The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-05-08
ARTHUR ROPES. General Hditor.
The American Blue Jackets.


Among the organized forces of the
world for national service or defense
there is probably no more interesting
and picturesque agency than the Amer
lean jacky. His movements in peace,
his skill and daring in var, his intelli-
gence and general capability for any
service that may be required of him,
the spontaneous, good-humored dash
with which he goes about his business,
his steadfastness and heroism under
severest trial, his generosity and chiv-
airy in the moment of victory,--these
qualities have endeared the American
sailor to all the people and made him,
particularly among the younger classes,
easily the favorite among their Uncle
Samuel's devoted servants and de-
tenders.
The Spanish war was filed, in every
page of its history, with deed and incl
dent illustrating the quality of the
American sailor. The war in China
brought out the jackies' capabilities
along q line that was dramatically OPP
posed to his education and experience,
as contrary to his accustomed ways as
TO assign to soldiers trained for land
service the duty of navigating ships.
Lieut.. George r. Clark, Of The United
States navy, tells in Golfers Weekly
how these blutiackets ran a Chinese
railway at the beginning of the war in
the Flowery Kingdom. After the cap
ture of the Taku forts, of the lombard
ment of which the men Of the Monoc-
acy had been interested spectators, the
railway to Tien Tsin had been aban-
donod by its operating and managing
force. Ii was necessary to put the
road into immediate operation to get
supplies and reinforcements to Sey-
mour's column. The locomotives and
rolling stock were there. Complete
paralysis and Generalization, also, were
there. A board of foreign admirals
voted to turn the road over to the
Americans and the commander OF the
Monocacy put Lieut.. Clark in charge.
Summoned to the captains cabin, the
lieutenant's answer to the assignment
was that his experience as railway
man was limited to riding on passen-
ger trains. "You have had as much as
have" said the captain in reply, $50
go ahead and do your best"
The lieutenant assumed the duties of
president, general manager, and all the
subordinate officers down to ysrdmas-
ter and chief of construction. The
problem, or Chinese puzzle as he call
ed it, was to take single-track rail-
way, without telegraph line or railroad
men, with rolling stock in bad condi-
ton, and send troops, horses, guns,
provisions and ammunition to the
front, and to do it quickly. He called
for volunteers and soon found that the
crew of the Monocacy was no exception
to the general run of bodies of Amer
leans. Men were found to man three
locomotives. They were not expert
engine drivers, but they were not re-
CURED to make Empire express time,
and it was gratifying to discover that
they were able even to make the wheels
go round.
They got up steam without explod-
ing the boilers and moved up and
down the track without running off the
rails, Some bright young tars served
as brakemen, and they succeeded in
making up the trains. The president
and general manager, that is to say the
lieutenant in command, threw switches,
made signals, issued ORDERS" while the
perspiration of excitement and anx-
iety oozed from every pore"
If the rolling stock at hand was not
adapted to the cargo, the adaptation
was instantly forced. If openings to
the cars we're not wide enough fol
horses or gun carriages, they were
made wide enough. Il was hard on
the property, but it was not time fol
nice distinctions. To get there wal
the first considerable land to this every
other was subordinated. Guns were
mounted and bolted down ready fol
firing. The plans of the road were
found, with locality of bridges anc
sidngs, and places for passing ant
times for waiting arranged. The blu
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