libraryofcongress

www.jeserie.org
includes:
"B.S. Osbon was no ordinary Civil War figure. He wore three hats concurrently during the Civil War: sailor, newspaper correspondent, and illustrator. Serving either as a naval signal officer or as a clerk, Osbon had access to naval operations from a perspective unavailable to other land-based correspondents or illustrators. His articles and illustrations were widely published in Union periodicals and newspapers. Osbon's first assignment was to cover the relief of Fort Sumter in April 1861. Balancing between his reporter and Navy roles was not always easy. Wounded in battle and acquainted with Union leaders from President Lincoln to Admiral Farragut, Osbon's story is unique in the history of Civil War journalism, which Brian Graff will share in this partnership lecture series between the JES and the Erie Civil War Roundtable. "

The Tacoma times (Tacoma, Wash.), June 15, 1940, p. 22, Cols. 1-2
www.loc.gov
"SOUNDINGS. By Casey Davison
One of the most colorful maritime characters of the last century was B. S. Osbon. He was a newspaperman and marine reporter. His career makes your scribe-—well, feel almighty tame, even in our brashest moments. Osbon was quite a guy all the way around, come to think of it.
He was born in 1827 and shipped off to sea in a square-rigged windbag 13 years later. (Osbon, that is, not this ancient mariner who at times feels even older.)
While still a youngster he often visited China in the famed tea clippers, and also took a whirl at whaling in the Arctic. Before many years had passed he was entitled to be called "captain" by other successful merchant masters.
Then he needed more worlds to conquer, so he joined the contemporary international coast guard of the China coast. He was jealously disliked by other officers of the same service because he made them all look like pikers when it came to catching pirates, killing infractious Chinese, sinking junks and sampans and similar chores called "duty."
When he'd single-handedly (darn near) purified the China coast, things seemed dull so he went back to whaling: that was fun for a while. Then he took a turn at Arctic exploring, just for the heck of it. After that a fat job in the merchant marine, again.
But even despite such varied and profitable and often exciting jobs, Osbon's world seemed to be slowing down. He demanded some action.
So his next job was as commander of a warship in the revolutionary navy down Argentina way.
(Incidentally, the big shot of that navy was another American, Commodore Coe.)
Well, he made enough kumshaw from that deal to retire from active seafaring while still in the prime of life. It was then he began news-papering.
As a newspaperman, Osbon attained a new high in the fine art of making enemies.
He disliked politicians and weaklings and general incompetency. He said so, oboy.
Osbon's squabbles with Gustavus Fox, assistant secretary of the navy during the Civil War, are classics both in newspaper and naval circles. Osbon won.
But he also numbered among his friends most of the best statesmen, naval officers, businessmen, seafarers, etc., in the country. To so-called great people, Osbon was great.
And because he knew his stuff, he was the only newspaperman allowed to accompany the Northern fleet at New Orleans.
After the Civil War, Osbon did a number of things.
First he went to Mexico and became an admiral in the Mexican navy.
Next he was quarantine officer at New Orleans.
He founded the Nautical Gazette. a publication still healthy and enjoying a solid following on the Atlantic seaboard.
He organized an anti-Spanish espionage system in South America about that time.
He established the first news-gathering agency in the United States, similar to a latter-day United Press.
Thus he newspapered and sailorized and had a whopping good time until after he was 80 years old.
And there are two yarns about Osbon which we particularly enjoy:
Osbon, strangely enough after all the nefarious, seafarious things he did, was quite religious and claimed he could 'recite the Bible from truck to keel, from stem to stern.' And so it was when he was with Farragut aboard the Hartford. The ship ran aground under the cannonading from Fort St. Philip, and an enemy ship approached with a fire-raft.
Farragut saw Osbon run to the scuppers and kneel with a coat over his head. 'This is no time for prayer!' thundered the admiral.
"Aw, stick around," yelled Osbon, "And you'll see a prayer answered the fastest ever!" For what he actually did was take three bombs, and with the coat protecting his face from the flames, touch them off in the scupper and then heave them overboard to blow up the fire-raft. That saved the ship and the day."

Note: The rest of the article has been omitted from this transcription.

Finally, I have found his name and a date of death.
civilwarnavy.com

"Bradley Sillick Osbon (1827-1912) was the son of a poor
Methodist minister, born August 16, 1827 at Rye, West Chester County, New York (his birth year was so noted in his memoirs, but varies into the 1830s, depending on source, and he himself reported several different birth years on various documents throughout his lifetime). His great-grandfather, whose surname was Osborne, manufactured corn brooms—the burning-brand used to mark the brooms was misinterpreted by the maker of brands in Boston to be “Osbon,” and so the family surname was changed to fit the burning-brand to avoid the costs and time of correction. Osbon is most commonly known as ‘Captain Bradley S. Osbon,’ referring to his attainment of commander of various vessels during the merchant marine years of his career and not to an actual rank achieved in the U.S. Navy. During his
appointments in the U.S. Navy, Osbon served as clerk and/or
signal officer."

Thanks swanq for tracking down this info. We'll add some of it to the catalog record.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Dippel
"Andreas Dippel (30 November 1866 – 12 May 1932) was a German-born operatic tenor and impresario who from 1908 to 1910 was the joint manager (with Giulio Gatti-Casazza) of the New York Metropolitan Opera."

See

This page in Spanish may help
- venezuelaenretrospectiva.wordpress.com

"Nació el Dr. Cárdenas en 1868."

"En 1891, visitó Europa y regresó a Venezuela, a dedicarse a la actividad política. Desempeñó los cargos de Secretario del Consejo Municipal; Oficial de número y Director en el Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Fiscal Público.En septiembre de 1899, figura junto a Manuel Corao, Rafael Revenga y Cecilio Castro, en el grupo de “los bastoneros”, los valencianos que desde el triunfo de La Restauradora rodearon a Castro y se convirtieron en su entorno íntimo. El Doctor Corao presentó al Dr. Torres Cárdenas, ante el denominado «Pacificador» , General Cipriano Castro, presentándole como » uno de los representativos más notables del Partido Liberal en Carabobo y su admirador más entusiasta”.

Secretario de la presidencia (octubre 1899), es elegido diputado principal por el estado Carabobo (enero 1901) y senador por los estados Cojedes (febrero 1902) y Zulia (febrero 1905). Es uno de los principales promotores de La Aclamación (abril-junio 1906), siendo nombrado ministro de Relaciones Interiores (julio 1906-agosto 1907); participó en la Conjura contra Gómez en 1907.Destaca también como figura social durante el castrismo, participando conspicuamente con su esposa en todas las cuadrillas de baile de las fiestas de la Restauración.

Fue apoderado en Venezuela de la marca «General Electric», compañía americana que acaba de comprar a Edison sus patentes de invención en cincuenta millones de dólares.César Zumeta, bajo el seudónimo de José María Peinado en 1911, lo acusa de tener varios millones de bolívares malhabidos desde el gobierno, cuando a mediados de 1889 andaba «peseteando» en Valencia. Exiliado (1908), Torres Cárdenas viaja a España donde fija su residencia. Regresa a Venezuela a la muerte de Juan Vicente Gómez, en 1936. Fue notable orador y cultivó las letras, aunque no llegó a dejar obra publicada. Murió en la ciudad Caracas en 1940."