Description
Excerpt from The Bounding Billow: Being an Authentic Account of the Memorable Cruise of the U. S. Flagship Olympia From 1895 to 1899, as Recorded in the Different Issues of That Official Journal, Published on Board the Ship During the Voyage
On the, morning of the twentieth we were off again, and the next day found us anchored in the offing about ten miles from San Diego. Although a pilot came on board and assured Captain Read that he could easily enter the harbor, even offering his services free, he strenuously refused to attempt it. The San Diego press strongly censured the captain, claim ing that his not entering cast doubts on the safety of the port. He however paid no attention to their criticisms and remained outside, On April the twenty fourth we cleared for action, prepara tory to having target practice with great guns.
On this day a horrible accident occurred; one that will remain for ever engraven on the minds of those that saw it. Coxswain John N. Johnson, captain of gun number three, stepped to his place to fire, witha joke to the gun''s crew and asmile on his lip. The next instant, with the smile still lingering on his face, he was hurled into eternity. The great gun recoiled off its carriage, snapping like pipe stems the massive'' steel bolts that held it in place, crashed down on poor Johnson, hurling him to the deck and killing him almost instantly.
Every man stood aghast at the. Fearful sight. There lay their shipmate, but a moment before in all the glory of healthy, vigorous manhood, now a crushed and bleeding corpse. In spite of themselves a sob arose in the throats of many, and the tears that could not be suppressed coursed down many a harden ed cheek and, though they strove to hide them, they were tears to be proud of, for a man weeping over the loss of a comrade and friend shows the true, nobility and manliness of his nature.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
On the, morning of the twentieth we were off again, and the next day found us anchored in the offing about ten miles from San Diego. Although a pilot came on board and assured Captain Read that he could easily enter the harbor, even offering his services free, he strenuously refused to attempt it. The San Diego press strongly censured the captain, claim ing that his not entering cast doubts on the safety of the port. He however paid no attention to their criticisms and remained outside, On April the twenty fourth we cleared for action, prepara tory to having target practice with great guns.
On this day a horrible accident occurred; one that will remain for ever engraven on the minds of those that saw it. Coxswain John N. Johnson, captain of gun number three, stepped to his place to fire, witha joke to the gun''s crew and asmile on his lip. The next instant, with the smile still lingering on his face, he was hurled into eternity. The great gun recoiled off its carriage, snapping like pipe stems the massive'' steel bolts that held it in place, crashed down on poor Johnson, hurling him to the deck and killing him almost instantly.
Every man stood aghast at the. Fearful sight. There lay their shipmate, but a moment before in all the glory of healthy, vigorous manhood, now a crushed and bleeding corpse. In spite of themselves a sob arose in the throats of many, and the tears that could not be suppressed coursed down many a harden ed cheek and, though they strove to hide them, they were tears to be proud of, for a man weeping over the loss of a comrade and friend shows the true, nobility and manliness of his nature.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Details
Publisher - Forgotten Books
Language - English
Hardback
Contributors
Author
Whitaker Ray Co
Published Date -
ISBN - 9780265835685
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 0.8 cm
Page Count - 145
Paperback
Contributors
Author
Whitaker Ray Co
Published Date -
ISBN - 9781332426553
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 0.8 cm
Page Count - 147
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