be wildly successful.”
Dottie’s eyes narrowed as she gave me a hard look. “Since you seem to know so much about the future, have any tips on the stock market?”
“Yeah,” I said theatrically, putting my hand over my brow, “Karnak the Great predicts yes, get in, have fun but leave the party early to avoid the worst hangover in history, before October, 1929.”
“Well, we’re pretty familiar with hangovers,” Dottie said laughing.
“Are we gonna be raided?” Jonathan asked with a mischievous smile.
“Raided?” Scott said surprised. “Jack & Charlie’s? I hardly think so but it might be fun for a change.” Dottie frowned at him.
“You and your ideas of fun! Honestly, if you could only learn to save some money….”
“Ah…alas!” Scott said theatrically, “We’re too poor to economize. Extravagance is our only salvation.”
“My poor little genius!” Dottie said tenderly touching his arm.
It was growing late and I had to take the kids home to bed. They bid us goodbye, Scott giving me a big pat on the back.
“Nice meeting you, old man, sorry you can’t stay, gonna be a pretty good party… ”
I reluctantly bade them goodbye, walking on air, and started to leave. It couldn’t have been a better evening.
Walking up to the street, I bumped elbows with a big man in a coat and flat cap.
“ ‘Scuse me,” he said.
Something about the brief glimpse I had of his face….that big flat nose. As we walked away, it dawned on me.
“Hey kids!! That was the Babe!”
“Babe, Lito? That was a man… ” Jonathan objected.
“No, no, George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth, that’s who we are going to see play tomorrow and Friday.”
“Who?!”
“Who?!” I said, “Just THE most famous baseball player of all time, that’s who! The Home Run King, the Sultan of Swat they call him.”
“Is THAT really him?” Jonathan asked. “He looks kinda fat…”
“Well, he’s not really fat - just a big athlete,” I explained. “He drinks, parties and can eat a dozen hot dogs at one time. His big thing is his bat. He can really slug that ball like nobody else. His record of 60 home runs in a single season will stand for 34 more years, and then be beat by only one, and THAT in a longer season with more games. It will not be beaten again until the next century. In the 1932 World Series, with two balls and two strikes against him, while being heckled, he’ll call his shot, pointing to center field and wallop a home run out of Wrigley Field right where he pointed. He will be the first man to ever hit a ball out of the park in Pittsburgh, many years from now when he is past his prime. No, there is nobody like the Babe, the Bambino. Babe Ruth is truly a legend.”
“We’re gonna see him play?” Lauren said.
“Yep, tomorrow afternoon at Yankee Stadium, but first we’ll visit some navy ships. The Atlantic Fleet is in. My father used to tell me how he used to watch and sometimes visit the battleships as they swung at anchor in the Hudson River when he lived high up above in Washington Heights.”
“Will your Dad be there, Lito?” Jonathan asked.
“No, he’s a boy living in Trenton, remember we passed though on the engine?”
“Yeah.”
BRUNO THE BEAR
Next morning, Thursday, we headed up to northern Manhattan to the fleet landing at 96th street on the 9th Avenue elevated line, taking a 6th Avenue thru-train to 93rd Street. A magnificent vista was spread out before us. The fleet was at anchor in the wide river, the distant cliffs of New Jersey in the background. A few massive battleships most with their towering cage masts, some lean four-funneled scout cruisers and good-old ‘four-piper’ destroyers (with four funnels) were decked out in flags and crews were standing at attention in dress whites.
I remembered from the Times that two Japanese training cruisers were here on a goodwill visit. Sure enough, the two cruisers with three, tall old-fashioned smokestacks were anchored alongside the U.S. flagship, the battleship Arkansas, bristling with her main battery of twelve, 12-inch diameter cannons in six twin gun turrets, looking long and lean. Some ceremony was taking place, the flashing of swords and the distant thumping of a navy band could be heard out on the river. A small crowd gathered with us to watch.
I explained to the kids what was going on.
“Can we go visit the ships, Lito?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah, let’s go see them.” Jonathan said.
“Sure, after the ceremonies are over,” I said. It was a cool, sunny morning. After about a half hour, around 10 am, it was over. We could see the Japanese delegation leaving the Arkansas being piped over the side, the honors being accorded with the boom of the saluting guns.
After a short time, the launches from various ships landed sailors on shore leave, and were picking up visitors under each ship’s banner. We headed for the battleship New York’s launch, as it still had some empty places.
We got underway, briskly speeding out to the mighty ship with her lean profile and modern tripod masts.
“This is fuuuun!” Jonathan laughed. We sped by the two old Japanese cruisers with their tall, old-fashioned funnels.
“They look old, Lito,” Jonathan shouted over the roar of the boats engine.
“Yes, they are, both built in 1899, the Iwate and Asama,” I shouted into his ear. “They fought in the battle of Tsushima, where the Japanese sunk most of the Russian navy in 1905; they are just training ships now.”
Courtesy Navsource.org National Archives # 80-G-423350
The skilled Coxswain made a sharp turn and swung the launch in a sweeping turn, landing the boat smartly on the starboard side of the New York’s armored flank. The boat’s crew helped the visitors out of the bobbing launch onto the battleship’s teakwood boat stairs. With some difficulty, we made it out of the boat, the sailors swinging the kids up.
We got on deck just below the short mainmast, shoehorned between center and the rear or ‘after’ gun turrets. The long, massive 14-inch diameter guns looked menacing even at rest, decorative brass tampions plugging the gun’s barrels to keep out moisture. We were right by the muzzles of the middle turret and its aircraft catapult with two bi-planes. I pointed out that she had a main battery of 10 14-inchers in five turrets. They could shoot a shell that weighed as much as a car 20 miles. The kids were really impressed.
A tough-looking, square-jawed Chief Petty Officer, (I explained that they were like Sergeants in the army) asked us if we’d like to see inside the gun turret? We had to walk along the center turret until we reached the low overhang on its rear.
He pointed to an open hatch. “Climb under and up that hatch.”
The kids were a little nervous but followed me up the narrow hatch which led to a small triangular entry room
