OCR Text |
Show Wrrrli f,r II,. ,,!,, . Meutenant Krank 8. Ilotehkln, of Chicago, who served eighteen ears In tho United State navy, and Uien, retired re-tired Into roiumerclalllfe, snjlj lull it the Maine had not been a warship the dUaater might have been much worse than 1( was. .The lieutenant waa nn offlrer on board the the tiled AsTiuelot wlierl tHu' warship waa wrecked In the China sea. Hlght men were lost three Chlncsa who wero looting the, officers' quarters, and live "middles" who Jumped overboard, craxed by tear. Tho Aahurflot waa built fru; service nn tho MUalaalppI during the war, and fifteen ear ago. IVb. 31, wn In Chinese water. wat-er. Bhtf was walled In by a heavy foe when at 4 o'clock In the morning Lieu-tenant Lieu-tenant Ilotehkln went to relieve the watch, lie had scarcely put foot on deck when the, lookout cried- "I.and on the ttarboard Lemf The next minute min-ute the ship struck, and had It tiot been for the dlsclpllno tho whole outfit out-fit would have gpno to the bottom. Tho loss of the ship caused an Inquiry and a court-martial, and the captain and tho navigator were disciplined. "If ever I am In a marine disaster again," quoth tho lieutenant, "I desire that It ahall be on a man-of-war." |