Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-05
AN OLD-TIME SOUSE
How an American Admiral Sur
vived q Feast That Floored
Rest Of Company.
coUNTRY's HONOR UPHELD

Captain Lanyard, chatting with q
number Of us who delighted to gather
around him in the hope Of yarn
reverted for the hundredth time tc
| the ways Of the old navy, as he knew
it when a lad. He had rung for q
waiter to receive our orders, and
when these, in the main, took the
form of a lemonade or glass oi
| Apollinaris, he exclaimed, "Well, III
be blowed if temperance isn't the fad
nowadays! | remember when the
only difference between men was that
some drank more than others, but all
men took their spirits as a matter OF
course, and, queer things happened
at times in consequence"
Here he stopped short, and an ex-
preston of "Reminiscences came over
his face. .-....
what is it you are thinking about,
Captain Lanyard2 Do tell us" we
said. 49, .,
After a little persuasion he began
again, and this is what he told us:
| 1t is impossible, even in the most
superficial way, to contrast the Gus
toms of today with those of seventy
years ago and yet remain a pessimist.
The world at large has certainly ad-
vanced in many respects since then
and the navy has kept pace with the
general movement, else would one
event in the career OF the late Rear
Admiral Francis H. Gregory, U. S. N,
lose Its value as marking a notable
change in the pratices of the seamen.
Not that naval officers do not re-
| joice after their fashion when they
foregather, but their fashion has
changed radically and the old time
excessive indulgence in liquor is
now as rare as it formerly was
habitual.
In the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro.
When in the winter of 1845, Captain
Gregory anchored the United States
sloop-of-war Raritan in the harbor OF
Rio de Janeiro he found in port a
number of foreign vessels, among
which was her Brittanic majesty's
frigate 'Proteus, commanded, let US
say, by Captain the Honorable Claude
St. John, c. B., r. N. The usual ex-
change Of official calls was followed
by a civil note from Captain St. John
inviting Captain Gregory to dine with
him the following day on board the
Proteus.
Acceptance, of course, was obliga-
tory lest offence be given, yet Greg
oryi would have preferred to decline,
for he was temperate man, holding
in adherence the habit OF drinking to
excess. But, knowing what lay before
him, his Yankee wit suggested
means, no matter what happened to
the others, by which he could hold his
own. The good name Of his service
demanded this, and, for his part, he
proposed to maintain the honor of the
flag in the friendly contest he could
not escape. So he sent to Captain St.
John polite letter of thanks, address,
ing it, as was the rule OF that time, to
Claude St. John, Esquire, Command
ing H. B. M. S. Proteus.
Rios Lights Twinkle Across Water.
The lights of the town were Begin
ming to twinkle in the dusk when
Gregory sent his orderly to tell the
Raritan's officer Of the deck that "the
captain wished his gig called away"
Those who remember his tall, erect
figure and his quick, alert movements
can easily picture him to themselves
as, wearing his loosely buttoned uni
form Ia certain degage style was in
vogue then), his finely moulded chin
resting lightly on the huge black stock
universally worn by gentlemen in
those days, he stepped ON board the
Proteus to be received by his host
and escorted below into the cabin,
where the other guests already had
assembled-the British consul,
couple of British merchants from the
city and enough of the Proteus' ward
room officers to make up tidy party.
After the introductions were over a
servant handed around sherry and Bit
ters, and then Captain St. Johns stew
ard announced dinner. 4
The cabin was small but airy, for
the big gun ports on either side and
the stern windows were wide open,
but it was only dinlly lighted, for in
those days sperm and rapeseed oils
and candles were the only illuminants.
1t is to this circumstance that the sue
cess of Gregory's strategem was due.
While Madeira and port were
passed as a tribute to convention, the
company, after the first course, ac-
cepted, to man, the offered alterna-
tive of brandy, Gregory disposing OF
his full share without flinching. 1t
was noble feast, merry at first, then
bit boisterous, but the noise gradu-
ally lessened, for the convives, toward
the close, began to respond to the in
fluence of the cognac by falling into
contemplative mood and to take less
interest in what was going on about
them.
One by One the Diners Disappear.
One OF the British merchants was |
the first OF succunb, sliding grace
fully from his chair beneath the table.
He was followed in turn by a lieu-
tenant, then another lieutenant and
so on, until only St. John and Greg
ory remained above the board, the
latter conversing quietly and steadily, |
apparently none the worse for the |
glasses he had emptied and which
the British captain saw retilled
promptly as long as he was able to !
do SO. He had, however, met his
match for eventually he, too, disap-
peared to join his fellows under the
cloth, leaving Gregory alone in his
glory, as fresh as at the beginning,
for had he not bravely tossed his
liquor, not down his throat but inside
his wide stock, preferring the discom-
fort Of so unusual 1 bath to the self
humiliation of intoxicationl
The next day, when sufficiently
master of his faculties, Captain St.