Was Strange
Admiral Hobson, from the
time of his youth, was a para-
He was
mantic,
service of the American flag.
When,
uated first in his class from the
United States Naval academy at
Annapolis he was cheered enthusi-
astically. He was leaving. Most of
his classmates hadn't spoken to him
for two years. It was one of his
duties as a cadet to report the mis-
demeanors of other cadets; this he
had done so expertly and consistent-
ly that he was easily the most un-
popular cadet in the academy.
He was a crusader from the start.
In his post-academy days he at-
tempted to convince the country,
through scientific journals, that
there was inevitably to be a
World war, but he failed to arouse
America enough to begin arming
for it. The outbreak of the Spanish-
American war found him a naval
constructor with the rank of Lieu-
tenant, aboard Rear Admiral Wil
liam Thomas Sampson's flagship,
the New York.
Hobson Volunteers.
Aboard the New York, young Hob-
son was crusading for the construc-
tion of five unsinkable vessels, and
told Admiral Sampson they could
be used to sweep the mines from |
the entrance to Havana harbor. |
When Sampson told him that he was
far more interested in sinking one
American ship than building five |
unsinkable ones, the lieutenant was |
astounded but offered to do the job |
anyway. It was in the line of duty.
Sampson had ordered Admiral
Schley, who was off Santiago de
Cuba, to sink a collier in the narrow
channel at the harbor entrance and |
thus bottle up the Spanish fleet in- |
side. Schley, not believing in the |
wisdom of the act, ignored the order. |
Sampson still favored the idea |
and, on their way to Santiago, he
be sufficient moonlight for the navi-
gator to place the ship in position, |
yet there would be an hour or so |
daybreak. Torpedoes abreast the |
bulkheads and cargo hatches were |
sink the craft.
The entire American fleet rec eived |
the call for volunteers to accom- |
pany Hobson. This was no child's |
play. With the exception of Admiral
Sampson, there was hardly a soul
aboard the New York who believed |
the emergency crew would return
alive. Yet hundreds offered to go.
Seven were taken: George Char-
ette, Daniel Montague, Francis Kel-
ly, Randolph Clausen, Osborn W. |
Deignan, J. E. Murphy and George
F. Phillips. Hobson also took along
an American flag, to be unfurled at
the proper moment, just as the
Merrimac was starting her dive to-
ward Davy Jones' locker.
A Motley Crew.
The flag was never unfurled, for
just about come time for the un-
furling, there were shot and shell
popping all around our hero's ears
and there was little room for tradi-
tion. Even at the outset, the odds
were perhaps against the Mer-
rimac’'s ever getting to the narrow
part of the channel. She had to
steam right under the nose of the
Morro Castle fortification and the
great battery behind it. The Spanish
gunners’ aim was notoriously rot-
ten, but at such close range!
A weird looking crew they were
as the collier got under way at 1:30
a. m., June 4, 1898. Their apparel
consisted of long underwear, two
pairs of socks each, life preservers,
cartridge belts and revolvers. Just
as if a Hollywood scenarist had writ-
ten it, there popped from nowhere
the inevitable stowaway. It was
Clausen, who had not been chosen,
but came of his own accord. It was
a brave gesture and Hobson, after
reprimanding him, permitted him
to continue.
Hobson's plan was to cruise to
within 2,000 yards of the channel,
then order full speed ahead (for
here they were almost certain to
be discovered and fired upon) until
there were only 200 yards left to
go. Here the engines wouid be shut
off and the Merrimac allowed to
coast into the channel, where it
would be sunk. Any of the crew who
survived the sinking were to swim
to a life boat astern or to a catama-
ran (raft) brought along as a last
resort.
At the outset Hobson, speaking in
the dime novel hero fashion which
was to characterize his countless
public orations in later life, ex-
claimed, ‘‘Charette, lad, we're go-
ing to make it tonight! There is no
power under heaven that can keep
us out the channel!”
He was talking through his hat.
The Merrimac proceeded, apparent.
ly without the Spaniards’ notice, to
300 yards from the channel, when
a Spanish picket boat began firing
at its rudder without success. Then
the first of the land batteries opened
and as the collier neared its ob-
jective more batteries joined the
firing.
Aid from the Enemy.
One projectile tore the pilethouse
completely off the Merrimac. By
some miracle, no one was injured,
although Hobson and Deignan were
inside it at the time. But the steer-
ing gear was gone and they could
no longer control the ship. Explod-
ing shells destroyed the connections
with the torpedoes and they were
unable to sink it where they wanted
to.
They began to realize that the
Spanish gunners might accomplish
their purpose for them, and sure
enough, after a few direct hits and
after striking a few mines, the Mer-
rimac began to settle to the bottom.
But it was not sinking fast enough
to go down before it had drifted
past the narrow channel where it
would have trapped the Spanish
fleet,
Unable to pursue his plans for
the flag, young Hobson decided to
amuse himself by feeling his pulse,
and despite the shot and shell he
found it normal. “If anything, more
phlegmatic than usual,’ he later
wrote.
In another few minutes the
Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes and
the destroyer Pluton let fly with
Admiral Hobson Shortly Before His
Death.
two torpedoes at such close range
that even Spaniards couldn't miss,
and down went the Merrimac to a
hero's watery grave. The eight men,
two of them wounded, went down,
too—and came right back up again.
Rescued by Spanish Admiral.
Their lifeboat had been shattered,
so they swam to the catamaran,
hanging on with only their heads
above water so they were less likely
to be spotted. But they were, after
an hour and a half in the cold water,
found by a launch containing no
of the Spanish fleet.
They were treated gently. Cervera
himself helped Hobson aboard.
was even then melodramatic
speech. “Oh, God,” he exclaimed,
perhaps twirling his mustachios
which curled romantically two inches
from either side of his lip, “has
life ever gone through such a fire
and never a man lost!"
The Spaniards, hearing that not
a man was lost, and having rescued
only eight, were dumfounded and
were doubly dumbfounded when
Hobson told them that he had been
trying harder than they had to sink
the Merrimac. Hobson and his men
became herces, even to the
Spaniards, and were treated with
every courtesy, although they were
imprisoned in Morro Castle. When
Cervera visited him in his cell,
decked out in an admiral’'s full dress
splendor, Hobson struck an attitude
and declared, “All chivalry is not
yet dead!”
After a few weeks Hobson and all
of his men were traded back to the
American navy for the release of an
equal number of Spanish prisoners.
Their welcome was one which be-
fitted them as heroes, and from
that moment until his death, Rich-
mond Pearson Hobson was to bask
in the reflected glory of his adven-
ture with the Merrimac. His seven
aides were soon given the congres-
sional medal of honor, but Hobson,
being an officer, could not receive
Hobson as a Young Officer.
it. He was finally
it by President Franklin D.
velt in 1933.
Arriving back in New
son was mobbed by
ers. Wherever he went, they sang
after him:
“Mr. Hobson, Mr. Hobson,
You're a dandy, you're
And the brightest blooming pebble
That is shining on the beach.”
One woman threw her arms about
him and kissed him. This started
a craze which greeted wher-
ever he went, for he was a hand-
some devil and a hero. One news-
paper reported that in Kansas City
alone 417 women kissed him at the
railroad station. At Topeka it was
reported that at least 200 women
kissed him, indicating that perhaps
the prairies are not so dry, after
all. He didn't object much.
presented with
Roose-
York, Hob-
hero-worship-
a peach,
Hobson Becomes Reformer,
But women soon began forgetting
to kiss him, and the newspapers
began to forget he existed. After
rising rapidly in the ranks of the
navy, his eyes went bad while he
was serving in China. He applied
but
get it, so resigned from
the service.
Here began the second phase of
He became a crusader in
earnest, first to make America mis-
combined total of all the
other navies in the world. He used
that Japan was preparing to attack
us, and was one of the first to
bring up the Japanese war scare,
trying to get both political partie
to acknowledge it in their platforms
in 1912 He was exquisitely vagu
in the ev presented,
prone to ‘exaggeration as he
in later campaigns agai
demon rum and the drug evil. He
made over 1,000 speeches in behalf
of his naval building program.
dence he
was
nst the
He was continually worrying con-
gress for legislation prohibiting the
sale of alcohol, and as a representa-
tive from Alabama, he was the first
to introduce a prohibition amendment
into congress. He soon became the
most prominent figure in the pro-
hibition drive. He told congress, “I
cannot look upon the saloon other-
wise than as an assassin'’ and ‘‘the
result of all averages and estimates
known showed it (alcohol) to be the
greatest single cause of death.”
Congress Turns Him Down.
Once the prohibition amendment
was passed, Admiral Hobson took
up “dope’’—that is, he took up the
fight against the drug evil. He as-
serted that there were a million
tribute 50,000,000 copies of a pam-
phlet warning children of the unut-
terable tortures that might await
them if ever they took the invita.
tion of a stranger to “‘eat, drink or
sniff’* anything. A federal expert,
called in, testified that there were
at the very most, 150,000 addicts in
the country. Practically none of
them children. He testified:
“I think the direct effect of the
article would be to create a certain
number of cases of severe neurosis
and insanity and a certain number
of cases of addiction by reason of
the psychopath will want this new
sensation . Some of the state-
ments about the number of addicts
are simply absurd; the opium does
not exist to supply them."
Congress refused to print the pam-
phiet.
But Admiral Hobson continued his
crusading, and at the time of his
death from a heart attack on March
16, 1937, at the age of sixty-six,
he was still starting associations to
prohibit something or other, or to
secure some sort of legislation.
Among them were the International
Narcotic Education association, the
World Conference on Narcotic Edu-
cation, the World Narcotic Defense
association, the Public Welfare as
sociation (and Americanism Clear.
ing House), and if that one doesn’t
stop you, the Constitutional Democ
racy association.
© Western Newspaper Union
"”
Levine of New York city,
Philippine campaign.
lantry in action—and here's
It was the night of January 22,
barracks at Jolo that a Moro
miles in the interior. Charley Le
augmented by two companies
native constabulary, started out
went a “jackass battery”
hitched to four balky
assigned to that battery.
COnNSsis
mules,
has an army
won it.
word had come to the army
had been located eighteen
Troop H, Eighth Lavalry—
pine scouts and one company of
nsurrectionists. W ith them
of one three-inch mountain gun
riley was one of twelve men
and
8 outfit.
covered over
and stocked with enough
There was no time for rest.
and discharged a blast of rifle fire.
tain gun on a knoll five hundred
vanced on the fort.
The skirmishers moved on-—
heads. Then, suddenly, the
“Hold it, boys. THEY'VE GONE
to the fort now, had advanced
artillery
The bombardment ceased
and tell them to fall bs ick,’
with the message.
and strike off ard the line,"
figure streaked out of the und
crashed into the
moment
‘We w atch ved
erbru:
of grass
sea
Moros espied the cavalrymen
The Americans set up their moun-
in a long skirmish line and ad-
in charge of the gun shouted,
The skirmishers, almost
the range of fire of their own
will have to go down there
A man was sent down
the jungle growth
ddenly a lithe brown
A ba flashed and the messenger
“APITATE D. It was over in a
into
rley. “S
Another man went
ance was repeated.”
man's land-—sheer suicide to
But in the meantime the
exposed
to open a breach.
Claude Underwood,
early morning breeze.
blasted.
“We darted and ducked throug
grass under our feet.
Charley and a buddy,
says
grass rippled sleepily in the
Rifles roared and
The crepitation of the
shoots—made us
tion of the sound.
Moro-—
heads,
through to the line.
knoll boomed out and sent
gaps yawned in the walls.
and feebler.
The
tly behind us and cut off our
to tackle two men. They got
into the fort. Great
the Moros became feebler
Charley
was sounded. Then they
a muddy creek bot
fort was deserted. The
over tom
The
mained alive-
nition. The men started back
the order to charge
They stumbled
rough a gap in the wall
slipped away-—those that re-
their supplies and their ammu-
l. Mopping their sweaty faces,
en—
the rest.
“We gripped our
for glare with the insurrectos.
hind us. Cut off!
to Underwood.
“The creek bottom,’ I reared
We ran for that slimy asylum,
our heads.”
Where were those Moros?
It was their
but there was no one in
And where were their own pals?
The suspense was maddening.
it—try to shoot their way out.
men. They might make it An
started to get up.
down, Claude.” And Charley
and Charley
“Get down, Charlie. Stay
hat for the next ten seconds you
The rifle fire had come
heads.
Twenty years later,
Charley Levine received the
llowsehold ®
@ Questions
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the Island of St. Helena
Jamestown, Island of St. Helena,
is the town and countryside where
Longwood, the house where Napo-
leon lived, is a long one-story build-
ing with a peaked roof, high enough
In this house Napoleon was vir-
day. He was allowed walks about
the countryside, but if he strayed
too far an alarm bell rang out, call
ing him back.
During one of his rambles Napo-
leon came upon a spring beneath
a great cypress tree which over-
looked a peaceful valley. Many
times he returned to the place. He
grew to leve the spot and finally
asked that when death came that
he might be buried there. Napoleon
died on May 5, 1821, and was buried
in the space which is surrounded by
an iron fence. The body was re-
moved to Paris October 15, 1840. It
is related that on the last page of
Napoleon's copybook, used when he
was a schoolboy in Corsica, where
he was born, these words are writ-
ten in his own handwriting:
“St. Helena, an island in the
South Atlantic; British possession.”
St. Helena lies 1,200 miles west
of the coast of Angola, Africa, and
about twice this distance east of
Brazil. It is in practically the same
latitude as Mozambique.
Desert Mountain Sheep
The Desert Mountain sheep lives
in the most severe environment of
any of the Bighorn sheep of North
America. In much of its range,
permanent water holes are 30 to 50
miles apart, and about these the
life of these hardy animals must
center during most of the year. The
desert mountain ranges which are
their homes are low, rugged, hot,
rocky, unforested territory. Vege
tation is sparse, and the whole ter.
rain is the most forbidding occupied
by any major species of big game.
That the animals can find suste-
nance there, where the annual pre-
cipitation may amount to less than
three inches, is astonishing.