James N. Ryan - A Father's Lament

Among Jim's personal effects returned to the family was the booklet "The Making of a Man 'O Warsman." referred to earlier.  It must have meant a lot to Jim's father, because he wrote this lament on the inside cover.

Here is the transcription:

Elmwood Place, Ohio

In the year nineteen ten (eleven) on the Battle Ship Virginia a young sailor lay dying.  Without any friends he lay waiting till the dawn when death would close his wings about him and shield him from the cares and troubles of this life.  He was far from home from those who loved him, far from the land that gave him birth. But now as he was dying, things certainly were different. His father loved him with a love as no one could ever love again, but his father never knew that he way dying -- never knew that he was sick.  His mother dear did not know either, so this made it all the harder for the poor sailor who was dying and so far from home and friends and no one to pray for him. Only one hour, however, he lay there sick.  He got worse, fell unconscious and failed to rally and died just as he had lived -- far away from home and mother. 

Cincinnati Times-Star, May 2, 1911, p. 3

The record shows that James Hugh demanded that a second autopsy be performed in Cincinnati. Although his son's body was returned in a sealed coffin, James Hugh wanted confirmation.  The evidence suggests that he got his wish.

According the the Death Notice, the funeral took place in the family home and was followed with a Mass at St. Aloysius Church.  He was buried at St. John's Cemetery in St. Bernard, OH.  He, along with his mother, father and several other Ryans are buried in this cemetery.  Not one grave is marked.

Just to complete the record for interested family, I am attaching a copy of Jim's Death Certificate.

James N. Ryan - The Unthinkable Happens

On May 1, 1911 twenty-two year old James Nicholas Ryan died -- of diphtheria.  Just four months shy of fulfilling his commitment to the Navy, he died of a disease that most of us don't even know existed.  We are vaccinated against it as babies.  His parents got the telegram that no parent ever wants to get.

Cincinnati Enquirer, May 2, 1911

Along with the telegram came disbelief. Jim's father could not accept that his young, healthy son was dead. There had to be some "other" explanation than the "official" one. Newspaper articles of the time reflect this confusion. Despite a Death Certificate that clearly states the cause of death as , the article states that "it was stated by some naval officials that there is some doubt as to the cause of Ryan's death." When contacted by the Enquirer, the officer in charge on the Virginia stated that "Ryan died of natural causes" but then added that he "did not care to discuss it."

Cincinnati Enquirer, May 2, 1911

It's no wonder the father questioned the cause of death. The telegram received by the parents simply stated:

"Your son, James M. Ryan, died suddenly this afternoon. Wire as to disposition of remains."  

I can't imagine getting a telegram telling me about the death of my firstborn-son and namesake that seems so matter-of-fact and unfeeling.  I would be in shock.  He was determined to get to the bottom of this. (You can click on the article to enlarge it).

Cincinnati Enquirer, May 4, 1911, p.4

The article states that Jim's death was due to heart failure, owing to diphtheria. It also adds that Ryan had been sick with diphtheria for five days, a fact reflected in Jim's service record. However, members of the crew stated that Jim was "up and around the ship an hour before his death." One officer stated Ryan "was ordered to the sick bay at 12:20 and died at 1:05." Reports such as this probably led to the speculation that Jim died by choking on tobacco. (See next clip)

I've not been able to ascertain the source of this article, but it contains a few errors. It lists Jim's age as 27 and his middle initial as an "M'. It attributes Jim's death to choking on a piece of tobacco that became lodged in his throat.  However, the article goes on to state that "Ryan's inquiries to the Navy Department resulted in a statement that the sailor had died of diphtheria.  This was followed by a statement that he had choked to death."




I think the evidence is overwhelming.  Jim died of diphtheria.  Everyone agrees that he was ordered to sick bay in the last hour of his life.  No one goes to sick bay for an hour to choke to death on tobacco.   It's hard for us to accept 100 years later that someone so healthy and young could die of a bacterial infection that we are vaccinated against and that can be cured by an antibiotic.  Yet antibiotics did not yet exist.  Needless to say, the family was devastated.

James N. Ryan - Great White Fleet - Welcome Home!

Political cartoon from The New York Herald, February 22, 1909. Illustration shows Uncle Sam, George Washington, and Theodore Roosevelt welcoming the Great White Fleet as it returns to home port at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Credit:  Wikipedia - The Great White Fleet

On Washington's Birthday, February 22, 1909, the Great White Fleet returned home after its 14-month adventure.  I can't even imagine the emotions of all involved.  In hindsight, I'm really glad that "our" Jim was able to take part.  He was able to cram a lifetime of experiences into what would turn out to be a very short life.

We do not have much information on Jim's naval career after returning home.  One postcard reflects what was probably pretty typical -- time spent with the ship in dry dock undergoing repairs and upgrades. This card was mailed April 7, 1910 from the USS Virginia, six weeks after their return.

 

We are now at the Southern Drill (?) Grounds.  Will be here for three weeks.  Love to all from your son, Jim.

On July 1st, 1910 Jim was promoted to Fireman, 1st Class.  This was followed a month later to a promotion to "Acting Appointment to Blacksmith (Foundryman)."  According to his service record, nothing noteworthy happened until Jim stayed overleave from 4:00 PM October 6th to6:00 AM October 8th.  For this offense, he was tried by a "Deck Court" and fined $16.50 pay.  

His ratings suffered for that three-month period.  The rating for "Obedience" dropped to 1.5 on a five-point scale and in the column indicating whether or not he would be recommended for Honorable Discharge said "No".  The "5" was a rating for "sobriety."  Jim consistently rated well in this category.  The disciplinary procedures must have had their desired effect because Jim's service record remained complaint-free for the rest of his career.

But tragedy was just around the corner . . .

James N. Ryan - Great White Fleet - The Final Leg

http://www.greatwhitefleet.info

During the final leg of the cruise, the USS Virginia departed from Manila, traveled through the Suez Canal, and made stops in Smyrna, Turkey and Gibraltar before heading home to Hampton Roads, Virginia.  Each member of the USS Virginia was issued a commemorative chart of the entire cruise.  Matt Biederman has Jim's copy framed and in his home.  You can click on the link under the chart above and scroll around the entire map.  You can see where the battleship was on each day and the number of nautical miles sailed while at sea.

Credit:  http://www.greatwhitefleet.info

In the Mediterranean, different battleships docked at different ports.  The Virginia stopped in Smyrna, Turkey. This was a place of special fascination for Jim.  Matt has a letter mailed home from Turkey.  I love its contents.

 

Here is my best attempt at a transcription:

Smyrne, Turkey

January 13, '09

Dear Father,

Your loving letter of December 25th was received yesterday and I was more than delighted to hear from you. We arrived here in Smyrne on the 11th and we stay here until the 25thh of January. It is very cool in this part. You know we are not very struck on cold weather, not being in a cold country on a long while. I think we'll know it alright when we strike New York. The ships company of this ship is kept very busy at this point.  We are going through a navy yard overhauling. I think the ships will have to stand a very strong inspection when we get back to New York, so we are trying to make the ship look it's best.

Well, dear Father, how are you and dear Mother and why don't she write?  It is a coon (?) age since I heard from her.  What is a matter with Rose also, why they must be afraid to write.  I wish you would get them to write me a letter now and then.  Also give them my best love.

I see by your last letter that Mrs. Luffuss ? out to the house.  I also see that she made a hit.  Well what do you think of her?  Would you leave your happy house for her ?  I guess she thinks I am a peach.  I have not sent her a postal or anything since I have been on this trip.  But what is the difference is you got a good pull.  There is another lad on this ship who is writing to her. He kept company with her before he shipped in the navy.  He is a duckman, too.  But she don't know that I know him.  But I do.  So you see I am a good heart.  I am giving him a chance to make good.  So if he don't, it is his own fault.

Say how ? to Eddy to give him my best.  Tell him it will hurt him to drop a note now and then.  I was ashore the day before yesterday.  I think this is the most immoral place I was ever in.  Turkish you know you can get anything you are looking for.   Well, dear Father, as I have wrote all I really know I will have to bring my letter to a close.  Hoping to hear from you very soon. I remain, as ever, your loving son.

James N. Ryan

James N. Ryan - Great White Fleet - San Francisco to Manila

USS Virginia Postcard by Enrique Muller 1907  Credit:  http://www.greatwhitefleet.info

On the third leg of the tour, the USS Virginia, as part of the second squadron, departed San Francisco on July7, 1908. The first port of call was Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time Hawaii was a U.S. Territory.  It would not become a state for fifty more years.  I can't imagine how different Hawaii would have been 100 years ago.

Credit:  Wikipedia - The Great White Fleet

Credit:  http://www.greatwhitefleet.info

Fortunately for us there was an electrician, Frank Lesher, aboard the USS Virginia who collected items from each port.  He kept medals, programs of activities set up for the sailors, letters, and numerous picture postcards. An example from his collection is pictured at the left.  It is a picture of the former queen of Hawaii.

As the focus of this blog is on family history, I'm going to refer interested readers to a website that includes extensive information on each port of call.  You can read his personal correspondence back "home" and get a feel for the kinds of experiences Jim might have had.
Go to: Hawaii  I can't urge you enough to check out this site.  You can choose from among a list of ports and view some of Frank's collection.

One of the most important ports of call was Yokohama, Japan.  The family is in possession of a beautiful embroidered work that Jim acquired in Japan.  Closeups of this work were featured in a previous post.  Pictured is a ticket issued to the sailors for free train transportation.

Credit:  http://www.greatwhitefleet.info

The fleet headed to Manila in the Philippines where they were again greeted warmly by the local population. Who could have anticipated what would happen in this area of the world a short 32 years later.

James N. Ryan - The Life of a "Coal Passer"

Jim Ryan (standing on right)

The Department of the Navy has a website on the "Cruise of the Great White Fleet." I was surprised that the site included a great description of the role of a "coal passer."

The good times were earned by these sailors. There was the seemingly endless round of cleaning chores, watches and drills. But even for the hard-working deck force, life at sea wasn't quite so bad, not when compared to the jobs of the so-called "black gang" in the fire room below decks. At least topside, the deck force had the benefit of sunlight and breezes; below decks, the engineers' world was dominated by searing heat and coal dust.

Coal, commonly referred as "black diamonds," was the ship's sole source of power. Ships would normally go into port and take on coal every two weeks. "Coaling ship" was an all hands evolution and a dirty job. It would take several days to coal a ship. Afterward, the crew would spend several more days cleaning the ship, inside and out, fore and aft, since coal dust settled everywhere.

Members of the "Black Gang", stoke the coal burning power plants of the Battleships of the Great White Fleet. C. 1907-1908. NH 101721.

A member of the "black gang" on the battleship Connecticut described coaling day. "Our ship held about 2,000 tons of the stuff. All the deckhands would go down into the collier (coal supply ship) and fill these big bags with about 500 pounds. Then they'd hoist 'em over to us down in the coal bunkers and we'd spread out the coal with shovels until all the bunkers - about 20 - were full to the top."

The Navy published a booklet called "The Making of a Man o' Warsman."  (Note cover in previous post). Each day 2 1/2 hours was devoted to practicing drills.  Drills might include signaling, collision avoidance, fire prevention, etc.  On p. 14, there is a description of the Coaling Drill.

Coaling Ship.--The most arduous work the men must perform on board a man-o -war is coaling ship. Strictly speaking, "coaling ship" is not a drill, but for convenience in explaining this work we will call it so. Lighters filled with coal are brought alongside and the men are stationed in them to fill bags, and also stationed aboard ship to receive and send the bags below, the bags being carried from barge to ship by means of electric hoists. The men of the engineer's force stow the coal in the bunkers. Signals are hoisted each hour on each ship of the fleet to show the amount of coal taken, which causes keen rivalry among the ships. Coaling is not a thing of great frequency. It may take place once a month, or once in three months, depending upon the amount of cruising the ship is doing.

This is how Jim initially made his living.  When he enlisted as an apprentice seaman, he was paid $17.60.  On January 1, 1910, Jim was promoted to Fireman, 2nd Class.  This promotion put him on a new career path with a corresponding increase in pay.  According to the manual cited above:

FIREMEN

The fire-room force on board a man-of-war consists of chief water tenders, at $55 and $77 a month; water tenders, $44; oilers, $40.70; firemen, first-class, $38.50; firemen, second-class, $33; and coal passers, $24.20. After serving one enlistment (4 years) in any of these capacities a man may take a course at the Machinists' School, in Norfolk, as previously stated, and, if he graduates, may enter the machinists' branch, and is eligible to the promotion of a machinist's mate as explained in the previous chapter. p. 18

This promotion took place about two weeks after the fleet left on its round-the-world tour.  Two more promotions would follow.  Life had to be looking up.  In the next post, we'll discuss the third leg of the tour.

James N. Ryan and the "Great White Fleet"

I have to admit -- I'd never heard of the "Great White Fleet."  Along with the artifacts that Matt Biederman shared with me by email, he included a link to a site that discusses the Great White Fleet. Jim may have died at the age of 22, but what a life he had!




According to the Wikipedia site,

The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability.

President Roosevelt envisioned the tour to be a demonstration of not only U.S. seapower, but also American industrial prowess.  The fourteen month-long voyage included sixteen battleships with hulls painted in peacetime white, hence, the nickname.  The squadrons were manned by 14,000 sailors.  During the tour, the fleet traveled 43,000 nautical miles, making twenty port calls on six continents.  What an adventure for a 18-year old!

Credit:  http://www.greatwhitefleet.info/

Jim began his naval career as a "coal passer." He and his colleagues were responsible for the "fuel" that powered these ships. If you refer to the previous post, you can see that the picture showed Jim and crew members aboard a "Coaling Ship." Jim was initially assigned to the USS Franklin but was transferred to the USS Virginia in the October before the fleet's December departure. Over the next fourteen months, this boy from Elmwood Place was about to become a man.

The Great White Fleet

The tour was divided into four legs. Since the Panama Canal was not yet completed, the fleet had to travel around the South American continent.

Credit:  Wikipedia - The Great White Fleet

On the second leg, the fleet traveled from San Francisco to Puget Sound and back. Our young man, Jim, must have loved San Francisco. His disciplinary report states that on June 23, 1908, he returned three hours overleave to the Virginia. Apparently, the ship was in port preparing for the third leg of the trip that would take them to the Philippines.  I can't imagine the joy of traveling the world at such a young age.  In the next post, I will discuss the life of a "coal passer"/ fireman aboard ship.

James Nicholas Ryan - A FollowUp

Last April, I wrote a post on James Nicolas Ryan, the first-born child of James Hugh and Rose Ryan. In that post I mentioned that I was going to send away for James service record from the National Archives to clear up some "myths" about Jim.  Jim (as he was known) died at the age of 22 aboard the USS Virginia while it was docked in the Boston Harbor.  Cause of death -- diphtheria.

Jim Ryan is sitting on the right of the anchor.

The stories about Jim had become quite grandiose over the years.  I referred to him as "St. James." With each telling of the story, Jim became more and more heroic. His stature increased, he advanced quickly through the ranks, and they even named a building after him in Washington, D.C.  The most consistent story is similar to one that Pat Biederman, a niece of Jim, sent me in an email:

While the fleet was on their voyage a piece broke on the ship and Jim said if they could get a fire hot enough to melt brass he could fashion the piece.  He made the piece that was needed.  He is listed in the National Archives in Washington D.C. as inventing the first forge on the high seas.

I just had to separate the fact from the fiction. A couple of months ago, I sent for Jim's record from the National Archives.  The record was much more comprehensive than I had anticipated.  We had always known that Jim "lied" about his age when he joined the navy at age 18.  He gave his age as 21.  This eventually resulted in his Death Certificate incorrectly listing his age at the time of death as 25 when he was only 22.  (The Navy did identify the discrepancy in reports following his death and attributed the discrepancy to an incorrect age at the time of enlistment).  Jim was the oldest of nine children and I'm sure it was to his advantage to move out as soon as possible.  Pictured is part of his enlistment record.  I especially like seeing his signature and knowing once and for all how he spelled "Nicholas".  I'm going to have to update some records.

Note the description of his physical characteristics:  Age - 21 years 2 months (not true), Height - 5 ' 8 3/8", Weight - 156 pounds, Eyes - hazel, Hair - dark brown, Complexion - ruddy and Personal characteristics, marks, etc. - scar over each eye, r. knee, r. ring finger, tip r. index, wart inside l. hand.  In a separate document, his occupation at the time of enlistment is listed as "moulder" and later reports include a tattoo of the head of a sailor on his left arm.

Of interest to me was the inclusion in the record of a "report card" documenting Jim's competence on the job, changes in rank, commendations and punishments.  Hopefully, the reader will be able to click on the documents below and enlarge them.

If you review the documents, clear patterns emerge.  Jim was generally "proficient" as a sailor averaging a "4" on a 5-point scale.  You could also conclude that he was "sober".  His "mechanical ability" and competence with "marine equipment"  improved over time from a rating of "1" to a rating of "4". 

On the other hand, it seems as if Jim occasionally struggled with authority. Almost immediately after enlisting, Jim was found guilty of "leaving his station without permission,"  an offense that merited him five days of solitary confinement. For the next nine months, Jim "kept his nose clean," but then he overstayed his leave by three hours and was bumped back a class. Over the next year and a half, Jim frequently overstayed his leave and was given extra duty, reduced a class or docked pay.  He was caught "smoking out of hours" and found guilty of "using indecent language when told to get in uniform."  This latter offense earned him another day of solitary confinement.

1910 was a good year.  Jim was promoted to "Fireman - 2nd Class" and then "Fireman - 1st Class" six months later.  Almost immediately he was reclassified as a "Blacksmith (foundryman)" probably following his ability (so often referenced in the oral history) to fix a critical piece of the ship based on his experience as a "moulder,"  This was the rank he held at the time of his death in May, 1911.  Listed below is a summary of Jim's ranks during his time in the Navy.

 

Luckily for us, we have more than Jim's Navy records.  In the next posts, I will post some of Jim's personal notes that are a part of Matt Biederman's collection.

Ryan "Cousin Bait"

I was reading the post of a fellow family history blogger, and she said that the primary role of her blog is "cousin bait."  I thought that was such an interesting expression, but in the end, that is one of the primary purposes of my blog.  As a result of it, many of my extended family including 3rd and 4th cousins have found me because of something posted here.

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Pat Biederman.  She is the daughter of Ray Ryan, brother of my grandfather, Roy.  I wrote about Ray in an earlier post.  Pat was interested in my post about James Nicholas Ryan, the oldest child of James Hugh Ryan and Rose Gross.  Jim, as he was known, was Pat's uncle, although he was dead by the time Pat was born.  Jim tragically died of diphtheria at the age of 22.  His loss had a tremendous impact on the family.

Pat told me of her personal interest in Jim's history and how her father passed on certain artifacts of Jim's that had been in the possession of his sister, Rose.  Included was a map outlining the ports of call and the distances traveled by the USS Virginia and the other ships in the fleet as they traveled around the world.  She also had a beautiful embroidered picture that had been given to the fleet by the Japanese in remembrance of their visit to Japan.

Pat's son, Matt, is the current caretaker of these very special artifacts. Matt and I have since emailed and shared information and I am hoping to set something up in the near future so that we can all compare notes and the pieces of the puzzle that we each possess. Pictured below are closeups of the embroidered artwork that Matt forwarded to me.

The information I have in my possession includes Jim Ryan's service record that I ordered from the National Archives. The next several posts will focus on separating the fact from the fiction about Jim's life and death that occurred far too early.

Holocaust Memorial Day: A Bittersweet Task

I was not aware that today is Holocaust Memorial Day. As someone who has met Holocaust survivors and visited several concentration camps, including Auschwitz, I thought it would be appropriate to link a post from earlier this month. If you missed it, take the time to read this post.

Note:  Helen (the young girl in the picture) lost her Polish father and older brother to the Holocaust.  Her father was a newspaper publisher killed with 440 Polish "intellectuals."  They were not Jewish. Her older brother was arrested with her father and sent to Auschwitz.  He was released a year later in such a weakened state that he died at age 22.