The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-05
There lis No Idea Of Discipline
Among This Quccr Collec-
tion Of Men. XII
THE MEN ALL LIVE VERY WELL
Admiral Is on Intimate Terms
With Men, WHO Call Film
by First Name.
by MERR1LLA. TEAGUlI.

lPiANAMA,a R.A -. 1)cCeiHpct SA: 10y
Joff, I'm goin' ashore this afternoon.
"All5right, Charlie; when arc you
comm off agnin?
"somo time tomorrow moinin', sup
pose."s
"That'll do: but don't make It any
later, as l may want to so ashore fnyself
tomorrow afternoon"
"All right" Charlie answered. and re-
tired,
THAT coloquyais n fair Index to tho
discipline In the Pnnamnian navy, when
swings on a lazy anchor abe Ut Two lnlisa
oft shore from this city, well out beyo 20
the line Of mud flats which mark the
limits OF tho twenty-five foot tide ~hieh
Gibbs ana flows along this rugged coast.
visited this navy tho other day. and
1t was willis Seated on the quarterdecii
OF the flagship, just after breakfast,
which Is regularly served at II o'clock,
that heard tho conversation quoted
above "a "Charlie.'' otherwise, Colonel
Charles Ross, chief aryillerists of the tag
ship Tres Novienlure, lounged into tho
presence OF the Admiral of the Navy
General Fl. o. Jeffrics. and without tho
Formally of salute, announced MS
Intention OF going ashore, Jeff, the
admiral, made his response, and the In
cident closed when "Chnrlie."9 IN civilian
dress and small straw hat, lounged
forward again, ceremony being carefully
4 eschewed.
AS Charlie went forward JEFF remarked:
There's a good fellow. He's been
down In this country with me for a
long time, and we've been In some pretty
tigh places together. but have always
managed to get out. During the last
revolution We We're together In a iittle
tugboat and went UP one Of the small
streams that lead inward from the coast
to Cauca, We had no idea there were any
Liberals around until we ran right into
a nest of them They ambushed us prop
erly, and for about two minutes we nae
the hottest kind OF a time. Ihey snot
the boat full of holes, and 1t Is a wonder
any Of us got out alive. 'Charlie'g:had
washed his undershirt that morning ard
hung It ont to dry. During the firing
forty-two bullets went throughithe gar
ment. When we got back to- Panama
Charlie showed the undershirt to Con
eral Alban, who asked: Did you have IT
on when that was done?' Charlie dldE,r
see Adams joke; but he is asgood fellow
allSthe same. and always want him with
me when there's anything doin'. ashore
or afloat.n 4-Y;-I ~.
"JEFF"s A FUNNY FELLOW"
! And "a few minutes later, when, with
"Charlie, 1.-THE negro captain Of the flag
ship, and the Englishnian,3 who serves rs
the ships chief engineer. we We're atlont
in a small pulling boat, bound shore
ward. "Charlle's said In casual way:
"Jeff certa inlys1sEa funny fellow:ss He
will 60 ashore for two or three days,
come off some morning before breakfast,
and then, when we want to 90 ashore IN
the afternoon tell us to be back before
SHUTDOWN, because he doesn't want TO stay
cooped up on a ship all his lie. ana
means to take aflittle shore leave him
self after SHUTDOWN.
The spirit OF the whole Panamaian
navy appears in=these incidents ana con-
versatluns. Tho officers are on too III
innate terms or friendship to permit
them, through any Of the grades. to Cit
force rigid regulations, or to exact those
official courtesies common on the war
ships Of other nations. The navy itself
is quite wondrOus affair, and tho
roughly In keeping with the free and
easy manner characteristic OF the COM
missioned and enlisted personnel.
This navy consists of three ships-the
Tres Novicmbre (flagship). Medelin and
Chuquito. The last Is called a torpedo
boat In any other harbor OF the world
she would rank as q tug, medium sized
and generously supplied with deckhousss
and awnings. She can do something IKE
twelve knots an hour and holds hcr speeo
record Of the Panamaian navy. " ar
NOR she has none, and her torpedo EQUIP
ment is still a dream OF the future; nor
has she gun platforms for armanene OF
the other classes.
THE CHUQUITG ANDFTHE MEDELlN.
The Chuquto Is gcommandedfby Colonel
Arosemena--all the titles In this navy are
borrowed from the military brancli-and
when used at all 1t Is for little excur-
sions up and down the coast IN the VI
cinity OF Panama. She passed the rag
ship shortly after ! went abroad tnut
vessel the other day laden ito tho gun
wales with a gay crowd of;excursionists
bound for Taboga Island, Her passing
was without Incident, except that she
scurrIed by at top speed. tho presence
of the admiral aboard tho flagship Pc
Ing no reason why she should dp llef
colors or otherwise note his existence.
The Medclin is former 1rulter. She
was found somewhere up the west coast
OF Central America. and purchased LOT
~ small sum from one of those dlm1nu-
tive republics, IN whose navy she was
classed as the crack ship. She was
brought down to Panama In tow, her
machinery being disabled by an accident
10 this day the damage has not been
repaircd, and the Medelin swings The
length OF anchor chains With each TIDE
Farther than that shc may never 90.
Her black hull floats hIgh out t, Of I me = !,
water, disclosing to vie wone page 9, g
her propeller and u goodly part OF tNe
rudder, In tho technique OF this very
remarkable navy the siedelln ranks as 8, z
troop ship or transport. just now she
is very buslly engaged IN performing me
nrduous duties Of a quarantine boat N
a mort where quarantine regularlations
arc not enforced.
THE TRES NOy!EMBRE.
OF tho flagship Tres Noylempre 'nal@
il something better to DO said, Just ho y !.
COLOMBIA nobody now In authority IN tns
navy seems to know, She was purchasen
years ago fsGm one and q has s S Sssn
- active service eyer since, Panama
s,ot her by paying a bonus Of SOS 900 (sll,
ve,) TO General Ruban yaron, her lns'
(t0IOmliun