Petaluma High School - Trojans Yearbook (Petaluma, CA)

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21 get practice, and by the practice ob¬ tained cn board the training ship. Robert became a fairly good shot with the 4-inch rapid firing gun. Thus it was that when orders came from Cap¬ tain Clark of the U. S. S. Oregon to dispatch immediately the best marks¬ man of a 4-inch rapid firing gun, Rob¬ ert was chosen, and obeyed with dis trust, slightly mingled with joy, not as yet having been informed of the nature of the orders. When Robert appeared before the commander he was told that he was to go, at once, to the Oregon as assistant gunner to gun No. 10. Soon having packed his few be¬ longings, which composed a sailor’s wardrobe, into his little sea chest, he was on his way to the Oregon, then lying off the Union Iron Works. As Robert viewed the mighty engine of warfare, he thought, “What a pity to send such a beautiful vessel into the spot where she was liable to be shattered and sunk by hostile shells.” Upon arriving he was presented to the chief gunner, Alfred McManus, as loyal an American as ever fired a gun from an American battleship, who in turn, introduced him to the other men stationed .at. that gun. It did not take long for Robert to become thoroughly acquainted with his duties under Mc¬ Manus, and then, again, commenced the monotonous routine. At length came the orders from the navy department at Washington, to sail immediately for Santiago Be Cuba with all speed. Soon all prepar¬ ations were made, and amid the toot¬ ing of hundreds of whistles and sound¬ ing of many gongs, the Oregon steam¬ ed up the bay, ana escorted by tugs and smaller vessels which accompan¬ ied her to the heads, she bade good¬ bye to the Golden Gate and left the sunny shores of California for the tropical regions; and from thence around the Horn, up to her destin¬ ation, “with her sister ships in the east.” All went on smoothly for a. time, rill, one day, an incident happened which disturbed the serenity of Rob¬ ert’s mess. One morning the quarter¬ master discovered that a brace of pearl-handled revolvers were missing from the chest which he kept in the wardroom, adjoining his own states- room. The evening before, Robert was suddenly taken ill, and in the night he arose to procure medicine from his chest. At roll call that morn¬ ing the captain informed the men of the discovery of the loss, and closely questioned every man as to what he knew of the affair. As Captain Clark passed down the line he came to o ne, John Ericson, who hesitated, imper¬ ceptibly to other than an acute ob¬ server, in his answers. (But as he stoutly denied having any knowledge of the matter, and as there was no proof that he was the man, the mat¬ ter was apparently dropped. The captain, however, was informed by whom it was newer ascertained, that Robert McCraig had been heard and seen moving about his hammock on the night in which the revoli ers w r ere stolen. On being summoned to the commander’s cabin, and questioned concerning the stolen articles, he told the following story as to the cause of his being seen moving about in the night. “About two o’clock I awoke, ex¬ periencing a queer sensation in my head and attributed the cause to an

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20 glass of lemonade, which was partly spilled. “Lucky mortals, we,” Evelyn man¬ aged to get out between bites of the j much favored pickle. About fifteen minutes passed in jokes and smothered laughter. “I think it is more fun to eat at miuiiight, like this than—•” But tne sentence was never fin¬ ished; for the dooi opened suddenly, and Mi s By d or made their number swell to nine. Eight sheepish faces, when they found courage to look up, encountered not what they had expected—a stern look, but wonder of wonders, a smile on such an occasion. Why, Hazel; what in tlio world did you mean when you asked me to come to your room at 10 p. m. sharp, if T loved you?” This was too much for Hazel, who gazed dumbfounded at the girls, silently beseeching them to help her; but they knew nothing of the strange conundrum. Miss Ryder was beginning to think that some mistake had been made, and consequently produced a slip of paper on which was written: “Come to my room at 10 p. m. sharp, if you love me.” On seeing this Hazel immediately ! exclaimed, “I wrote that note to Ethel d.Jinrj study hour this evening.” Miss Ryder explained that she had found it upon her own desk, and had supposed that it was for her. “How in the world did it get there?” was the general question, when Hazel suddenly remembered that she had not delivered it to Ethel (already evi¬ dent, and that it Trust have been picked up and put on the desk. There were eight i stonished coun¬ tenances when Miss Ryder asked if ih v were not string to pass around the lunch. She explained that she did not intend that this evening’s mistake should registered on the book of public events; and before the feast was disposed of the at first be¬ wildered crowd were possessors of the knowledge ihat tho seeming cold¬ ness was the ■»e?ult of the fact that Miss Ryder LeTeved that eight cer¬ tain people hao an extreme dislike for her. .Mixed up facts and jumbled fancies were straightened cut, and next morn¬ ing the song of the Lucky Eight was sung with a spirit which, as Ethel explained it, contained “narry a touch of ill luck” R.W.M., ’OS. A Young Apprentice on the Oregon. When President McKinley issued the call for twenty-five thousand vol¬ unteers to defend United States prop¬ erty in Cuba, there was on board the Independence, stationed at Mare Is¬ land, a young apprentice named Rob¬ ert McCraig, who, with his fellow ap¬ prentices, was tiring of the monoton¬ ous routine of training-ship duty, and longed for the excitement of active service. Once in each month there was tar-

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22 ailment which often possesses me; a dull throbbing headache, caused by a severe blow from a vaulting pole, which I received while .attending i High School. I arose and, going to my box., I took a dose of medicine which I always kept for such a purpose. I ! promise you, sir, that I knew nothing j whatever of this affair until you spoke • of it at the roll-call the following morning.” While Robert was undergoing this interview in the captain’s cabin, his chest had been searched and the miss¬ ing articles not having been found he was released. ‘I released you, my boy,” said Captain ' Clark, “with the hope that nothing may over again occur to fast¬ en suspicion upon you.” “‘Thank you, sir,” replied Robert, “I hope that time will fully erase any doubt in your mind as to my honor.” Nothing of interest happened on the way down the western coast of South America until they came to Concep¬ cion where a stop was made in order to procure more provisions and fuel As you know, the coal mines of Ar- anco Bay are under the ocean and bay, and Robert was deeply impressed with the thought that beneath them was one of the largest coal mines in the world, and coal which he saw be¬ ing transferred to the battleship came from beneath the sea. After a stop long enough to replenish the larder and refill the bunkers, the Oregon was again sailing to the southward. Most vessels encounter rough ; weather while rounding the Horn, but the Oregon’s luck in sailing thus far with no serious mishaps did not desert her now, for on the whole there could be no better weather than that experienced by the Oregon, on her trip from San Francisco to Santiago. With the constant throbbing of mighty engines the Oregon headed for the north; and the battle which was soon to take place, and in which she was to play so important a part. ‘Still, never halting, the Oregon con¬ tinued her famous race for the scene cf action, carrying with her a young friend, McCraig. At last, on July 2d, 1898, the Oregon arrived within sight of the blockading fleet of Santiago; and as you know resulted in the- the greatest and most powerful ves¬ sels in the American navy. The Ore¬ gon, immediately after reporting to the vice-admiral, Sampson being away, took up her position on the blockade line, after her famous race of 4,000 miles at full speed, without a serious mishap of any sort, and the officers and men, least of all Robert, never knew that on the next day,, what all the world looked forward to as an exhibition of modern naval war¬ fare, between one of the most power¬ ful nations on the face of the earth and one whmh in times past had been the most powerful, was to take place, and as you know resulted in the enemys making a bold break from coyer, and attempting to escape through the blockading line of the American squadron. All through the excitement of this voyage, Robert never forgot the shadow cf dishonesty which was thrown upon him, and the distrust in which he was held by the quarter¬ master and the men, who looked upon Robert, although he stoutly denied