The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-09-10
A NAVY STORY
UNDER j. S. FLAG
The Search-Light Thrown on
Old Merrimac
Told by an Inmate in a Few Short Serial
Stories. Containing Many Inter-
esting Places Visited, and
The Services Rendered.
By o. p. B.

Have you ever noticed that when
in hearing or reading of some Incl
dent. it will recall to mind things
that bad almost passed from your
memory, and once they are recalled
to mind they are pictured in your
minds eye as wildly as at the time
they were enacted? A short time
ago | read Of an old race horse, one
that had been a star when in his
prime, but now he was doing duty
on a milk cart; it 80 happened that
one day be heard bugle, such as
are used on race tracks, and the
sound OF the bugle recalled things
to the mind of that old horse. and
what was the result? Why,
there was milk cans scattered along
the streets for miles in the wake of
this once great racer. Then again
you have seen hunting dogs, who,
when they see their master prepared
to go hunting will cut up all kinds
of antics. showing that the memory
of former hunts, with it's unusual
excite ement, is recalled to their mind.
Now as every newspaper one picks
up to peruse is filled with news of
the war that is being enacted in
Europe, it recalls to my mind many
scenes that witnessed in this, and
and foreign climes.
l took an active part in the Span
ish- American war of 1898; fought
against the PHILIPPINES in 1899-1900.
and was in the first expedition that
started from Taku. China, to rescue
the legations at Pekin, during the
Boxer uprising. and as the memory
of the excitement of those times is
so indelibly imprinted upon my mind
/ shall try and depict to the readers
of our family journal little of the
unwritten history IF those conflicts.
and in so doing this l know there Is
enough real action to keep you in
terested, even though l give you just
the plain unvarnished truth, and
though the recital of events may
seem crude, you can never-the- less,
depend on the authenticity of my
memoirs.
At the first call for men to man
our many memo war. enlisted in
the Uuited States Navy, thinking
that by joining the Navy instead cf
the Army. / would have a greater
opportunity of seeing active service,
and my judgment did not 20 amiss
in this instance at least. The first
rendezvous to which l was sent,
along with many others, was the
Navy Yard at Brooklyn, NY, there
/ found every thing was hustle and
hustle. supplies and ammunition of
every kind were being received and
loaded aboard different crafts.
A few days after my arrival there
which was about April 10, 1898, a
crusier arrived from Europe. which
had just been purchased by this gov.
ernment from the Brazilian govern
ment. She was the Amazonas, but
a few days after her arrival she was
renamed the U. S. s. New Orleans.
She was the most modern ship in
our Navy at that time and was equip
ped with the most rapid firing guns,
and she was the only ship to use
cordite or smokeless powder, which
was a great advantage in time of ac-
tion. On account of her great speed
and general up tC-dateness, l con-
sidered she would be rushed to the
front, and as wished to get as much
local color as possible i, was my am
bition to become one of her crew;
but alas, when the detail from the
receiving ship Vermont was sent to
her | was not amongst them, 80 l
took a long chance and went to the
Captain of the Vermont, and asked
for a personal interview. Being
granted this privilege / did some
tall talking. / told him had per-
sonal friend aboard the New Orleans
aud that if he could arrange to have
me sent aboard her as one of the
crew he would be doing me a great
favor. l must have made a favor
able impression on him, for in about
twenty minutes l was off bag and
hammock for the U. s. S. New Or
leans. and shortly afterward was
duly registered rs one of her crew.
After taking on coal, ammunition
and supplies. We cast loose from the
dock on April 10, 1893 for Newport,