heard
Of my old commander be was in charge
Of another ship
"Telus about Admiral Dewey in his
personal relations. Mr. Worthington's
friends urged uLIn him
"He j. the most -ociable and com
pani0nable of men, was the answer.
"He j. what we may cali an all around
good fellow Birmingham Age-Her-
alb