The National tribune., 1902-02-13
"REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD NAVY.
Jolly Jackies Doing Itay-Mckey Hogan Secures Rel
By W. W. STONE.

The main top Of the United States fri
gate Colorado, In her Mediterranean
cruise, was manned by lively company
There was, however, very wide diver
gence of gifts in this vitality.
One group was known by the name o.
the "Webster- Carey Gang" These men
had proven themselves to be splendlo
fighters on the blockade: before New VI,
leans; above and below Port Hudson, ana
I'm the memorable fight with farraSut ID
Mobile Bay, as we'll as at the taxing OF
Fort Fisher. They were hne-iooklhs'
hardy set OF fellows, and knew their BUS
iness as seamen, but whenever they got
liquor - and whisky seemed to DC
squeezed, in some mysterious manner, Out
of the oak knees of the shIp-thls other,
wise invaluable cOterie became frenzled
and defied God and man.
There were, be it understood, hign
lights to this picture You find the bright
est light by the deepest shade, and vice
versa In the same watch with the web
ster-Carey gang there were a lot of rol-
licking, happy -go-lucky, fun-lovIng sailor
men, who did their duty steadily and
cheerfulIy, eager, however, to sqeeZe out
of the lemon of existence all of its Jmce,
drinking the same, sweetened by the toll
and the hardshipS incidental to life on
the ocean wave. Among this group were
Mike Mccarthy, the Captain Of the top;
Joe Purcell. CoXswain of one of the cut
tiers; and Bob LennOX, a bow oarsman
In the Admiral's barge.
We were lying at anchor in the harbor
of Leghorn, or Livorno, as the Italians
call it, in the month of March, 1866.
As Ships Writer | had Just sent off
q quarter-watch for days run ashore,
when the trio above mentioned came up
TO my table aft, on the starboard side of
the gun deck.
''Ship's Writer, ahoy!" called out Bob,
boisterously.
whats the matter?" 1 inquired, CT
riously; want more hands for the main
top, or are you needing another oar in
the Petrel?"
Delay that-we want to go ashore"
Shore? Oh, pshawr' 1 answered.
''Why didn't you go with your watch? :?
You came and told me that you didn't
want to go ashore"
"Well, so 1 did" said Bob, grinning in
an embarrassed way; but, you see, we
have all changed our minds"
Bob, by the by, was a tall, well-mdde,
rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed Scot.
81 give it up" l observed bIandly.
"Give-give what up?
"Why, the thing you changed"
Bob's face grew a little redder than it
was before. "'Tain't any riddle" he
said testify; Eve had no mind to go
ashore with the topmen; we MINDED 10 go
together so that we could do the town
like-like"-
Like swells," l suggested.
"Well, why not?" he returned.
1 made the necessary arrangements,
and three days thereafter the trio showed
off from the gangway, in the first cutter,
about sundown, just as the flag was be-
ing lowered amid the rattle of drums and
strident notes of the shrill fife They went
In all the glory of a dandy man-of-war's
costume-new blue shirts, cloth trousers;
highly-polished shoes; caps set well over
the left ear; white knife cord dangling in
negligee fashion from neck to trOuser
band. In the same boat went Mickey
Hogan and one or two more forecastle-
men who had been detained aboard on
beat duty when their watch went.
Mickey was a character He was a
small, spare, hatchet-faced Irishman, with
a pug nose; small, leery, gray eyes; a
mouth that looked like a mere slash in the
front. of the face, and a short shock Of
brick-red hair, that hung about his head
and neck not unlike 4 fountain of red
fire from a Fourth of July Roman candle
/ might here mention, incidentally, that
the day before I had shown to an admir-