The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-03-23
Got Their Mhiskey.

'cpCiai bidSlon bragg was SO ut
terly opposed to having his men be-
come crazy drunk by the vile stuff
purchased from camp followers that
he issued general order strictly
Excluding liquors from the camp or
any place within the distance Of ten
miles in any direction" Nevcrthc-
less the soldiers employed their time
and talents in circumvcnting this
order, and they were generally sue
ccssful. 1t is matter Of official re-
cord that when General Bragg's con-
fcderatc command was encamped near
Mobile there was a certain spring from
which the men obtained their drink
ing water. AS it rose from sandy
soil in which pit could be easily
excavated, one Of the men hit upon
the happy expedieut of burying bar
rel of whiskey near the spring. 1t
was only natural that in that warm
climate the soldiers should go often
to the spring, but in few days it
was observed that the water had
strange effect upon them, and many
often ended the day and spent the
night in the guard house while they
sobered down. It was not until the
command got marching orders" that
the trick was exposed and only then
by one of the soldiers telling Bragg's
orderly how the whiskey barrel was
kept close TO the spring, and with
plenty of straws at hand, when seem
ing to be drinking from the spring
they were, in fact, sucking from the
whiskey barrel.
Sailors are as scheming as soldiers
when they want whiskey. This Incl
dent occurred when Prof. Agassiz,
Sr., was making his famous fish in
vestigations in 1872 along the coasts
Of South America. It was after pass
ing through the Strait Of Magellan,
where he discovered the mammoth
glacier which was named the Agassiz
glacier. On the deck Of the steamer
lent him by the fish commission. and
which was oiiicered and manned from
the navy personnel, he had large
hogshcad lashed just abaft the smoke
stack, in which he kept whiskey to
preserve the fish until he could dis
sect them. A haul Of about 100 inc
specimens Of fish had been made at
Chimbote, Peru, and after leaving
there, on the way to Payta, Prof.
Agassiz went to his improved fish
tank and found only lot of spoiled
fish in the hogshead. An investiga-
tion was made, and it was found that
some Of the sailors had bored through
the smokestack and into the hogshead, ,
and then, by means Of piece of gas
pipe, had drawn off every drop of
whiskey. 1t had been noticed that
| some of the sailors seemed to have
liquor, but it had been supposed they
got it from smugglers.
Another instance of naval shrewd-
ness came to light few days ago.
An Irish woman had the privilege of
selling "luxuries''' to the sailors on
the Maine. She invariably carried
aboard a good.size chicken, and al
ways left it, but there seemed to be
sharp competition among ...the sailors
to get it. The trick was discovered
through an inquiry made by butcher
as to why the officers wanted large
fowls instead of the small and more
tender ones, and bought ono every
day. 1t was learned that the woman
went to the market, picked out large
chicken and in place of the custo.
mary stufins put in flask fillel with
whiskey and sewed it neatly.-New
York Tribune.