The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07
ODD THINGS ABOUT A MONITOR
UP.RIvER FOLKS DISCOVERED
,EM ~ THE ARKANSAS.
VIII, the Big Turret u Called Turtle and
what Is the Reason for SO Naming tho
Fighting Top-The sweet Girl Who
Knew the Port Side-The Hatch on.


MEMPHIS, Tenn. June 5.-When the
United States monitor Arkansas stopped
here on her way down the river. on the
recent ante-June rise. after being mud
bound near the ancient town OF Ste. Gene
We've, NO.. for nearly month, vinegar
Bl,- who officially and in private is William
Kirky. one of the ships apprentice sea-
men. RECALLED the Memphiars with many
tales OF the sea. But his stories Of the
people who had visited the war vssSC
her trip up the river and her stay at ~.
Louis during the Worlds Fair dedication
ceremonies were the most entertaining.
All along the voyage up from New Or
leans, and UP the Ohio to Evansville, lnd,.
to which point the monitor made side trip,
the inlanders piled the crew with questions,
some of which were peculiar. These ln-
land people look upon a war vessel much as
they might regard monstrous m"teori'e
dropped from the skies only once or so in
lifetime DO they zee either, and they want
to know all about the sky visitant or the
fight ng craft when they get chance
These landlubbers are queer ones" said
Bill, taking hitph in his trousers. list
me with steam winch if they don't know
less about this steel washtub than an Ar
room Of the ship Alabama.
when we anchored at Vicksburg long,
triple jointed Mssissppian, about the size
Of beer bottle and as tall as ten foot
OF ia red rope on end. came aboard and hove
to alongside the forrard turret and looked
I'D at the smokestack. which was taller then
than it is now, because we had to cut N
eight feet OF it to get under bridge in
~. sx,oV
! Evansville.
Say, young Teller. this Mississiprian
saws to me- that thar is the dad-blamedest
mast I ever see on any ship. E help me.
How do you uns hang the sails on that
air thing? Looks to me like it mousht
be a big b'iler sot on eend'
After the monitor got to Memphis on
| the up trip and was anchored in among
| the trees in the high water. a family from
| Arkansas boarded US. There was the old
| man. the old woman and seven children,
| and every mothers son OF EN- was as yal-
| Ter "A the upper works OF the Arkansas.
| But that's not the yarn I'm about TO spin.
| The old man was holdin' two OF his boys
by the hands and p'intin' out things OF IN
| terest.
| That thar il the turtle. Jimmy he
said, pointing to the big turret with tho
| pinch guns sticking out
Gee whillikens. paw" says Jimmy
les look what long front legs it's got
s'They call hit a turtle, Jimmy eH'
| planned paw. because it can turn clean
over on it's back an 60 after tn enemy
all spraddled out, reckon.
| But the mistake OF a Kentucky coun-
| tryman made while We were at Paducah,
continued Vinegar Bill, "shivered my tim
hers for fair. He came aboard US with
KNOWN air, as il he was acquainted
He walked around half an hour or so.
eoin' over the ship three or four times.
but lookin' mostly at the fghtin' top. His
| ewes seemed glued to that part OF the YES
| eel as IL he expected something to happen
up there. Finally he came around TO mo
ssd said P"FdneF' when do they call .'~'
Il didn't just quite understand him,
and said So 'Hain't that yon the fightin'
top?' he inquired Sure. says l. Wull;,
s eoIn to to give u. a few rounds?' What
| 10 YOU mean?' asked. supposin the man
| wanted us to hre the big guns FOR MN.
I mean come on this here steamboat 70
Il I've heerd tell a whole lot about the
way you sailors fight With the mitts on.
an want to ace hit done. So reckon
as how it's about time you-all was a'e'vln
| us q few rounds. ,.
the fiehtin' top was the ring where the
sailors had boxin'. Say, wouldn't that
Vinegar Bill was eompelled Just ! her, .S.
neck a Young fellow from east Tennessee,
who was walking down a gangway..
Private quarters down there, sir, said
| Bill; sorry, sir, but it's orders.
| The Tennesseean regained his footing
I Iork
set him down and remarked, contemptu-
well, I'll be switched clean oIen tho
track if didn't think this here house be-
folks. was goin' to see this buiidln'
| from garrett to cellar ! just come down
from the roof, an il you-all hadn't stopped
me ia a. been down in the basement D!
! this time"
That fellow reminds me Of woman maj,
that boarded us at Cairo Vinegar Bill
resumed, when the youth had passed on.
.She asked one Of the boys how TO get
! 'downstairs,' as she called II.
There's a hatch open forrard,' say.
the sailor. If you want to 60 below. ma am
@The woman stared at him. The hatch
is OPEN he repeated.
4 didn't know you folks on TINS SNIP
raised your own Chickens says the Cairo
woman, and don't like incubators, nohoW.
but I'd think If you left one open the LITTLE
chicks. might git out and fall into me
| water.
What's this here thing" asked a boy
at Chester. H., pointin' to the winch We
use for h'isting the boats Seaman Seioe-
man told him what it was.
Gee. says he: do you lift the enemys
boats clean outen the water SOS to GIT
good aim at 'em!'
sThe Missourians who came ABOARD
when we stopped at Cape Girardeau !
liked fine announced Bill There was
big group of mighty pretty girls from .
normal school they've got up. there; I'm
told, and what those girls didn't know
about this craft amt worth knowing
They'd been reading up for month and
they thought they had all the terms down
pat. One of the finest -lookin' girls IN the
bunch declared TO the others that she knew
which was port and which was starboaId
THE port side she says, is that SIDE OF
vessel that lies next TO the wharf "hea
she lie in port
And what is the starboard side' askee
another normal school girl.
Why, the other side. OF course, saws
she. .
Why don't you put some sights on that
cannon, young man?' asked fellow ma. pa.
got aboard at Grand Tower Ill. ~ nfs
you could shoot her heap straighter