The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-11-16
HIS LONG RUN
OF HARD LUCK

killed by a comrade at one Of the rail-
road stations said an officer of the
navy at Washington, was one of the
most pathetic features of that sorrow
full case. It recalled to my mind the
hard-luck case of a chief bosuns mate
who served on several of the ships 70
which | was attached. This man had
tried to get to his home TO see his
people at the wind-up of seven
straight three-year enlistments; but
twenty-one years rolled around before
he got to his home, which was St
Louis, and then he didn't see his
folks Something always happened TO
him, when, with his enlistment saw
ings in his pocket, he started off fer
home. One time he was drugged in
Nagasaki, Japan, and robbed of all his
money. The next time he started he
slipped and broke his leg on the deck
Of the Mediterranean steamer that was
to bring him to the United States He
had to be brought to his ship, and he
was in the sick bay so long that he had
to re-enlist in order to get his contin-
uous service certificate. At the wind
up Of that three years he started from
the Mare Island navy yard for San
Francisco, there to take the train for
st. Louis, when the boiler of the ferry
boat blew up and badly scalded him.
He was brought to the Mare Island
Naval Hospital, where he was neces-
sarily kept SO long that in order TO
preserve his continuous record he had
to ship over again when he got out
He was on one Of the ships of the
American navy that figured in the ST.
moan disaster, and he got a blow on
the head while battling with the
waves on that occasion that put him
out Of his mind for several months.
When he recovered his wits, his time
was not only out, but It was necessary
for him to re-enlist, his three months
OF grace having about expired too
1--WE forgotten what happened TO
tried in all earnestness to get to the
United States at the termination Of
his cruises. but whatever these acct
dents were they effectually kept him
away from his home.
He was on the China station, l re-
member on the occasion before the |
last when he tried to get home, and |
he was one of the overtime men who |
the Baltimore. The Baltimore got |
into one of the worst typhoons ever |
known ON the China seas when she |
started for San Francisco, and this |
chief bosun's mate was one Of the |
men disabled in the tossing about |
which the vessel gCt on that occasion. |
He was patched up, however, and |
when the vessel, after 4 couple OF
months delay, did finally reach San |
Francisco, he took passage on the |
steamer Colima, Of the Pacific Mail |
line for New York, via the Isthmus. |
He went that way in order to expert |
ence for once the novelty Of being a
first-class passenger, and no work. |
The Colinaa went down W h nearly all |
hands off the coast Of Mexico, and the |
bo'sun's mate was one of the few men |
saved. He was picked UP off bit OF
wreckage, to which he had been hang
ing in a tempestuous sea for more |
than twenty-four hours. The steamer |
that picked him up brought him back,
with the remainder of those rescued, !
to San Francisco and when he recoV- /
cred from that batting about II was
time for him TO ship over.
In the spring CT 1896 his time ex-
pired while he was serving on one OF
the ships Of the Mediterranean squad
ron. and, with more than $4,000 in his |
clothes, and his teeth shut down hard
with determination, he started for the
United States. He got TO New York |
all right, but when he got there he |
found a letter from his mother, an |
nouncing that his father, a locOmo- |
tive engineer, who had been in con- |
tfnuous service on one line for thirty /
eight years, had, AT the conclusion Of
his very last run, when he was 10 re-
tire, gone smack through an open |
switch and been killed. However, the |
bo'sun's mate took train and hurried |
on to St. Louis, with the idea OF being
present at his fathers funeral He
struck St. Louis just in time for the
great cyclone, and he, his mother and
his two sisters were killed in the big
blow