The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-09-08
SWUNG AROUND THE CIRCLE
F. E. Herbert, a Mankato Boy, Talks Of
His Life on Sea.

! VII -houutN dItelHOOll, Ii"hh II. lici
bert, former Mankato boy, and neph-
ew of Landlord Schlingerman of the
Schlingerman House, stepped off the
| four o'clock train. He handed his grip
to Mr.. Schlingerman indicating his de-
sire to become guest of the hotel. Not
being recognized, he made his identity
known, and remained us a welcome
guest until Wednesday. Mr.. Herbert is
n son of Mr.. and Mrs. Dick Herbert,
former residents of Mankato, but now
residing at Brainerd.
The subject of this sketch left Man
kato in December, 1899, to carve out his
fortune, going first to Fargo, where he
found employment as hotel clerk, says
The Mapleton Enterprise. He then
drifted to New Orleans, from which
port he took passage to Cape Town,
South Africa, on an English transport
conveying 100 horses to the front for
the use of the English army in the
strife with the Beers On arriving at
Cape Town they could not effect land
ing on account of the presence of the
plague and they steamed on to Durham,
arriving there with loss of only eleven
horses or one out of every hundred for
the long trip, and several of those
which were lost died while being I'M
loaded at Durham.
The hospitals at this place were fill
ed with sick and wounded soldiers from
both armies who had been brought in
from the front. Although the city was
under martial law Mr.. Herbert endeav-
ored to get out and Join the Boer army,
his sympathies being with the Trans
vaal farmers. After three Intellectual
efforts he was captured without being
able to reach johannesburg and they
endeavored to Shanghai, or in plain
English, force him into the British po-
lice force. Failing in this they endeav-
ored to return Mr.. Herbert to the states
and he left, going to Australia, land
ing at Sydney, where it was his inten-
ton to find employment in the mines. 1t
being the rainy season, mining was at
a standstill and there was nothing do
ing. just at this time the United
States Battleship Brooklyn steamed in
to the harbor. The sight of the stars
and the stripes and the further fact
that it was the Fourth of July stirred
the patriotic blood of the young Ameri-
can and he promptly stepped on board
and enlisted as landsman. This was
July 18th, 1901, and from that day to
the date of his present furlough, his
service has been constant not being off
duty but thirty hours in that whole pc
riOd.
The enlistment was made under Adj
miral George c. Remey, and after a
yOeman of the third class, being given
charge of the files, reports, returns, etc.,
in the admiral's office. The Brooklyn
cruised up and down the coast from
Australia to Vladivostock, until Adj
miral Remey was ordered home in 1902
Mr.. Herbert was then transferred to the
Monadnock, one of Uncle Sans double
turret monitors, coast defense vessel of
1000 tons having an armament of four
six Founders, two three Founders, two
one Founders and two thirty seven
milimeter guns, the crew consisting of
250 and 30 mariners.
The Monadnock cruised all along the
coast of Japan, China, Java, and among
the Philippine islands, making quite
lengthy stops at Shanghai Hongkong,
Toxic, and other points of more or less
interest at the present time. These
stops enabled Mr.. Herbert to secure
good idea of the people and he is firm
ly convinced of the presence of the vel
low peril, believing that the Chinese
once aroused will awe the world. "One
can live very cheaply in China" says
Mr.. Herbert, "for instance my laundry
which includes white suit every day
fresh and clean, only costs me So Next
can or 80 cents of our money month.
These suits are our uniform and can be
purchased for $l.6O gold, while in this
country one would be lucky to buy
them for Sc. Pongee silks and other
things are as cheap in proportion and
| hope that when | am reassigned to
duty that it will be in China as one can
live cheaply there and save some
money"
Mr.. Herbert now holds the position of
chief yoeman, and unlike many anoth-
er young fellow in the navy, saves
good share of his earnings and has
bank account which is constantly grow
ing while he is so far from home.
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