The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-26

from Newport, under Captain Mon' tague, who hailed from Wethersfield
 With him was a youth named Howell
 from this city, now passed on to his re-
 ward. The ship-it was a full square
 rigger in the prime of the days of heave
 and haul--stood over to the Cape Verde
 Islands for salt, to be used in preserv-
 ing the pelts of the seals to be caught
 in the waters Of the Antarctic ocean
 From those tropical islands 1t sailed to
 the coast of Patagonia. After cruising
 along the sealing grounds it left young
 Beach on Staten Island-not the one of
 South Beach and Prohibition Park, but
 the out-of- -the-way desolate rock to
 the south of Tierra del Fuego and Cape
 Horn. He was to gather albatros eggs and keep q sharp weather eye for seals
 until the return of the ship, three | weeks later. It was Christmas time, but Christmas in fifty-fve degrees
 south latitude is hot time. A whale
 boat was left and this, turned on it's
 gunwales, made snug berth at night. | Provisions were left but no turkey or
 plum pudding for Christmas
 MT. Beach celebrated the day as com- | fortabl as possible. The menu of his
 dinner was somewhat limited, the card
 having but the following: Albatross eggs, penguin eggs, fried salt pork and
 hardtack. Still, MT. Beach had the ap- petite of young sealer, and many a course dinner at the Waldorf Ast oria
 has failed to be as much appreciated as
 those penguin eggs in the far south At | lantic.
 | WARNED FOR ONIONS.
 This was in 1894. Just sixty-five years later Hartford soldier kept his l Christ mas on the China sea, the only | Hartford man among some five hun dred souls aboard his vessel He was l Private Lotze, of the Sixteenth infan- | try, and with the Third battalion of the regiment was en route from Manila to Aparri. Lotze says that the men were packed almost as tight as sardines in box. Not a few were seasick and all were homesick. The men exchanged stories about Christmas at home, and as many of them were from the south, | conversation hinged upon turkey and fried chicken Lotze would have appre- ciated even MT. Beach's dinner at Stat en Island, for here is his menu, as he gave it, this morning:
 For turkey I had spoonful of beans; for plum pudding it was hard tack, and for Rhine wine it was a mystery they called coffee. I'd have given half months pay for dozen Wethersfield onions"
 The sky was sunny, the sea smooth and the air balmy and nature was all that could be desired, but the men in blue were glad when night shut down. They were one day nearer Aparrl.
 CHRISTMAS SPORTS.
 The following year the men made up for the discomforts of the Christmas on the China sea They were at Aparri, having in the meantime fought the "goo goos'' to standstill inland. The day was enjoyed soldier fashion, Just before sunrise the bugler sounded first call, and at sunrise the band played re- veille and star Spangled Banner" all in honor of the day. Early in the morning there was a parade.
 During the morning there were horse and foot races, also caribou and bicycle races. Some of the more frisky athletes tried climbing a greased pole. Other members of the company dropped dimes in dish-pan filled with flour and invited their friends to bob" for the coins.
 At noon the boys had a royal dinner. In addition to the regular mess they had extras purchased from the com pany treasury. Chickens, chicken pot pie, cranberry sauce, peach pie, sponge cake and ice cream made feast fit for General Chaffee himself. Lotze was the ice cream artist He procured q freezer from the regimental quarter master and with ice from an artificial l plant half the battle was won; freez- | ing the cream was harder, he says | than chasing Filipinos.
 In the evening a number of the com pany, Protestants as well as Catholics, went to service in the church The singing was excellent and the lights and music were a fitting end to bright and joyful Christmas
 SAILED ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
 Captain Williams. the port warden, indulged in reminiscence. this after noon. of Christmas which he passed In the English channel, thirty-five years ago, He had just sailed from Shields in the clipper ship Herald of he Morning, of which he was the cap tain, A gale came on and gave plenty 1f work to the crew. The beginning of the voyage was inauspicious and the voyage itself was unlucky. The gale gave way to head winds, and it was ifty-two days before the ship entered Boston harbor Seven men were lost )verboard during the passage" be- 'ause the ship sailed on Christmas" said the crew. Nor was that all. The ship struck after entering the harbor md sank The David Crockett, a noted od-time ,lipper, sailed from Liverpool the same Christmas. She also encountered head winds and over seven weeks passed be- ore she reached her port-New York 50 much for sailing on a Christ ( mas" Captain Williams says; its { worse than sailing on a Friday i Hartford Times.