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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1907)
"WAV ins OST of us.'' W .MS recsUt liow. iurmr tltft War of Uifi tttielllon. tli ere was a s-tift- Tal report that a Kw-uu ilret vas in orae manner going to help, tie ready:. to help.--the or them Suites. Th"i oemed to to a vague. ur.iUiCiied : Idea rurrnV that Russia" stooil ready t in Lerfr in behalf of ttw) ls"irt.lv;if . th.y iK.orlv Cos. caled assistance -' England ae-: giving the South wont too far. I distinctly remember sucli rumoi-s. but Vi' never teen able, until recemly, "to put my finger on," so,, to npeak. anv- t hlng- which T consiuorcJ m.Z .all. -In -thr lijht Of evidence. During the lant ttvo years I have ha a In my erjiploy un oIT HIlf r. .who. on arlout! occasions, xelated to ino incl-; dents from his varied txpetoei&yji be fame lnterented find the result 1s the. follorvinir nutcnient : by hi jij. It . senni'd to me ho Important, wpe oi&lly the fact of .some 00 seamen' being transferred in a. body- from trlio TCursUlxi laJ.be AmTicstn Navyw that I wrote to tfio Assistant ; Secretary;; of m Mil y concerning the nmtiei-- Ilia reply; iir mi tit-ra! terms, was that ho could f&nd 119 vocord in the ; Navy, ;Dejartment : of any "considerable number" of in.cn. tie- Uxe' so transferred..;... "Whether ..it was meant that between 400 i nd 500 vcti e considered .a- "conttiu'erab.e .-number" : or that the Navy, records did not show of nrt- seamen- being ; thus . transferred.. I Jo not know. Probably tho latter, for tho reader will sec, upon jca(ling ; ilie narrative, theBs "seamen . were never-lit. the pay of the United State.: Govern ment, but received their regular .. pay frpm the Russian government upon their return for Rusela. For this reason their iinmos were probably never on the roll c our Navy, although they tools an oath to serve the United States "as long -as needed. Whether our Oovernmant .rs imbursed Ku.ssla for the service of these men will probably never be known, at least by us laymen. Tho narrative X nm about to relate la- absolutely true, I am certain. Its author; tho old sailor, I have- known Tlit i 0me time, and know him to be atjEolu-fceijr honest and truthful. I know, and as lie himself says, that for years after fiuitting tha nea he was one of the worst jT drunkards, "not drinking." as ho fays, hut pouring down whlHkey. in i some manner he came into contact villi the Salvation army, was converted, and ever since been a -eoboii. uMljrlt. honest man, and a very cr.ciiuaStuitHs w orker In the SaiUtHc. Am'' - Ie has tried to recall ' finrll "f wmt' Ttides, so H.j to te B.ble in some mull- ner to corroborate his statement, but so many fears have passed: moreover b knr -Them by their Xtusnlun or Finnish nil iPS onlj, and In most cases simply nicknames, therefore I am oblft to find no corroborative evidence whatever. For that reason I wrote to tho Navy Department, and for that rea-son also, T have given his recollections In a sort of nn rratlve form. From tho connection of these incidents, inelr reasonableness and their simplicity, coupled with my personal knowledge' of The man himself. I o.m positive he tells The absolute truth. A Participant's Narrative. ' I wo-s born In NeuBtead. Finland, in the year 1M5. In 1SD6, when only 11 years old. I wont aboard a Finnish sailing ves- sIp lying between ICeustead and Lubeck. Vnjssla. From that time until 1863 I was continually on tho eea and all the time on Finnish vessels. In 1S6S, while jrty snip was in London.' I deserted and went back to mv home In Finland. I was there, arrtsteJ, taken before acourt, trie-d and sentenced to servo two years 1:i the Ptustisian xrnvy. I was placed on board tho Russian man-of-war Ivanotr nhe Bpolling may ho wrong). ..a hark viRjsod steam vessel. Tt was, as well an T can remember, in August, 1363, that vent on board the Ivanoff. "Sometime in 1SG4. I think in May while my ship wus at Cronstadt, ftussla. was asked if I were willing to goto ihe United Suites and serve In the Navy. X wiui agked by a Kuasiun offieer in Rus sian, uniform. T was perfectly willing and myself, tegcturr with .some w or K other sailors from Russian men-of- wer -Tit Cronstadt. were placed aboard a German passenger steamer- and salli lor New York, Tonned X'nclo Smi ITniform. "We landed at New York In tho night time, and were at once taken to the Tirookl yn Js'avy-Yard, where, within half an hour, we took tho oath of el- glance to the United States and to serve in the United States Navy as long an needed. Ve then changed our Rua- Fian uniforms for thof of the United States' Navy. With us ware our Rus- sian officer!, wlio could speak Knulish. Catalna and Ucuteniin'ts, who were a. Loo sworn into tno united swu-s mvj, ana who changed their uniforms for those of . rorrepondlrig rank In fclio United Stata Navy, It was necessary to" have our own officers, because nono ot Us sailors could speak English, and our Jiussfsi officers repeated tnu conimandn of tl American orriccrs, 'Wo were all placed aloartl a tran port, and that same nlgrht before day- UKht. tho night we came there, , saJled to join Admiral Farragut's floet. "We Joined the fl'et In the AlississJ River below ew Orleans, and were trlbUted amonj the xnen-or-war. I golnj to the Hartford, the AdiBiral's flagship. We were all sailors, and our- duty 1 to manage the ship, but In case of. eesslty we helped the gunnera. --Wo le.JU -below Hew Orleans a.whUeJ.tia .WMr TTft 9 then went up the Mississippi and cruised tund for a time, but had no engage nts. Then we sailed for M.oblle Bay. In the Maintop With Farragut. When we ran the forts at Mobile y, I, with four other sailors, was in" the maintop. Tho maintop Is the first antling on the middle ma.it, about 45 to CO feet above the deck, -It Is a circular platform, some 10 feet in diameter, and protected around the sides by armor a CURIOUS COOKING IN HEX a domestic science teacher herself In the laterlor of finds Shantung horseback or being- car ried in a chair over endless muddy; dusty or atony roads, with intervals for eatinsr and Bleeping in OUlnee inna of medieval Squalor, She finds it wise, unless she in tends to starve, to lay aside a very large number of her "regular Ideas of civilised cleanliness, " table service and dietetics, and to shut her eyes to many things that seen, say, in Portland (and such things have been seen there , would taJco a.way her appetite for a week. But the appetite that results after rls Ing -In the array dawn "from a. hard mot. bed and traveling nomo lO or ' 12 mllea before breakfast, t3 not easily ' tauten away (except by a square meal) and you very soon realize how many are the t nines that you can Ret along without In leading a truly simple life. Also that It is perfectly possible to enjoy a monot onous dlcst of irgB, tea and "mantou" or "momma" (a kind of eteamed bread) three times a day for a week; even though yon liavo to eat at a bare rickety table, and though you feel impelled to rinse out cup and ylaiter with scalding tea before you trust yournelf to use them. The men.1 will probably bo catn In tb "best room" of the inn. if it is a good 'inn this room Is likely to bo raised a top or two above the courtyard Into which tt opens. There may be a window Without glass, but with thin paper stretched over the frame. The floor 19 of hard Btamixd earth. &nd seems to be the proper place to throw egg sheila. riiomnKi rinds or tea dregs, one. w tw teas, simple wooden frames with reed mats on Lhera, with two chairs and a table usually complete the furniture, aJUiough I bavs occasionally seen a scroll or picture and a mirror. The latter, I was told, was not intended for toilet purposoa, but to keep off devils. Certainly any selz-re-s pectins devil would flee If he saw hinv self reflected In that d la tort i nar glasH; I was half scared myself. - The walls are Bometimcs papered,' but is almost alwajra (oa ud rilK BUND1Y OUEGOMAX, PORTLAND. JANXIAIIT l.V IWTi 1 ' lew feet high. ;Adniiral Farragut was not lashed to the mast, or to anything else, but stood on this platform in the maintop.- I Know, because I lay on tho floor almost beslds his feet. I gay 'lay,1 for as we five sailors were groingj into the maintop FarraRUt told a Russian of- fleer, 'Tell tho boys to llo down and we did so. Tho Admiral atood up all through the action, but was not tied to anything, and we sailors tried also to stand up and see what was going on, .1 . i XjIXjIATV E. TISGLK, POKTLuUD EXPERT, MAKILS 2VOTE OF THINGS OBSKKVEU OX dirty. There may be a ceiling paper 1 stretched on a llKht frame but usually you have an uninterrupted view of the thatch and a chance to. reflect on the ltxards and scorpions that make their home there. In all the inns where I slpt thore was a email inner room, affording some de- gree of privacy, and furnished - with, a bed, sometimes a table, and . always a heap Ot dust and.nibWati. ; In tho poorer Inns, such as are met with in the moun tains and along- - tho less traveled roads,', the accommodation is of course less sumptuous. Often there is only a single room with no bedsteads, simply mats laid on & raised - earttion platform or "kang," which can be heated, from be- neath In cold weather. ' Such a window less,- dirty den would . not be considered fit for a- decent American horse. 'If cir cumstancea compelled a halt at a place like this wa took our food in the open air. to tho wonder and amusement of Interested onlookers. - in the courtyard. which la ankle deep In mud except In the dryest weather, there is probably a collection of clumsy country carts, spring- less, vltll heavy, yellow, nail-studded wheels and bright blue arched covers. A ride In such a -cart over the ruts and rocks of a well-traveled lilsrh road la an unforgettablo experience. I snouid tninK a padded football suit would make the most natiefactory tra-vell n ji costume tor persons using: these vehicles. Queer Cooking. Beside the .cartH, ' the horses n.nd mules are steadily applying them- selves to thetr ration of chopped straw, bran and ben. wolf-llk, slant eyed a number of a, and per haps a black nog or two, are .wiing what they may devour;, and the driv ers, chair-bearrs, personal servants and military escort, are squatting: on their heels round a low table and using their chop-sticks with much visror,- and enjoyment- A darK archway leads out into tho villas street. -Inside this la the oooJc- tea L Jiy J 1 3 JM mrmm m a -mm Wmr nr. , ; 1 iil 111 hut -ue would not let us, -and made us lie down. - f "From Mobile Bay we weht to Charles-. ton, then to Savannah, and then to Hampton Roads. From here v;c, the Russian sailors from the various ships, were sent to tho - Brooklyn Xavy-Yard. arid after v waiting for about four weeks for all the sailors to arrive, we were sent back, by a passenger steamer to Cronstadt and placed again aboard our own ships. I goln back to th Ivanoff. INTERIOR lng- place black and smoky, where a brown, half -naked 12-year-old is work ing the bellows-arran&rement of a queer clay-built stove. This stove is fed continually with dried fsxaas and kian-HanK stalks by an . old woman who wags her bald head and emilea a friendly toothless smile in response to your salutation. Moreover, she will allow you a gllmpso or mysterious 8WW3 and vegetable mixtures cooking merrily, between the black hot-water Kettles. Tho street doorway naturally is crowded with curious women and chil- dren, a curious men. too; they are just as to be con tented with the back: seats in this par ticular circus. Gradually the crowd presses forward Into . the courtyard. They want to watch the wonders of omelet making1 over an alcohol lamp; and one feels as If a Cooking School Demonstration is in progress, until suddenly our head servant and com-mander-ln-chief turns upon them and drives them out with threats and jests, sendlnjr swarms of brown cher ubs Into hiding behind their mothers, or in their own doorways, by the an- nouncement that he has orders from the Governor to carry off to Chinanfu all small boys without trousers. On tlio lioatl. You finish off your meal with a handful of peanuts - or Home bis orange - colored persimmons bought from a persistent peddler for ttfl&t seems to you a scandalously low price. Tho landlord Is paid by the com niinfler-ln-CllJer ftfter eomo character istic bargaining. Tour few belongings are bundled Into the cart and you your self get Into a gay blue, (rreen and red Chair carried tjr t sturdy rascals with bowl-shape A hats and red horse hair xlums. Your cavalry escort goea clattcrlnn off. looklnir very trirllati In their loose belted blue and red uni forms with the Queues colled like a "Dutch braid" under neat sailor hats. Tli Comtuaiider-l-i-chlcf and hta nom inal mBter ride majestically through tha crowd and J0U &T. off On the toad ,T5.r.t: mm m "Ordered ustQ'foy- v- Whejj at, the. Brooklyn Navy-Yard changed oi:r uniforms back to those of th Husian NaT. "We were In the TL'nited States Navy somewhere between five and six month?; it is. so long; I ' can't remember exactly. Ve did not receive any pay from tlie VniteU States, but were paid on our own regular payday in Russia. I received about V..f- per month, bclnif under sen tence. At this time there were at Cronstadt OF CHINESE EMPIRE JV SUMMER'S JOt KNKV. again. Traveling 'in leisurely fash ion through countless villatres and resting-- at -wayside teahouses, one lias ample opportunity tor studying the food supply and much of the domestic economy of the Shantung "peasants. "YVlittt tlie Natives Kat. Nine people out of 'ten, If asked what the Chinese live on, will reply promptly, "Why. rice, of course, and tea." But Shantung is a Northern province,, where rico 1-s very little used and where wheat, kianllants. .millet and" beans are -the sta ple crops. This year the wheat crop was very poor and widespread famine would have been inevitable had nothe kianllang and millet yielded fairly good harvesta ah it. is, mere win do an inconceivaDio amount of want and hun?cr In " those brown, thatched huts. all. over ther prov ince. ICianliang looks something: like sorghum when you eeo.lt growing. The stalK and the straw- seem almost a9 important as the grain. The stalk Is used for thatch, and, plastered with mud it often forms the walls of very poor dwejlings. it is used for fences, for screens, for 'bede, for baskets and for fuel.- The straw is woven, into mats and Is also used for fodder. With Chopsticks, Bread in different forms and a kind of macaroni are the staple foods In the coun- try. Tha latter lg more like noodles in appearance than, the tubular macaroni, with which, we are moat familiar. It Is cooked up with scraps of vegetables and pork (it meat can be afforded) to make It tasty, and if well prepared Im a dish by no means to be deaptsed. The American IlOUSeKecper mi<t well taKe a hint from some of the methods of preparing it. but she will probably not want to serve It Chinese faablon or to try to eat It with CtlOpeUcKs. Oh! it's lota ot tun to eat macaroni with cnopstocks.- ! hoA a buttf time when I made my' first attempt, al though I am -proud to say that later." 'at certain Chinese dinner parties I was re- pektedly complimented on my fiklll with these Implements. Chlne.ia Hour is coarse and .rrrfcty. In cities where -there are foreigners, foreign bread made, from imnorted flouM3.usu rrrx: ffll rg w m . . w ' . i - iiJs.iTHWWAS THOMPSON-. sAKItATOU; j fjuidigr ttau ist tlw ihmw , 'I lion. ,.Mn. ben lie Jot Ah ;u.9ian tut), tlicr nave hlru ih. ot Ivan Ivanliolf. That h hit 1 Knsnn nume. lie declares tt was 1 tike cunloin In tk Ruwlin u.vr to j plve sudors new mimes. Af terw;sd Z he fthlpped under everajM:;:; ! i Andrron, Johmton, HmltU nrl::ihrtn: ! ! -fF-- . i-c w.., iibv-xh ii j trtoiwa:hf - time Whrn aftUfd for hit " namwrtSL lllecl: "Andrrwm." Tho li.x-- an- swerril; 'W have too many Ander- I Hons on board now. Your name is I TliompNOD, Thomas Thompson," and be hat carried that name ever since. somewhere about loO.OOO Kusaiajl soldiers anLiting orders, ready at an hour's no- tico to sail for the United states. Of this I am certain, for I saw them and talked with them daily in their Ixirracka. They made no secret of it and aald they were awaiting- orders to sail and fight for the L'nited States In case Kngland continued to help the Southern States. I finished my, two years on- the Ivanoff and then wont homo to Finland for the Winter, where my father died. Then I shipped on a Klnnlri vessel from Copenhanen and Wii shipwrecked in the North Sea. We wt-rt pinked up by a fishing vessel and even tun lly I landed in London. "from theixs X sliipted on in American vessel for New York, and from that time ally obtainable: but In the country SUCH .bread is utterly unknown. One sees hit-fly the steamed bread already men tioned, the local name of which is "mom- ma," and which is considered something of a delicacy. This comes in thimble- shaped rolls about 2V-s Inches bl7h and 1V to 2 inches in diameter. The finer Kinds Iiave little dote of red paint or etain on the top. They are like rather heavy cold dumpllnfTs, and tho foreigner who eats them usually peels off .the shiny white OUttildO ekin. Cakes and Pancakes. Even i more important, because errare' tic bis, iku cakes of arriwi baked bread, usually about ono and a quarter inches thlclc and 15 or 1 - Inches In dlamoter. This Is bard and dry and takes a Iot'Ol courageous chewing; -but it. "stays by you," and is convenient to carry, stuck in your belt or in the bosom of your coat when, you go off 'to work, in the fields. - Then there are pancakes of. several Kinds ovens being practically unused in Ul9 country, tho making of which is moat fascinating to watch. ' Ihe mak er usually a man stands In" a sort of pit up to the waist. This brings him on a lev el With a vij hot iron plate, which is rals- ed-very-little abovo the ground and kepi hot by a - nre of klanllans stalks, or. oc- broom of empty Klanilari nt and queer implement something tike a short- handled noe. Me brushes over the iln.te. pours out a little dab of batter, and salll- fnllv snreada it wltQ a circular motion or the hoe until-it Is a wafer-thin cako about HO inches - across. Then he peels tt oft Uie plate. . turns it on tne otTn-r aside for ft moment-and adds It to the pile be side him. His ease and rapidity flrfl eimply tLella-htf ul. A. customer comes alons, buys iomo cakes (they are sold by wetKht, goes a little farther and buys pom chonned onion or othor savory mix ture, which he rolls inside his pancake Uke a paper parcel, and soes on hi Jour ney contentedly munching, and you see before you possibilities for a new hind or sandwich, which, adapted to suit Amer ican tastes, miecht be very acceptable for a. picnic or ' banKet lunch. mm sm CTii Sfienihfir Wt I was fn ilarsfijSk. :Mwragiltag' wa -naktie "n iS imt: tbiref yitr al'P Wji5!ili time .: jyas'cnj txet. ; j-aij jhl i it. ' and moat of the tfhjiJ6hgitf 'lu tW-.Mniirars g:g-th ttofff ""tho Admlnil "uses when ioins on sw?T!frr7ra4t4W leaving the Franklin, I. olT-Rj'Tkr-aHl.3!haizc5aJtnorc three yara.. "hea. Hiy tima wns ui 1 aprain en tsresl - b- er;iarii. jaartne -Bepaftcgi d k lalfi I qduid the K3-aJiof,-5as& boartl-.-'ihfi yJVankllit:: feeing '.(jcUtS f lie w3a InrfirjaS? KnJ h ji:g,rr5rf T ' most of tJh ttni lHii9 ruitr, -Tiea -ntMsJ ! rail rers, but ho would yen at us and motion for un to lie down. After we had passed the batteries ho allowed us tr stand up behind him and sco tlie t&U t with the Confe Jenfe: yirjg.si'trgua Brl-got two tvittl.'s or whtKkTTTi i J solus tqi S saBs-arT-'tTa-TtaEn4tBfci(i Officer UiV tt OtTu J l,R,r,'tc -1 th. wTiialT i.'boaT2,-- imi. -B-aa.-.ariTFi ! ' aJWlpurfc Sti-.:-:.-Uni-: fl:uaj-tJn??uTft.-.- rts .-.3i.-t. maniing: tpi MMf&i itedj-j9 apnee Th uajiuiJu fid I-j-n tns cr-f 61) 1 Bum -fihartiv:: Ua;t--: J. Iib.1 :3een-- wvurtit bringjRjjj ..wlii!jkjr.:oa. thipoowai .-- J:riigjii. t jU tlia office? tt a ' l g Lhv "tttU .nd when it wtut ejiiamcd - 3f - -h-i JCftli " "thought you :.:fiaKL3na--tt:irrlHj1,: overboard. iit owH'urn it rr" cnai'if' Wie pta lp"; dfct; i-ton fc,, And ho ordered mo Into TliosMLoiirals Humor. "Ho was always very prompt in return- in? to his gig at the tlmo he set, hea on shore. When we rowed him aahor we , would leave one man to guard tho sIk, 8M;?tf.g" ;rCr!tif:";W would take a stroll. Oft, iliy-wi1 l?&::?rrtrr-a saloon and re- adxiaS;3arl(Kevr::.Uf' Int ended. Farre- gut. cne .(Sown ta Uw antf asked tno iTtiard TrVkral w wmr, -H -loJJ hlra we paper to write tToSrrtr.'-.-' ol 1. will return lii a short time," Ho aula. He soon came back and ordred us to row hint ovor tQ the ship. . When there he left us in the gig, and in & few minutes came back with two marines. ' Then lie ordered us to row ashoro auiun. and when there eravo tho marine orders not to allow us to leave the Rig". "Wo waited and waited (or liim, but Le did not como. Iay light faded and nit; lit. came on, but no Adiultal. Arloriilug broke. but no Admiral for a long time. Finally he appeared and aked us if we were I hungry. Wo told him wo wore. Ho took us to a restaurant and gave us a srood breakfast. "When we wore rowing back to the ship he asked if wo knew why h left us to go hungry. Wo told him we thought so. 'Weil, tho next time you do that I'll keep you out two nights and two days,' he Bald. I'-lst JrMglit Willi Dewey. "On this three years' cruise, Admiral Dewey -was aboard the Franklin. He was then only a midshipman, llo was youn$ and quite boyish looking, and light am trim in build. He was a little cranky sometimes with us, but may be no more than we deserved, and on the whole w liked him very well.. Me never repri- xnanded me but once, and I never had: any trouble with hi in but once. . "One night I wag on post as guard on the bridge, thft most important post Oil the ship. Suddenly, without any warn ing whatever, Dowey was right upon me. He told mo I was asleep. I told him ha was a liar. Without saying a word b struck me a good, solid blow fairly be tween the eyes. I was large and strong, but tho blow made' ma reel. I grabbed him and threw him on the deck and held him down. 1-le kicked and fought and tried to get up, but I still kept him down; he soon yelled for the guard, and two marines came and took me off to the guardhouse. The next morning I was court-martialed and gentenceu to tho iweat-box for six hours. "The sweat-bosc was an iron box about, two feet square and a little higher than a man's head, heated Intensely hot. The ship's surgeon examined each man befor he was put In and every half hour durlruc Sentence. When I came out I was asked how I liked It. I replied I could stand another six; hours, but as a matter of fact I was so weak I could scarcely stand up. Dewey had only reported ir.e for a breach of discipline, or some minor offense. If ho had reported m for bclngc aSleOp on post it would have gone nurd with m. "On thinking the matter- over a f t- i -wards X concluded he was right, u.nl I must Have Cccn asleep, or else he never could have got right up to me before: I saw htm. This happened rlurlnc th middle part of the cruise, but Muiwiiip- man Dewey MVOr Stomed t4 hafl)6!' iifij' ill-feeling, but treated nio fairly durj ng the entire cruise." These are a faw of the old sailor i recollections. T told him thnt he out ranked the whole Spanish fleet; for he Whipped Admiral Dewey single handed, wh!U the entire Spanish fleet failed to do so. J. R. (JHA I'M AX. Late Lieutenant Twenty-second- Int Salem, Or., January 7, am -- -- -j ifijfz;;::::if:a