The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-06-09
RoyEsTyESsKYs REPORT
Hauling Too Much Coal-Other De-
tails.

CT. G. Gillian in Baltimore American-)
Sasebo Hospital. Japan. MAY 30
delayed in ttansmission)-Dear
Nick. Giving to circumstances e
which | seem not to have a n
great degree of control. 1 have been a
sent IN
I've been having trouble.
On Nav IS. having a straight tip
that the pane We're to rs west
of me. / naturally turned all my Drows
east to hunt for the cEemy. You re
next all right. Nick. and know it was
the OLD case of q tram hunting a job
at snow-shoveling in July. But i
oug / could keep ui' the bluif
awhile.
When we had entered the Korean
Straits an alarm was given and we
saw a whole drove of Hull fishermen
coming at US. shooting [" Kill. We at
tempted to light back. nut IL was out
Of the question.
III explain why:
II YOU read the DISPATCHES regular
iy you saw. perhaps. that We stopped
somewhere ito COAL" every few min
ates. We Violated every neutrality law
on the International statue books,
cpaling everywhere we saw a lump OF
coal.
You can readily grasp what our o
.iition was. The vessels were simply
polluted with coal from stem, to stern
and from keel to the tots of the masts.
The air spaces III the basement
mean the hull. but I have to make 1t
plain TO a landsman-Were filled with
coal. so hat the ships moved slowly;
The ammunition r~eceptacles were
| packed with COAL: the sailors had to
sit I'D all night because the hunks
were filled with coal: even their ham
mocks were swunG up on deck and fill
ed VITA coal; we ate timed foods oCt
Of the cans because everything in the
pantrics. kitchens and dining rooms
was nlled with coal: the decks We're
piled with coal so that II was lmDos-
sible to work the guns: the lighting
tors we're filed with coal-we had al
| awful time getting the coal up to
them. too: and the boats that hung
on the davits were likewise crowded
and stacked with black diamonds.
That's the result of cOaiing SO much
/ wouldn't advise the fourth Pacific
SQUADRON when it starts (excuse nj
while 1 smile.) to coal SO often.
I really believe my victory was les:
brilliant than it would nave been II
had coaled schooner.
When we sighted the enemy every
one of my sailors filled his pocket:
with Dis Jumps of coal and scuttleC
below to shelter. The air was SO full
of flying slack and egg-coal and an
thracite and nut-coal and run-of-the
mine and Hooking Valley Nelson
Vile and Jackson and West Virginia
and Pennsvlvania-the ozone was sim
ply crowded with it.
E'sca no yvoc i'm nnSSihlp
And when the Osahi the Satsunla
he Shishikani. the Mikassa. the CHR
Yen. the TakiWa. the IWate. the Osa
ma. the Kasuga. the Plumbago and thu
Pleurisy steered straight fer us in {
circle slowly bearing down on us Will
great rapjdity. o could have c0alet
at your own price fer a little while. w
realized that we were Overst0cked.
In fact. we were Vladivo stocked.
I ran up two things: First I ran vi
the stairs to the deck, then l ran up
white flag.
Neither was seen by the enemy. Tn
coal dust that filled the air blacke
the snowy emblem till it looked like
pirates banner A large lump Of Goa
struck by a shell from the Asafetid;
(AdmiraI TOgo'S :!agship) hit III
head, fracturing my skull.
I have been unconscious ever since
The are now engaged I
trepanning my skull. AS they are Jap
arese surgeons. I know the Job will b
done right.
NV only regret is that I am not con
scious so that I might plead with then
to inspect into my skull sOmcthin" tina
has long been needed there. And tn
Lord knows the Japs have The neces
saly skull-Dacking material to spare.
1t las al TRANSFERRED as l expected.
am not ashamed IF the resistance
put np. or of the whole campaign as
conducted it. What's the use Of m
being ashamed? Everybody else is at
tending to that for me.
If You'll end a lot Of dcr1icks Owe
here and if the Japanese will let you
you can gather Il lot Of valuable Jun
and whiskers from the bottom of tn
Korean Channel. I'd like to have
Job on q dredee. I believe it woul
beat coal hauling all hollow. The La
ter was such a dirty Job
Trusting you will be able to gathc
something coherent. if not comforting
out of this, and regretting my uncol
sciOusncsS, I am.
Yours Coaledly.
EOJE.
P. S.-Irformation was Just trough