United States or Tunisia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
In the other chest were some clothes, but of little value; but, by the circumstances, it must have belonged to the gunner’s mate; though there was no powder in it, except two pounds of fine glazed powder, in three flasks, kept, I suppose, for charging their fowling-pieces on occasion.
The men a few days after being onboard, finding the boatswain’s mates did not carry canes, entered. The nurse, sergeant, doctor and his dying patient were rated quartermaster’s and gunner’s mates, and the remainder topmen. We had been a month refitting when we made another attempt to procure seamen at Kingston, but only sent one boat with a lieutenant, myself, and twelve seamen.
The orders sent to Admiral Sampson directed the promotion of the men as follows: Daniel Montague, master-at-arms, to be a boatswain, from fifty dollars a month to thirteen hundred dollars a year. George Charette, gunner’s mate, to be a gunner, from fifty dollars a month to thirteen hundred dollars a year.
He wondered how they would explode the second charge, since they had only the one timer left, then forgot about it. Time enough to worry when faced with the problem. "I’ll take the snapper-boat," he stated. "Santos in the gunner’s seat. Koa in charge in the landing boat. Dowst pilot. Let’s show an exhaust."
In the next place, we are to observe that among the many things which I brought out of the ship, in the several voyages which, as above mentioned, I made to it, I got several things of less value, but not at all less useful to me, which I omitted setting down before; as, in particular, pens, ink, and paper, several parcels in the captain’s, mate’s, gunner’s and carpenter’s keeping; three or four compasses, some mathematical instruments, dials, perspectives, charts, and books of navigation, all which I huddled together, whether I might want them or no; also, I found three very good Bibles, which came to me in my cargo from England, and which I had packed up among my things; some Portuguese books also; and among them two or three Popish prayer-books, and several other books, all which I carefully secured.
"Oh, no, Commander! You misunderstand. We had no way of communicating by radio, so I did the only thing we could do. I fired rockets as a warning. We didn’t want your boats to get caught in a nuclear explosion." He shrugged. "It was very unlucky for us that the sun threw my gunner’s aim off and he hit your boats, quite by accident." MacFife coughed to cover up a chuckle.
“The same here,” Tom said; “you know that, sir, without my saying it.” “Is there any berth that I could get you, Tom?” “No, sir, thank you! A.B. is good enough for me. I am not active enough to be captain of the top, but I can pull on a rope, or row an oar, or strike a good blow, with any man.” “That you can, Tom; but I do wish I could get you a lift too. How about gunner’s mate?”
The volunteers accepted for this most hazardous enterprise were, after Lieutenant Hobson: George F. Phillips, machinist on the Merrimac; Francis Kelly, water tender on the Merrimac; Randolph Clausen, coxswain on the New York; George Charette, first-class gunner’s mate on the New York; Daniel Montague, first-class machinist on the New York; Osburn Deignan, coxswain on the Merrimac; J. C. Murphy, coxswain on the Iowa.
Word Of The Day