The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-19

N,,v Nork Press, 18th: Along the hlBn
sv n.,Il outlining Governors Island on
.s sa eide toward Brooklyn, lonely SEN
Wv noced. The fog was heavy early
Wy morning, and his overcoat
a. sodden. Moisture formed in beads
tho well oiled barrel Of his rifle, and
w. ,S.n trickled down toward the lock,
VA, n save the delicate mechanism he
sS,fted the gun from his shoulder
',r,n ped corner of his great coat
",onnd the lock and permitted the
~oIs,ure to drip from the end-Uf the
sarre, to the stones which had formed
Vi. parade ground since midnight.
~ Tbought had come with his lonely
,,,rn and the sentry was in Cuba,
Guarding the camp. Then he was in
PORTO Rico, and then he was many
,bon.and miles away In the Philippines.
a Filipino assassin might be at his
hack stealing up the shrouded mist; or
from the sea a gunboat might sneak
clos. enough to make a. few remarks;
suddenly, from the dense fog there,
hurst toward the sentry man-of-war.
In the din light he believed he could
make out a great double-turreted bat
tleshlp. Dim figures behind capstans
seemed gurners training rapid-fire ma
chimes and portfolio yawned as a tor
pedo vent.
Then the sentry remembered his duty
and presenting arms, roared'
who goes there? Haiti"
The great vessel heaved, shivered and
stopped. lurchlng heavily to one side.
advance alone and give the counter
sign"
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT"
Then the sentry awoke from his
dreams Of war and realized that a fer
ryboat unwilllngly had invaded Gov
ernors Island,
corporal of the guard No. II" he
bawed.
The thick air took up the below and
# was carried by other voices along the
sea wall until 1t found the corporal of
the guard.
That officer not being used to ferry
boats aground. sent for the sergeant,
who summoned the lieutenant, who
called the captain, who advised with
the major. who reported to the colonel.
Fortunately there weren't any more
officers awake that early in the morn
Ing or the military problem of what to
do with the terryboat aground might
have been carried to the commander-in
cheIef Of the army, the President Of the
United States.
Meantime the passengers on the fer
ryboat were becoming nervous, and
several young women who knew they
would be late at the office consumed
much time in fainting. The men light
ed their pipes and generously buckled
life preservers around the women and
swore they would die with them-which
didn't seem to comfort the women very
much.
1t was explained loudly by the pilot OF
the ferryboat to those on shore that the
boat was the South Brooklyn, from
South Brooklyn, and in making the run
through ButtermIlk Channel she had
run aground. The fact that the report
from the sentry was correct in saying
she was aground travelled the weary
rounds again, and the chief officer
ashore said something should be done.
That was what the It's passengers on
board had been thinking. and when
planks were laid from the sea wall
many thanks were shouted to the SOL
diers.
Women hrst," said an employe Of
the boat. and cheer arose from the
men. With the boat fitting and the
planks swaylng the narrow passage to
land looked dangerous. To disprove
this several OF the athletic soldiers who
had been called to the place amused
themselves by pretending that 1t was q
Epringboard, and jumped up and down
on 1t until the imperiled women forgot
their fears and emitted pretty shrIeks'
That encouraged one Of the privates to
essay walking down the plank on his
hands.
Upon reaching the ferrybOat across
the swayIng plank he placed Arm and
friendly arm around the waist of the
nearest and prettiest young woman,
and In iIfty, before she even realized
the ficetlng sensation from a soldiers
arm, she was on shore. That made the
other men on shore Jealous, and they
piled into the boat In a mob and robbed
II OF every woman passenger. Then
many of the men painfully crawled
ashore alone, and all were brought to
Manhattan by the government boat
General Hancock.
The pretty girl stenographers and
clerks seemed to fear for the safety of
the General Hancock, also. and in this
their soldier attendants shared evIdent-
Iy' because they accompanied the
frightened young women to Manhattan
and even put them carefully on street
cars and said goodby In an amazingly
friendly way for such accidental ac-
quaintances.
as for the unImportant ferryboat-it
was Roatsd at high tide without dam