The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-10-10


lay at anchor in the Bay Of Naples in the
latter part Of April, 1867.
ALI hands were having a good time.
The crew varied the monotony of ship
life by exchanging visits with brother
bluejackets on board of the Frolic, the
Augusta, or the Monitor Miantonomah;
by an occasional climb up the smoking
sides of old Vesuyius, or by surreptitiousiy
dragging off forbidden relics from Her
culaneum or Pompeii, to say nothing
about arguments with gentry who dealt
in anarchy in the fluid form.
The officers of the ship whiled away
their time in visiting Rome, playing the
gallant with the black-eyed beauties of
Italy and in dinners ashore and on board
of the various men-of-war in the harbor.
As for me, as Ships Writer, being neither
officer nor man, i enjoyed every moment
of our stay in the grand old bay,
/ ruined n brand new suit of clothes IN
making flying trip up into the crater of
Mount Vesuvius; got thrown out of car
rage and nearly killed while racing with
q lot of mad-cap young bloods of Naples;
sampled vintages until L couldn't tell
Lachrymae Christi from pea soup; and
spent the whole of Holy Week in Rome,
witnessing Pontifcal High Mass by Pope
Plus IN, and scattering soldi along the
-
fun than q cage of wildcats.
There is point where pain and pleas
ure merge; that is, they get tangled up so
that you can't somehow get the dividing
line, any more than you can put up
fence between the animal and the vege-
table kingdom. Such, l think, was the
general feeling when, on the night of the
9TH of May, we babe adieu to friends III
Naples preparatory to an early departure
on the following morning.
While in Naples had enlisted an ex-
pert musician, who played on the plccolo-
The man was, apparently, one of the bet
ter sort, and in that way l came to get
acquainted with a number of well-to-do
musical gentry who rendeZvoused at q
pretentious hotel on the Strada de Toledo.
A party of us had gathered at sort
of farewell matinee. Our band leader,
Signor Faggianni, and Mr.. Plccolo were
there, Respondent in the uniform OF Uncle
Sam.
Faggianni was q very amiable and
talented gentleman of the Italian school.
but as unhandsome as he was lovely IN
character. His nose was mimic snow
plow, and when he laughed there was
nothing left of his face for his enormous
mouth. He had very open cOuntenance.
We were sitting at our mess table on
the berth deck, one day at sea, and II
was stormy, and in consequence quite
gloomy on the berth deck. Faggianni was
sitting on his camp stool, balancing HIM
self as well as he could, with cup of
coffee in one hand and nam sandwich
in the other. 40,
find re way to my mouf wiz re denged
rolling of re ship"
"Oh. Faggi," said Paymaster's Clerk
Sangston, consolingly, throw your SAND
witch up anywhere between the table and
the hammock hooks, and you can catch 1t
in your mouth"
The party at the hotel was quite numer-
Gus and noisy. Leave it to party OF
Italians to make a merry noise. Among
the number were a pleasant young gentle
man from Florence and his very pretty
sister.
/ should like TO describe the sister, but
there language fails TO come to time. Big,
brilliant, eloquent black eyes, that spoke
volumes She didn't have to say WORD,
she couldn't, in English any more than
could in Italian; but il was all right, she
didn't have to. Lips? Cherries were no.
where. Cherries have one set, monotcn-
Gus color, like a painting. Here you had
rich, warm pulsating life, changeable with
varying emotion, ,.,,-
We took a carriage to the landing place.
The Young gentleman joined me in the
carriage, with his sister. In taking leave,
/ gave my fair friend a gentle pressure
Of the hand. She remained. in the car
rage, but her brother attended me to the
boat. As L held out my hand to bid him
good-by, he flung his arms around my
neck and kissed me rapturously on the
right cheek. He undoubtedly wished to
EXPRESS the good will Of himself and sister,
In his adieux | have ever since set my
face sternly against proxies of all kinds.
In looking over my log book | find
notices of Mr.. Dewey dining with Admiral
I'll Iunchin., ba Eralip and
supporting with the American Consul,
ashore, etc. From this / gather that our
now very distinguished Executive Oficer
must have been anxious to shake on the
effects of too great indulgence III the good
things of this life. At any rate, no sooner
were we out into blue water than MI.
Dewey broke out into a perfect fever OF
drills and manuvers. Hardly had the
crew breakfasted ere general quarters was
sounded and the ship cleared for action
against an imaginary foe.
William T. Sampson was in charge of
the Second Division, and he reported
ready for action in three minutes. 1t took
one OF the other Lieutenants six minutes
10 get out of a tangle of tackles, and ram
mers, and spOnges. This so elated Mr..
Sampson that he couldn't walk down the
gun deck to the smoking section for a
week without bending double.
On Wednesday afternoon we had target
firing.
Nine empty pork barrels were dashed
firmly together. Three 10-inch shot and
some old junk were thrown in as ballast
On a boat oar was stretched a banner
bearing the inscription:
United States Steam Frigate Colorado
May s, 1867, at sea-"
This floating target was cast adrift anC
we steamed away about 1900 yards.
We fired a round Of 10-secOnd shell; ont
round of hollow shot; and one round o.
solid shot from each gun. We had 4;
eight-inch Columbiads and 12-inch piyo
gun on the forecastle. We had a mum
Der of Parrot rifles and howitZers, bu
they were not used in the porcine bonn
bardment.
OF course, army veterans have all seel
shot fly but | wonder if it looks the sam
on land as at sea. AS soon as the smok
clears away you see little black spec
IN the sky. 1t looks as if it were climb
ing straight up into the clouds; slowly
assumes parabolic curve.
Ii Il shell, and fitted with fuse, right
~ timed, it swoOps as an eagle down upo
its prey. Just as it reaches its destina
ton there is a flash, and roar, an
scores of foamy jets tell the tale Of man
capacity for far-reaching destructivenes
The target was hit several times, Gun
ner's Mate Grayson doing the most dan
age, but it bravely withstOOd the shock {
battle. so we left il floating peacefully o
the damOnd-decked bosom Of the Med
terranean, holding out its great whit