The sun., 1908-01-10

LnAL one man anoun loeo uAs llo en1n
dozen.
Nothing could change shorty'a deter
mination. He threw OF his clothes and
leaped into the sea. His companions
watched him buffsting the waves for an
hour or 90 and then he was lost To view.
The sharks hung about the overturned
boat and probably that fact saved Shorty.
He reached land in four or iVs hours
thoroughly exhausted After a rest on
the beach no hunted up some fishermen.
whom he induced 20 60 after his shipmates.
They were all rescued and regained the
Saratoga the next morning.
Il tell ye. boys" said the bos'n's mate.
Il have a hkin' Tor this place. | was one
Of that party and Shorty saved my life
here. don't know where Shorty Is now.
He was commended for his bravery. He
said Il didn't amount to nothing. modest
like I don't know whether he's alive.
II he's dead. God rest his soun'
HOW CoALIN0 THE SHIPS was DONE
The chief incident of the stay Of the fleet
in this port. aside from the exchange of
Official courtesies. was the coaling of the
ships. That is the dirtiest work that can be
dOne about any ship. and to an American
wsrship In its white dress II seems almost
like PROCLAMATION. It's task that the navy
has learned how 20 do with despatch and
one might almost say with neatness. At
daybreak the next morning after the ar
rival OF the feet the golfers steamed up
slowly to the sides OF the ships of the first
division All had been made ready for
them. Tackle and coal bags and shovels
and running trucks had been prepared
while the ships were making port. All
hands turned to. One section from each
division OF each ship was sent into the hold
OF the collier. Four such sections were
employed in the collier at once. The coal
ing bags, each capable Of holding 500
pounds. we're thrown over and then the
dust began to fly. All the ventilating ma
chinery Of the ship had been stopped and
canvas had covered all the openings so
that as little Of the dust as possible could
find It's way into any other place than the
bunkers. The chutes TO the bunkers we're
all open. The marines and the men of the
powder division were on the turrets and
other places 10 expedite things. Down
in the coal bunlSers the engineer division
were put at slowing the coal away smoothly
and eV" ". The bunkers on such occasions
in the ,rOrics are yeritable black holes and
the men have to be relieved frequently
Jack makes the best OF a bad job. and
coaling ship illustrates this. The men got
out their old coal slowing clothes that once
were white and theoretically still are white.
Some Of them got old discarded marine
helmets for keadgear. Some tied handker-
chiefs around their heads, the brighter the
color the better. Some had no head cover
Ing Some rolled up the leg Of one trouser
just for the fun OF the thing. Some wore
socks over their shoes-anything to make
things lively and get that coal in at the rate
Of 100 tons an hour.
The bags were filed. attached to the
whip-as the derrick hoist Is called-and
swung up to the deck. There the bags
were seized and those intended for stowago
on the side next to the collier were dumped
quickly. Those intended for the other side
Of the ship were placed on little trucks and
pulled across the deck and then dumped.
II was lively work. step and 60. and laughter
and good cheer enlivened the task. The
ships band was placed on the after bridge.
where il played quioksteps aid jigs and
made the men run and heave an0 shovel
and toss as II coaling ship was the greatest
fun in the world.
The decks were sanded so that the dust
would mingle with the sand and not CRIME
the woodwork. After the coaling was over
the gear was slowed away first Then the
men washed away the dirt from their hands
and around their mohths, noses and eyes
and all turned to. baboonlike in appearance.
to clean ship. Sides we're washed down and
decks scrubbed. In two or three hours no
one would have known that the ship had
been In a black dirt storm. Then the men
scrubbed their clothes and finally they
scrubbed themselves. got into clean clothes
and the task was over.
Four days we're occupied with this work
for the feet. The last ship to be coaled
was the Maine. for that ship is the greatest
coal eater in the feet She was reserved
to the last so that she would have the largest
supply possible on board for the 5000 mile
run to Rio. The Maine was coaled on
Saturday and il depended upon the alert
| ness with which il was done whether the
feet was to sail for Rio at sunset on Saturday
or at sunrise on Sunday morning. This
il written on Saturday and the exact time
OF departure cannot be noted in this letter.
| The feet sailed on the afte rnoon Of Sum-
day December 20.
The supply ships had little TO do in this
port because the ships were not in need
Of much provisioning. Most Of the ships
took meat from the beef ships, as the sail
ors call the supply vessels, but it was only
in limited quantities. At Rio an extensive
business will be done in the ten days stay
in furnishing supplies to the feet.
The torpedo fiotilla got under way on
Christmas morning. The bluejackets were
sorry to see it go on that day. for they knew
they were going to have fun and wished
their mates on the fiotilla could also join
in the merriment. The YanlSton and
Panther, the latter a repair ship. sailed
two days later. The supply ships CulgoG
and Glacier were kept to go along with the
feet because they can steam easily at the
rate Of II knots.
JACKS OBSERVANCE OF GOOD ORDER.
Up to the last day Of the stay in port
liberty parties were going ashore from
the ships every day. To the credit Of Jack
lot It be said that ho conducted himself
with the dignity that becomes the true
American man-o'-wars man. or course
he patronized the saloons. Now and then
one would stagger a little on coming to
hia ahin Thare were no rows and tha