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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1898)
THE COU!jv. 8 DIAEY. ATI ACCODHT OF JIT TRIP FKOM SAN FRAKCIBRO TO HONOLULU CAMP MKKBITT. Jnne 14, 1898. ..e got up at four o'clock and hail breakfast. After breakfast I went down town; came back in time for dinner. We broke camp at one o'clock and at lialf past one Me started from camp to march to the wharf, -where our lat lay, a distance of about seven miles. We ar rived at the Pacific mail wharf at half 5 .1 S 1 U past four and were then provineu .iu lunch and coffee served by the Bed Cross society. At half past five o'clock we were Called to attention by our offi cers and were, -marched towards our ship, the steamship Senator, lying at anchor at Tier No. seven. Company t) was the first company on board, and as the first foot stepped onto the deck a great shout rent the air, everybody gave three cheers for Company D. As we were marching through the streets the crowd was so dense that we had barelv room to march, and the noise was so great that our company, which was iiv the lead, could not hear the music of fhe band, which was only a few steps ahead of us. Everybody was cheering for Nebraska and can nons were fired. There was the great est excitement in San Francisco as we marched through the streets that there has been since their own boys went in the first expedition. I wen down into the hold of the vessel to mv bunk at nine o'clock. My bunk is' with John Alley. Our bunks are made for two, in tiers of three 1 high. They are very crowded and will be verv unhealthy and unpleasant when we'get into a warm cHmate or into a storm. ON BOARD STEAMSHIP SENATOR. Steamship Senator, June 15, 1898. I got up about six o'clock ard ate a breakfast of hard tack and boiled salt pork, seasoned with weak coffee. I t on deck and watched them load the ship preparatory to pairing. "We sailed at 12:55 p. m. All of the bel.s in the citv were rung ami all whistles were blown. Several pleasure boats accompanied us as far as the Golden Gate, Shortly after we passed Gotten Gate I was taken deathly sick and lay on a pile of sacks on the deck until about eight o'clock, when I managed somehow to crawl down to my bunk, more dead than alive. June 16, 189S. Still sea sick, 1 lay in bed all day, ate nothing. The boys wert all pretty happy when we re ceived orders to sail but in a very hort time after sailing the majority of us were making regular trips to the ship's railing in order that we might keep the fish from starving to death. Along our way we saw jelly fishes, sharks and whales. Saturday evening we beheld a phosphorescent sea, caused by an animal which is something like a lightning bug or a gkw worm. The tme on board m changed every twenty-four hours. It is divided into six watches or three watches every twelve hours. Each watch is divided into eight bells, or one bell every half hour. Eight bells comes at four, eight and twelve o'clock. Eugene Linderman was the sickest man on board. An interesting scene is retreat. The bugle sounds and immediately at the last note the sunset gun is fired and then the band plays Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean, while every head is bared and the colors are hauled down and cased. Sea. rfckness has a queer effect on a person. The sight of fat meat will make a person deathly sick One of our boys tried it or, roe and if I had been able I believe 1 would have thrown him overboard. 1 could not smoke for several days after we started. I am keeping a diary, but these nre just notes, as it would cost the people here a dollar if 1 sent it all to you. June 17. 189S. Got up at -ight o'clock and went on deck. I only stayed a few minutes and then went back to bed until next morning. June 18, 1898. I got up about eight o'clock, went on deck feeling a little weak. I could not eat our rations, but went to a ship waiter and had him steal me a breakfast. It consisted of a slice of hard toast, two small sweet biscuits and a gill of condensed milk. It cost me the sum of fifty cents. You may think that expensive, but I would have given five dollars if I had had to. f felt better at noon and ate our regular fare, consisting of hard' tack, boiled beef and coffee. We bad rice for a change at supper time. 1Yent to bed early. June 19, 1898. I got up feeling pret ty well. I enjoyed my breakfast, which consisted of baked beans, bis cuits and coffee. -After breakfast we had to change our quarters to another part, of the ship. In the mix up I was the last one out and got no bunk. Somebody stole my blanket. I got mad and every one who came near was in danger, for I intended to find my blanket or spill somebody's blood. Xobody came near me because T made so much racket and so many threats, neither did I find my blanket. Hut I got somebody else's blanket and made the best of it. I then took all of mv things up on the upper deck and pro ceeded to make my quarters there. Everybody took a good bath in the afternoon. T felt much better after mine. We had retreat at seven o'c.ock after which Chaplain Mailley held a short service in a style somewhat familiar to our own. I went to lied early. It rained in the night but I did not get wet. June 20. 1898. After breakfast we had squad drill for forty minutes. About ten o'clock the China signaled us that she was going to leave us and go ahead. After a few signals were passed all four of the steamers sent up the signal "Good-bye, God bless you." and tne China steamed ahead and in an hour was lost to sight. Our ship, the Senator, was made the flag ship and Col. Bratt, the commander of the expedition. Before noon the sun became fearfully hot. About one thirty p. m. a vessel was sighted di rectly in- front of us. There was much excitement. It proved to be the steamship Peru, from Honolulu to San Francisco. We had no chapel ex ercises in the evening on account of the sickness of one of the sergeants in Company C His name is Geddes, of Beatrice. June 21, 189S. As soon as 1 got up I was informed of the death of Sergeant Geddes, who died at five o'clock this morning. His funeral was held at ten o'clock. It was a very sad thing for the boys, lew of whom ever witnessed a burial at sea. The band played "America," after which the chaplain made a few appropriate remarks. In the meantime the body, which had "been previously sewed in canvas, was brought out and laid on a board with its feet outward. A flag was then placed over him and after the chap lain's remarks three volleys were fired over the body and it was allowed to slip from under the flag into the deep blue sea. As soon as it struck the water the bugles played "taps." The body sank and rose three times. nis ended the ceremony, but the scene will be remembered as long- as we live. It is so sad for one who has for saken home, friends and all for his country to die before he has had a chance to show his ability. In the even ing nt retreat, the chaplain told us where the body had been buried. It was at forty degrees, two hundred and one west, longitude, and twenty-six degrees, four hundred and one north, latitude. June 22, lb98. This morning 1 went to see one of our boys who is iu the hospital. He is pretty sick. His name is Fiske and he is a member of ;he Modern Woodman camp, 2266, Line. Iu cbr. 1 read all forenom. As utial v.e bad rtt.eat and services n the evening. I took a big dose of castor oil and went to bed. June 23, 1897. We passed a small Dsteamer iu the morning. We sighted land this afternoon about three thirty We pulled into ti.e harbor in the even ing about eight o'clock. The govern ment band and a few citizens Came out in a pleasure boat and serenaded us. There was the greatest kind of ex citement until late at night. June 24. 1898. We pulled into the dock ubout 8 o'clock. At 10 o'clock we went on land. And what a funny feeling. We all had the motion of the essel. We came very near being land sick. After walking around the city in a company we were dismissed to go and enjoy ourselves a while. At one o'clock we all sat down to a royal feast prepared by the Hawaiian gov ernment. All kinds of fruits and tem jienince drinks, besides meats and all kinds of eatables. The best you ever saw. No fete of any American social circle could possibly have surpassed it. .Please excuse the shortness of to day's diary as 1 have to mail it imme diately. The Hawaiian government is paying our postage. I can say in closing that our treatment here is grand. Beats anything we ever saw and words cannot express it. HONOLULU. Honolulu, June 25. The people here are all in hopes that the annexa tion bill will pass the senate. Every body here is so nice not that haughty class of people you find in the United States. The natives are most of them well civilized and the United States will be benefitted if Hawaii is an nexed, not only from n pecuniary standpoint but as a government fort ress. I .suppose you HXe pineapples. Well, you never tasted pineapples when they were good. Mangels and figs. haws, oranges and bananas are also numerous. The bananas here look as green as gourds but inside they are very fine. They say that our trip from here on for the next four weeks is going to lie very unpleasant. But my bunkmate and I haye spent most of our money in buying a few things to eat on the way, which will make our eating somewhat of a pleas ure instead of a disgusting attempt to eat and say you like it. I sent you a badge yesterday. It was made pur posely for us when we arrived here. It. means "Welcome to Our Boys in Blue." The soldiers here have the same uniform that we do in the United States except tney have white duck pants instead of blue. They draw $30 and $35 a month. Their rifles and belts are just like ours. Yesterday when we were marching through the streets we uncovered our heads when we passed a regulation size United States flag. The people noticed it and put a piece in the paper about it. RICHARD L. ABBOTT. 6LUBS Continued from PazeS. and songs. There were many dim eyes in that audience as she sangAvith such tender sympathy "The Shining Shore." It brought back memories of loved ones to whom that hymn was a favorite, and who have now- discov ered that "Shining Shore," leaving empty chairs and aching hearns be hind, and "Sweet Rosalie, the Prati rie Flower," was a popular song which many club women present in childish glee had sung with brothers and sis ters under the homestead roof. You can imagine what enthusiasm pervad ed that responsive audience when she struck the'stirring strains of "Mary land, My Maryland," and "Marching Through Georgia," a woman at the right in the audience rose and said to Miss. White. "As a southern woman I ask you to favor us with "Dixie's Land." Miss White most graciously expressed her willingness to do so, but added that "Dixie's Land" was not an American song, which was a great surprise to most of us. if not her en tire audience "The Battle Cry of Free dom." in which the audience wa -asked to join the chorus, closed the evening's entertainment. The entire program was an original and delightful addition to the general sessions of the federation. The piano accompaniments were played sympathetically and effective ly by Mi.ss Dill-nghaml SPEND AUGUST IN THE BLACK HILLS. Go first to Hot Springs. There you can bathe, ride, bicycle, climb moun tains, dance and play tennis to your heart's content. If your limbs are stiff your kidneys out of order or if you are troubled with eizema or any other form of skin disease, a month at Hot Springs will make a new man of you. Sylvan Lake and Spearfish are within a comparatively short distance of Ho Springs and every one who vwite the Black Hill should see them. Sylvan Lake ia.the prettiests and coo!eeet sum mer resort in the west Spearfish is reached after a railroad ride that ranks among the experiences of a lifetime There is nothing like it anywhere else on the globe. Daring August, the Burlington route will run two low-rate excursions "to Hot Springs: one on the 9th, the other on the 26th of that month. Tickets Will be sold at one fare-half rates-and will be good to return any time within 30 days Organize a party. Arrange about your hotel accommodations at Hot Springs; arrange for ticket at B. & M depot or city ticket office, corner ' JOth and O streets. x G. W. Bonnell, C. P. 4T.A. NEBRASKA AND WYOMING HOME SEEKERS' EXCURSIONS August 2nd and 16, September 6th and 20th, October h and lfith w Elkhornline (Northwestern) wUl Un tickets at one fare plus 12 for the round trip to points on its linns in Nebraska west and north and in Wyoming west of and including Orin Junction, the mini--imum round trip rate to be 19. stop overs granted on going trip beyond Stan ton and Creston. Neb. For further in formation call on A. S. Fielding C t A. .117So.I0thSt. . i. HOT SPRINGS AND RETURN FOR ONE FARE. Aug. 9th and 26th and 8ept. 10th and 20th theElkhorn will cell tickets to Hot Springs, S. D., and return as above. Limit 30 days. A. 8. Fikldimj.C.T. A. 117 So. 10th St K.P. EXCURSION TO INDIANAPO LJS IND.-fl8.40 FOR ROUND For the above occasion the Elkhorn line (Northwestern) will sell ticket Aug. 19th. 20th and 21st at the low te ortl8.40for.theround trip. ExJrem! limit Sept. 20th. GetP.rtiCurars.rcSv office, 117 So. 10th St. y Aug. 20. :rfi-a&g5& iT l iii-- - --.
