Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-23

| the inside of Goat Island in the inner
| harbor, and the sloops OF war John
Adams and Marion were anchored near
them, TO be used for practical seaman
ship and glnnery drills afloat rms
made the most complete outfit In ships
the Naval Academy had ever seen, and
the most useful.
That master of his trade, stephen b.
Luce. had charge OF drills aioat, ana
scarcely day passed that We were not
under his watchful eyes at some sort
Of practical seamanshlp. Every Satur-
day we went outside in one or other or
both OF the ships, and then the work
was most thorough and complete, each
mldshipman in turn taking charge OF
the deck for different evolutions. On
our way In, In the afternoon, we could
generally tell when our work had been
satisfactory: II II had not been, the
ship was sure to fetch up hard and fast
before we reached our anchorage. Then
anchors would have to be carried out,
and the vessel hove OF, berthed and
everything made snug and shipshape
before we could leave her. For all this
work we had no man TO help US. Every
thing must be done with our own
hands, and thus we learned and
learned thoroughly, what q man had to
do In every position on board sailing
ship, from passing a close reef 10
sweeping down the quarterback. We
learned how TO do II ourselves, and
how TO make others do II under our
instruction, and many Of us still cling
TO the notion that there could not have
been better training. If the weather
happened TO be such that we could not
get under way, we sent down yards,
masts and rigging, and proceeded TO
reiit everything. Before the year was
out there were few IN the class who
could not, with their own hands, do
any work required OF petty officer or
seaman.
The quartering OF the senior class
on shore and all the others on board
ship had very bad effect, and II was
years before the academy recovered
its normal condition. All the traditions
OF the school. the discipline among the
classes themselves--whio was. and al
ways must be, dependent on traditions
and customs-were lost sight Of, and. as
| have before said, hazing took root on
board the Constitution and Santee, II
took twenty years TO break up this UNI
naval practice, and even now II occa-
sionally shows its ugly head generally
with the result that some promising
youngster has to be dismissed and thus
lost TO the service.
As soon as war was an assured thing
my family demanded that | should re-
sign, come South and fight for my
State; but 1t did not seem to me that
this course was imperative. My next
younger brother enlisted at the age Of |
fourteen in the Washington artillery,
and went to the front under Pelham |
so that there was one member OF the |
family on each side, which was a fair |
division, II he saw his duty In that way. |
! was much assisted In those dark and |
trying days by the advice of Captain |
Rodgers. who pointed out to me very |
clearly what my duty was. con- |
cluded to stick by "The Old Flag" and |
let my family ties look after them |
selves, and so informed my mother,who |
was much grieyed and shamed by my |
determination. She finally wrote my |
resignation, sent II to the navy depart
ment where 1t was accepted, and with
out previous warning / found myself |
out OF the service.
What to do under such conditions
was a serious question to me, and / |
was again assisted TO the right course
by Captain Rodgers, who telegraphed
10 Washington, explaining matters. /
was out only about twenty-four hours.
but they were very unhappy ones for
me, and | was relieved when my reap
polntment came by wire. My mother.
she had finally disposed Of the
matter. went to Richmond 20 nurse my
brother, who had been badly wounded,
and there waited for me 10 join her
She was naturally much disappointed
at the result of her efforts, and wrote
me very severe letter. which she sent
through the lines by a blockade run
ner, who mailed II. When It cmae to
me IL showed no signs Of having been
opened, but ] found that II had, and
many parts Of II underlined with blue
pencil. Many OF my letters during the
war mailed In the same way had been
similarly treated showing that In my
case at least the postofiice officials were
watchful.
My brother fought CALAMITY, was
twice wounded and served to the end
OF the war AS soon as he could make
his way North he came, and never
showed any bitterness over my course.
The other members OF my family did
not behave In quite the same way but
after some years my mother changed
her views, and fully forgave me.
IN A HEAVY STORM OFF THE DIA-
MOND SHOAL.
In June, 1862, we started on our first
real practice cruise, using for the pur-
pose the sloop OF war John Adams
We were crowded into her like sardines |