The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-21
GEO. N cORM|CK'S
GOTH. BIRTHDAY.
Well Known -keokuk Citizen viii
Reach Ripe Age Tomorrow At
ter Long Residence
Here.
rs A VETERAN FIFER
-a--1-l-~-i--
interesting, Short Biography Of the
Civil War Veteran, Whose
Heart Is Vet
+ Young.

On the 22nd of Dec. 1923 there was
born in the north of ireland babe
that was christened George McCor-
mick. The lad grew to sturdy man
hood under the parental. roof. When
shortly after he was out of his teens
he married the girl of his choice.
First came a girl, then boy to be
cherished in his household. AT the
age of thirty-one he, after longing
for America, packed up necessary
goods for himself and loved ones and
about the first of November 1854 took
passage at Liverpool on the good, but
Inflated ship st. Patrick bound for
the land of the stars and stripes. The
vessel weathered the sea heroically
for six weeks before it arrived in
sight of yankee land and was ready
to enter New York harbor. During the
trip over the ocean young Mccormick,
being broth of boy soon became
a well-liked friend of the ships Off
GERS: while the sailor crew encircled
him with their companionship and
were ever ready to seek his company,
each yieing with the other in showing
favors to the jolly Irishman. McCor-
mick inheriting the bury p..vs:ca,
strength and activity of his native
country soon. became expert in climb
ing the ropes of the ships rigging
equal in alacrity to the most expert
enced sailor. Among his possessions
on board was fife of historic value
and intrinsic worth. On this he play
ed to the joy of the sailors and to the
qualification of the crew, thus Will
ing away many happy hours that 9TH
erwise would have been burdensome.
In some respects the passengers
were a motley lot of adventures, but
innocent, not knowing anything about
the country they were intending to
make their future homes. Some had
cooking utensils of the most crude
kind thinking they were going to the
wildwoods sure enough. One good-na-
tured old Irish lady had a couple Of
| dried cod fish taking to a friend who
had come here some years before.
/
coast ana was ready for the steam-tug
! to pilot her safely into the port OF
New York, the captain of the vessel,
for some unknown reason, undertook
| to go in to the harbor without the
I help of the pilot. This act of the
captains was unfortunate for his yes
sci, for she floundered and slowly
sank in Barnagat Inlet Dec. 10Th, off
the coast of New Jersey. A skipper
came to. the ships rescue saving all
4 the passengers, but the captain Of the
relief boat would not allow the pas
sen ers to take any luggage whatever
with them. Permission was given Nc
Cormick to have two blankets to pro
tect the children from freezing, fol-
it was very cold. Nc. thought of his
historic fife and waded in the colo
water knee deep to his chest of goods
s and got possession Of the musical in
strument which was played upon in {
battle over two hundred years ago
1 This relic of antiquity he will give Il
\ his grandson, Master Madison Sterne
Mccormick came to Keokuk in 1851
and has been a useful and honoret
/ resident all the intervening years
4 During the civil war he was the chic
4 fifer in the city where SO many o
\ Iowa's soldiers modified; he was II
4 the martial band playing "the wilt
grand music of war" to which the sol
diers marched to the boats that con
veyed them to southern battlefelds
Nc. bears his lightweight years witt
buoyant mein and his step still re
tains much of the old-time elasti
movement Tomorrow while he, so t
| speak, is resting at the eighty-eightl
mile post on life's. highway. he vii
! look back "reminiscences of the joy
\ and cars of the years gone by, and 70
A the sunny days for him yet in the still