Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-23
CREW ABOARD THE BUFFALO
American seamen Now in Charge Of For
mer Brazilian Cruiser.
Now Conveying Relief Crews and
stores 10 Dewey's Flcet-Letter
From Lieut.. Logan.

A letter has been received in this city
from Lieut.. George w. Logan Of the navy.
who was formerly on duty at the Navy De-
partment but who is now attached to tho
cruiser Buffalo. which is en- route 10 Ma
Mia. The letter was written from Port
Said, in the Mediterranean. where Admiral
Camara's fleet of Spanish ships was re.
ported several times during the late war,
and bears date of December %, 1898. Lieut..
Logan speaks most highly of tho crew Of
the ship which he. together with Passed
Assistant Surgeon Guthrie, enlisted from
among the lake sailors In the vicinity OF
Buffalo, \. Y, the seamen gladly accepting
the opportunity to serve on a ship bearing
the name Of their native city. Lieut. 10.
gan says:
After spending quite a while In equip
ping the ship we finally got started for Ma
Mia, with relief crews and stores for
Dewey. but much to our regret had to put
back to Newport, as is well known, and
These repairs have now been made and
apparently well made, and we are well
along on our way.
Crew Of seven Hundred.
I'VE have on board about 100 men, 200
of whom are our Buffalo contingent. who
are to constitute the permanent crew Of
the ship, and win not be transferred to the
Asiatic station. They CHE Buffalo mem
are fine lot of fellows. by far the best
have ever seen aboard ship. and / wish the
whole navy was made up Of the same sort.
We may all be proud of having had a hand
in getting these men; they have come fully
up to our expectations of them. The other
500-the passcngers-have the transient.
listleSs feelings of men who don't regularly
belong 10 the ship. and take no permanent
interest I'm her. This makes our crowd
shine even more by contrast.
The vessel. all comments to the contrary
notwithstanding. was a valuable acuuisi-
ton and Will always have her uses. both
in peace and war. The yellow fever stories
We're the Veriest nonsense. The ship was
dirty when the Brazilians got through with
her but she has been thoroughly cleaned.
and, with the condition in which she Will
be kept in the American navy. there Il not
the slightest reason to fear disease Of any
sort. To show her capabilities ] will tell
you what she is doing now. She is carry
ing 200 men and about 2.OD0 tons of stores
to Manila and there is not the slightest
crowding any place. At the present rate
she will have no trouble in making the
whole distance TO Manila (about l2eo0
miles) at an average speed OF about twelve
and one-half knots; and i'm this total dis
lance she will stop but twice for coal: or II
could, if necessary, be arranged that she
need coal only once. Few ships in the
world have these capabilities"
Formerly the Nictheroy.
The Buffalo was formerly a cruiser in the
Brazilian navy. and she was known as the
Nictheroy. She was engaged later in mer-
chant trade in South America and shortly
after her purchase by the United States
there were rumnrs that yellow fever germs
were to be found I'm her hold. The lake
sailors were enlisted st Buffalo as an ex-
pertinent. Their success in the navy seems
assured, and the class of men secured
fleets credit on the recruiting officers.