The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-10-25
HER NAME EATTHE TOP
- s. s. BROOKLYN WENT ABOVE
~ NJ s. SPHINX

NhAns tFeMs
There was once another Brookivp
the fuforunnor q the present armorei
cruiser, but the old Hrooklyn. which.
during tho civil war. gained tho name
- the Butcher Shop bad uo ro.cn.
blance 90 the floating fortress that
hurled destruction into the neoi of Ad.
miral Ccrvea.
The ola ship bore great fprend 81
canvas and bad tut auxiliary stpsm
power Her lofty masts aud crcating
yards would seem sinrularlv our az
VT, today. bat they served their pur.
poso in their own time Her open deck
with double row of muzxia loading
smuoibturo guns. looked liso scene
from mpdiuvli drama. and whom stn
went o. sCa tao tapping of tho sails
nnd thc tnHpu tho c0rihRo were not iu
uuweicomu lullaty Co those who tlp,t
beneath her cool white decks
This old Brooklyn sailed ono day
from New York. bound upon rowing
cruise aud came in time t. the Azores
Islands, whence she sailed Tor Lisbon
aud Gibraltar and, passing through the
Mediterranean and tho Suez canal
steamed slowly down the scorching Red
sea. A stop at Alden for day or two
made her ready for . journey 10 the
Persian gulf but when the gulf of
OrnaE was reached the skipper thought
90 take q look at Musoat. aud 80 iiIe
course was shaped for the capital Of the
son Of Abraham. whose fovofathers for
hundreds, nay, tbousandA Of years. had
been sheiks Of the desert
In all her ,carney the good ship had
entered NOT q port where the proud
cross O. 81 George could not bo seen
from the star Of British man Of war.
but here ~ huscat IL gss thought that
at least our fisg would be- the only token
~ western civilization in evidence. But
it was not 90 for. a. the Brooklyn
rounded a high promontory that shut
in the little harbor. there. lying nt an.
ohor was seen the English gunhoat
Sphinx with her milk white Gag foat
ing above her
Muscat had much that was strange
and weird 90 interest tho Americans
but neither the palace of the sultan.
with its double wall. between the two
parts Of which are kept the tigers
whose duty Il 10 90 guard the palace at
night nor the imperial harom's grim
exterior, nor the gorgeous apparel OF the
sultan himself had half the attraction
for the westerners that the grim. sheer
face ~ the promontory that shuts In the
harbor had; for there upon tho bleak
wall % this towering height were
painted the names a. many ships, aud
high above them all, VA place that
teemed inaccessible. were tho wordG
"H NJ \ sphinx"
The men ot the Brooklyn stared nc
that name day after day, until u seemed
burned into their brains aud the spirit
of emulation Rr' within them.
The night before the Brooklyn was
60 sail for Persian waters there were
evidences % secret movement among
the crew. aud after the night had fallen
still aud black boa, pulled OF from
the vessels side, and with muf''ed oars
made rapidly for the shore II carried
many things of various sorts, and among
them q lantern, whose tiny gli,Imor
those on tho ships watched with bated
breath AZ 10 reached the shore and slow.
~ began the ascent OF the promontory
Now IL would disappear and then gilt
ter sRain like . star OF hope and com.
fort. and 90 IL went slowly on, ever up
and up the face Of the outlined pseoipice
The hours dragged slowly by. and IL
was far into the night when a tired
boats crew oiAmbe beTed slowly over the
Brooklyn's side and dropped exhausted
into their hammooks for a short sleep
before the call OF "All hands" Ia the
morning
The Brooklyn sailed away just ~ the
lun begpa 90 show Aboye the eastern
horizon. add a. che swung upon her
o''17se aud stood for tho waters Of the
open Rnlf cheer hurst from tho throats
of the whole ships company. For there,
ia great letters OF white that caught the
warmth Of tho rising sun, far above the
name Of her majesty'n ship SPHINX, far
above the highest name of all, could b.
seen the legend ~. s. S, BrOoklyn."
And there today. looking down upon
the tiger guarded palace and the haTem
Of the sultan, ever before the Arabs aud
the Belooohirtanese Of the tiny sultan.
ate, still CLEANS the magic name that
Schloy and Cook once again made IA.
nous and that shall endure in history
when Muscat itself shall bo forgotten
- Washington Post
How n FroE HtbsFaatss.
AccordinQ 10 Simon Henry Sage. the