The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-23

watch the wind and cut the line Wher
she rights. seq to the women and
children In the boats and they wuz that
ing and crying. SEE to them women and
children. 'Aw. take a drink" and his
story broke off that the flask might be
Il SEE to the women. Don't be skeer-
through"
We Were rescued from our bibuIouslv
h,nsiste1t Friend by square shouldered
the scene. He was beyond doubt a sea
| Iar1ng person and one accustomed To
handling men. He caught the open bot
Tie OF the bibul0usly inclined one with
one hand and with the other he got q
nice grip on the lapel of his coat The
new conner had no other apology for his
technical assault upon the inebriated sail
Back up. Back up. What do you
think this is, Dutch picnic or an Irish
wake? Here's nice soft leg here in
the shade. Take a nap on it.
| The new oomer's action in its as
surance seemed reminiscent of accustom-
ed authority. He moved the inebriated
one out OF the knot of men as easily and
as quickly as though the act was OF daily
occurrence. The act bespoke his famili-
arity with the management of men.
When the story telling was over !
found this pacifcator standing in the
sunlight idly gazing over the wreck
strewn bay. In answer to my nod of rec
Ognition he asked:
What paper"
| / told him.
Big story here" he said, rehectively.
Yes" l replied, "a big story and a
bit hard for me to handle. You see
marine stuff is new to me-
III help you then"
And he did effectively and inteligently.
He pointed out the track of the storm.
He discussed its origin in the Yucatan
Channel, together with the METEOROLOGICAL
ri M ri
had been received at that hour from
/ the outside world, and no man there knew
/ If the hurricane had destroyed, MANNED
| and Killed in other places, but this cap
| able stranger, out of his knowledge of the
sea and the air, accurately fOretOld the
path of the hurricane. and the death and
devastation that lay in its wake as long
as II followed the coast line of the Gulf
| of Mexico.
He knew the shipping in the bay be-
| fore US and his trained eye guaged the
damage, each helpless vessel had suf-
fered. To my layman's eye, a wrecked
vessel was q wrecked vessel, but to him,
it was only out of place or slightly hurt
or out of commission forever, He, ran
over the names of the wrecks, their loca-
uo3. their damage and their probable
experience in the storm. There was meat
aI.h GIlnk in his talk for a news hungry
re.,'rt.~ w''". wanted TO do good job
with that story.
ne oescriDeu the main travelled channel
of the harbor and put each harbor light
in its proper place.
Between note taking i said suggestive
~, You seem familiar with the harbor.'
why not he replied II came in
here twenty-five years ago in command
of a United States cruiser. And off and
on I've known the harbor ever since"
What were you doing then? Working
with a wrecking company" ] asked.
No, / came in on the bridge of the
vessel and commanding her. / was an
ensign then, but serving a lieutenant's
assignment / hTOIiplt n
Gttle work done on her down at the
navy yard. i was just back from the
Arctic too. when came In on that trip.
| went out with the party the United
States government sent out TO rescue
the belong Expedition that was lost in
the Arctic ice. You have probably heard
of that expedition and its rescue by a
naval expedition ! had the ensign's as.
Signment on that trip.
'-On that trip got cut off from the main
party and with q bOatlOad of men. / was
lost on the Arctic for twenty-six days.
There's an experience for you. Twenty
six days in an open whale boat in the
Arctic Ocean. But l got back and L
landed every man of my crew safe and
about that adventure. You We're too
young TO know anything about 1t then,
though.
l slipped my pencil back into my pocket
discouraged and disappointed. Here was
the man who had given me such great
grist for typewriter-here was the man
who had supplied the deficiencies of my
own ineXperfence, developing into sea
side Munchagsen. The man who talks
much and talks wildly is the bane of
the news gathers life for the reporter
must stand sponsor for what he writes,
and if he be reasonably intelligent he
must analyZe the springs of his infor-
nation.
Wherefore the card house OF the story
had already begun to erect In my mind
was all but ready to tumble. In the wish
to shift him from romantic subjects and
preserve the integrity OF my store of
information, / said:
You have had sea going experience.
What do you think of the storm that
broke over this place. yesterday
1T was the worst / ever $50 he an
swered with confidence, I've seen many
blow but that hurricane yesterday
morning overtopped them all. l was
coast fourteen years ago. / thought it
had as as much force as wind and water
could get together. but that blow of yes
terdSy beat IT. l was an admiral in the
Brazilian navy at the time of my typhoon
experience. / went down to that coun-
try in command of the old dynamite
cruiser, the Nitchteroy. This cruiser had
been built in the United States, and 1
was given command of her by the Bra
lillian government.
'Tt was new idea this idea of shoot
ing great piles Of dynamite at an enemy.
1t was dangerous proposition. too. The
this new style and dangerous war had
to have man in command of her who
knew something about explosives, gun
merry and seamanship. I'd left pretty
neat record at Annapolis in those studies,
so 1 was called to take hold of the Nitchte-
roy and bring her down to Brazil. The
Insurgents were giving the government
no end of worry at that time. They
made me an admiral when / got down
there. That's how l had hand in the
Brazilian trouble.
1.-The Nftchteroy, you know, was later
bought back by the United States gov !
eminent and called the Nesuvius. You
know, she had a big hand in the block ,
ade at Santiago. She used to slip in at
night and belch up those big loads Of
dynamite which kept the Spaniards |
scared nearly 10 death, but which did !
no special damage.
81 had n hand in one OF the fights
ashore down in Brazil, he went on. once
well started in his story. THE govern |
ment troops and the insurgents had |
real fight-there was nothing on the |
comic opera about that battle. There Mas
plenty of blood spilled In the fight 1 |
would not like to repeat that expert |
ence. not that l minded the fighting. The |
thing that stuck IN my memory and sim |
sticks there is the memory 1900 wounded |
and dying men lying on the ground beA
tween the two armies, in the burning sun,
CRYING and screaming for aqua. aqua
water, water. There they lay. the poor '
devils, and there was not enough hui