The sun., 1909-02-14

the Cramps company. After he had de-
lvered the ship an audience was given
him by Abdul Hamid, who aaked MN
and one Of lis aides de camp. since that
! time Bucknam has made a name for fim-
| self among the Turks and has been deco
rated with the order Of the Medlidie
Bucknam Pasha is the first Christian
to have actual command OF Mohamme.
dams. a distinction which even hopar.
Pnsha, the British Admiral OF the Cnmean
War, did not enjoy. II has been the Gus
tom OF tho Turks to place beside every
foreign officer O MohamnIedan OF equal
rank having authority TO command
Bucknam Pasha won the Sultan's favor
by his honesty a thing 30 rarely found IN
the imperial encourage OF the oId regime
II was the custom Of European SHIP
builders TO get from the Sultan as much
money rs possible for ships as worthless
as his officers would accept. For ex-
ample the Sultan paid for one ship the
sum Of 81 $50. 600, OF which 81 200 900 was
pocketed by his own officers. only $3.50 600
going to tho contractors, VINO mlght DO
said to have done well in delivering an
iron tub with gums and machlnery OF
sort worth altogether about $500 600.
On several occasions the American
Pasha, who Yves generally sent to Europe
to receive these ships when. ready Tor
delivery, refused to Gccept the vessels
until mGteriel changes had been mede
bringing them up to contract require
ments BY his scruples he won for him
self no friends among the ship builders
of the particular Government which
had the monopoly OF Turkish contracts
prior to the proclamation OF the Consul
tuition.
On one occasion a note from the en-
bassy Of that country suggested thet Lhe
builders of q new vessel would prefer
some one else to receive the ship. In
reply to their note Capt. Bucknam, or
Bticknam Bey as the term goes here. be-
came an Admiral and Pasha. ,.,
On voyage out from the Atlantic with
one of these new ships Blu cknam once
made hit among the Mohammedens
by tacitlv refusing to salute the french
flag in Algerian wfters. The Ottoman
Government has never recognized the
French occupation OF Algeria, and Tor
that reason II for no other Turkish ship
had never before put into an Algerian
herbor.
A breakdown of machinery obliged
Bucknem late one evening 10 take reIuge
in the port OF Algiers. when by careful
timing he entered the breakwster before
daybreak. Three times the French com.
mender Of the harbor ports sent word
in polite French fashion that he wesreedy
TO return the Turks salute. Receiving
no salute he was probably forced to
conclude that the habitual incapacity OF
Turkish wPrships included the inaDlity
to fire their guns
The attitude Of the Algerians on this
occasion reminds one Of the story OF the
old Egyptian who said he always prayed
at evening that Allah should work mir
acle over night and restore the land to
true believers. but i'm the morning he gave
thanks TO Allah that the English were
still there. In s-ite Of the good govern
nent which the French have given to Al.
giers. the Mohammedans there manifested
an extraordinary enthusiasm for the
ship Of the one great free Moslem Power
over which the great Caliph OF Islam still
continues to rule.
boats to see and touch the vessel. Fren--
Zied men sometimes almost swamped
their boats. Long before the hour when
visitors were allowed aboard the ship
these turhaned, long robed Arabs clad
in white drew alongside to kiss the vessel
and take up TASKS Of sacred water from
close to her side.
During the day they crowded her deck,
facing Mecca and praying, and sometimes
individuals could hardly be persuaded to
leaN the shin at night. The news spread
TO the interior and pilgrimages were or
ganized from as far inland as three days
Journey by camel. At last the excite
mcnt grew to such pitch that the French
authorities feared the effect upon tribes
back toward the Moroccan frontier. and
an order was issued that no more natives
should visit the ship.
On this same occasion Bucknam Pasha
saved the Sultan considerable sum OF
POSSIBLE salvage money. The ship was
able only to come in sight of the harbor
of Algiers and anchor with her own power;
the propeller could not be got to move
again in either direction.
When an early bird Of a coal contractor
came out on his tug to bid for the ships
coal supply Bucknam told him that he
would take the coal IL the tug would
"help a little" in moving the ship into the
harbor The fellow came alongside and
unknown to himself towed the ship in.
Buck nam kept even his pilot, a native and
a probable friend of the coal man. ignorant
of the ships condition. having informed
the engine room to answer the pilots
every signal as Done
When the coal man found out that the
ships propeller had not turned stroke
on the way in he made out a salvage bill
of many thousands Of pounds but In the
old days claims not backed by demon
stration of real warships were always
left unpaid by the Imp perial Ottoman