The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-16

New York June l5.-When the officers
of a United States man-o-war have been
on police duty in the Caribbean for more
than eight months, with hasty trips to
Galveston and New Orleans as the only
breathing spells allowed. with diversion
restricted to the scheduled games in the
Dominican Baseball League, and one or
two incipient revolutions to be sat upon.
New York looks to them very much like
the promised or happy land. Anybody
who thinks otherwise has only to board
the United States gunboat Nashville. a
stumpy, taIl-funnelled. nondescript relic
of the days of the old White Squadron.
at present berthed in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard. and in yesterday from the trouble
full town OF Santo Domingo.
She is not much TO look at, the old
Nashville. She represents an earlier era
of naval construction, when sails were
still considered necessary auxiliary ad-
juncts to naval craft. But she has made
some history in her day. and among
other exploits, fired the first shot in the
Spanish-American war. Also, anybody
who has a mind to speak deprecatingly
of her merits had best stay on shore, be-
cause II does not go in the Nashville's
wardrobe-or fo'c's'le, either, for that
matter. She may be a bobtailed bit of
a craft. but she is very steady on her
pins, they say, and you know exactly
what she is going to do In any kind of
weather.
As for sighting remarks about the
polemasts and fore-and-aft rig, you are
informed that the sails are designed only
to steady her in a rough Saskatchewan,
conceded Lieut.. Daniel T. Client. execu-
tive officer, everybody except the chief
thinks they give her a half-knot with the
wind"
The chief is Ensign Alexander NJ.
Charlton, chief engineer. There is no
doubt about his being chief engineer, be-
cause he is the only engineer officer on
board. The Navy Department shows Its
confidence in young officers by putting
them in positions OF responsibility on
small vessels. and giving them no assist
ants of their own rank to commune with.
OF course. there must be more than one
watch officer. even on a gunboat assigned
to choking infant Caribbean revolution
airy enterprises, but the Navy Depart
ment did its best in this respect by al
lowing the Nashville the barely sufficient
number of three. But TO return to the
Nashville's cruise.
On Revolutionary Duty.
Whenever there is uneasiness politically
to the South of this country. the Navy
Department sends the Nashville to be
on the center VI ulsNhi bdh1t' "+th 80
Unfortunately tenuous tunnels. pole-masts.
and four-inch guns. to represent the
might OF Uncle Sam. And. strange as
1t may seem. there Is very seldom any
revolutionary activity after the Nashville
has put in her appearance.
On this last cruise, she has been look
ing after tthe destinies OF Santo Do
mingo and Haiti, those twin paradices
Of the Dictator and filibuster. In Santo
Domingo. which is comparatively peace
full and has American customs collectors,
and is actively supervised from Wall
Street they have had only three Presi-
dents in the last two years. Haiti
has not had quite so many, but the
bloodshed In this republic has been
greater in the same length of time.
While the Nashville had her hands full
at Santo Domingo City, helping the Ro-
man Catholic archbishop. Mgr. Nouel, try
10 maintain an impartial government. she
had a hurry call from Port au Prince.
where his excellency, the President of
Hayti, Gen. Tancrede Auguste, had sud
denly expired for no known reason. Some
people said il was poison-they have
clever way Of mixing ground glass in ones
stew in Haiti.
But, of course. the United States Navy
had no business with such rumors as
these. All that is expected OF the navy
is that il be present at critical times and
show the flag over battery of guns
big enough to command the respect OF
the most devil-may-care revolutionary.
To make matters worse, and compel the
Nashville to put on all sail to help her
engines-there were no vessels TO wit
ness this deed-while the friends Of the
defunct President were burying him in
the Cathedral at Port au Prince. some
soldiers outside opened fire through the
windows and doors. and there was
stampede. Fortunately. nobody
was hurt. In Haiti II is generally the
people who are not aimed at who get
killed.
"Santo Domingo isn't such a bad
place" said Lieut. Client. There is