Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-26
Crew Comfortably DomiciIed.

will be in position to witness the Harvard
Yale boat race.
Crew Comfortably DOmiciIed.
Everybody is comfortably domiciled
aboard the Prairie. Each officer has a
state room, while the men have a roomy
berth deck. The ship is large enough to
easily accommodate double the number of
men aboard her, and Lieut.. Commander
Mackenzie is doing all in his power to make
things as pleasant as possible for the Dis
trict folks.
The Fern is to remain at Piney Point
awaiting the return of the Naval Battalion.
The trip up the Potomac to Washington
will be made on her.
Gen. Harries left the Fern to return home
last evening. He spoke a few words of an
encouraging and complimentary nature to
the officers and men, and also called on the
commanding officer of the Prairie prior to
his departure
Three members of the battalion who have
developed slight ailments will probably be
sent home today, the surgeon having rec
commended that course.
The officers and men of the naval battal-
ion fairly outdid themselves on the trip to
Piney Point. In the first place. at muster
early yesterday morning even Lieutenant
Commander Hopkins was surprised to learn
that in the neighborhood of one hundred
and eighty members of the command in
stead of ore hundred and thrty-five the
expected number, were on hand to partic:-
pate in the cruise, and preparations there
Tor were actively begun early Saturday
evening. f.
Visitors to the Ship.
Gen. Harrtes, commanding the District of
Columbia militia, accompanied by one of his
aids and Mr.. John B. Larner of Washing
ton Were among the early arrivals During
the evening there were a number of visitors
to the ship, including relatives and friends
of officers and crew. Shortly before
o'clock, just as daylight was beginning to
meet with success in its efforts to dispel
the darkness, preparations for casting off
the lines which held the ship to the Sth
street wharf were begun. Chief Engineer
Power conducted what is known as dock
test, to learn the working condition of the
engines. The signal to go ahead was given,
and the Fern glided down stream at speed
of Slightly less than ten knots an hour
This rate was maintained throughout the
trip.
When the sun had risen high enough to
take good peep at what was going on
lance below Alexandria. The machinery
and the men were working smoothly and
Systematically, and there was no cause for
complaint from any one
After a substantial breakfast consisting
of oatmeal bread. meat coffee and the
like, had been served the usual routine was
followed. Early In the day the chief mas
ter-at-arms brought before the mast a
number of men who had erred during the
night. Their offenses were Of a minor
character, one of the delinquents having
appropriated an egg from the store room
Lieutenant Commander Hopkins who acted
as sort of police court judge, tempered
Justice with mercy, and the offenders
escaped with only small tasks of extra
duty to perform.
SlOOp in Distress.
Just as eight bells were sounding the
commanding officer, at breakfast in the
cabin received notification that just ahead
a sloop was apparently sinking and in dis
tress. The Fern at this time was a short
distance below Indian Head. Lieutenant
Commander Hopkins had the Fern brought
TO standstill and a boat manned He en-
tered the boat and FASTENED to the wreck.
1t was learned that the sloop had been In a
collision with tug, and sustained injuries
of such character that it was impossible
to keep her atioat. Those aboard the
wrecked vessel had been taken off. how
ever. Although there was no occasion for
the Fern to render assistance, the in
cldent furnished an excellent opportunity
for boat drill, and also was of value in the
way of experience should the Opportunity
ever be presented for supplying aid to a
craft that might stand in need of such aid
The regular Sunday morning inspection
was held. Gen. Harries accompanied the
naval commander officer on his rounds.
soon after the conclusion Of this ceremony
and without warning to any one an alarm
to their posts, and in remarkably short
time all matches had been lowered and two
streams of water were available one from
the steam pump and the. other from the
hand pump. Quiet had hardly been re-
stored after the fire alarm when a petty
officer. waving his hat, ram forward, shout
ing Man overboardi''! The lifeboat was in
stantly manned, the ship brought to a
standstiii and in just one minute after the
cutlery the boat was I'M readiness to be low
cred with the crew at the oars There was
actually no one overboardii the alarm being
made merely for the purposes of drill.
The remainder of the trip on the Fern
was without special Incident. Every light
house passed saluted the ship and the sa-
lutes were promptly returned The Fern
is old friend of the light house keepers.
she having formerly been in their sunnlX