Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-01-31

Venerable Patriot.
The folloWing item from the Now Yorl
Herald, which has been extensively COPIED
BY the press, has other matters Of interes
connected with il, worthy of note:
/ "OLD IRoNsIDEs." ."--The friRate Consultation
"0ld Ironsdes," is ordered to Annapolis, Il
perform duty as a service-ship for the pupils
Of the naval school. This is highly proper
destination for her, owing to ber prominent
| connection with the most brilliant achieve
meuts in our naval history. She has been
extensively repaired, under the superintend-
ence of constructor W. L. HanscOm, and is
one of the finest frigates in the NAVY
| T. Herald. ~ .'
But few of the patriots who figured upou
the stage Of action, in the days which tried
mems souls-when cold Ironsides" was the
Browning jewel of our navy-now remain
! to acquaint us with the unwritten history of
events, which at the time were considered
hardly worthy Of note. Let us endeavor to
perpetuste, even at this late period, through
the columns of newspaper, the names and
recolections Of the few remaining to tell the
tale-whO though now in their second child.
hood, recount the scenes of their early days,
with as much vividness, as though their oc-
Currence had been within the past twelve
month.
In connection Herewith, the HeralTs ar
ticle as to the present service of "0ld Iron
sides" is worthy of mention, that one of her
master builders is a citizen of 1ndiana-an
old man, bowed down with "the weary
weight of years." but whose clear blue eye
fairly flashes when you lead his mind back
to "otber days." when men were true and
devoted 10 their country, ever ready at a
moments impulse to strike down the traitor
whe dared even whisper his disloyalty.
The worthy patriot whom | would men,
ton is Prince Athearn, now in the ninety
second year of his age. He was horn on the
island of Martha's Vineyard; was appreuticed
to the trade of shi p-bulding at the early age
of seventeen, in Nova Scotia After he was
out of his apprenticeship he built several
merchant vessels ut Falmouth, Mass.
When the Constitution was ordered to be
built, he was a resident of New Bedford, and
being noted as most excellent master work.
man, be was called to Boston to assist in her
construction, and was appointed second in
command. His first duty was to take ves-
sci to the port of Kennebeck, in Maine, with
a force sufficient TO get out her keel and side
timbers, in the extensive forests in that vi
cinity. Returning after several months, be
laid her kee ut Hart IS ship-yard, on the north
side Of the to1en of Boston. near Charlie stown
Bridge, where he prosecuted his labors until
she was successfully launched without a
single accident to mar the joyOusness of the
event, and finally finished and full y equipped
and mounted, ready for the gallant action
and proud success which awaited her.
1t is the old mans pride to describe how
gracefully she sat upon the blue waters in
Boston Harbor; how like thing of life she
sailed. She was his pride, his masterpiece;
well may he be proud of her. And who will
not honor the tears of joy and delight which
couTsed the old man cheek, when, from the
He1dldS article, he learned that she still
floats to bear aioft her cOuntry's flag in au-
other, and, perhaps, more fearful struggle,
than those which befel our beloved country
in the palmiest days of the good old frigate2
Who will not reverence the man whose manly
pride and comfort in his old age is to know
that his pet has, after years of gallant serv
ice, been assigned post Of honor, aud is
still regarded as one Of the finest Jrigates in
the nary
During the war of 1872, Prince Athearn
made one or two very perilous trips from
New Bedford TO New YOr k for provisions
for the army, in small fast-sailing sloop,
called the Dart which he built tor himself
passing in the night under the British gus
in the channel, and once came near being
taken in Fishes Island Sound. While try
ing to make the hal Dor at New London he
was fired into by the Rsmilege, British
seventy.four gun ship, which set all her
sails and tried to eut him off from the har-
bor the Bart was little too fast for her.
Prince Atbern awas also one of the pion-
eeTs of the West He was lured from tue
deep blue sea" by the fabulous stories of
the easy road to wealth 10 the West-aud
abandoning his comfortable home at New
Bedford, be aud bis good old wife, who still
lives to comfort him, started with their little
family in a two-bOfse wagon late in the
spring of 1914 After ted ous journey Of
many weeks be reached Fort Pitt-now Pitts
burg where his knowledge of ship-bul'ding
enabled him in short time to construct a
boat in which he embarked for Fort Wash
ingtoD, near Cincinnati, reachIng iC in safety
in the month of July. 10 February, 1915, he
moved TO Rising Sun, Indiana, where he has
resided ever since. Here again his knowl-
edge OF ship-building proved not only valu-
able to himself but of great service 10 this
then new country; for he was employed to
assist in building the first two steamers ever
built at Cincinnati Paragon, for Captain
Parsons, and the Vulcan, for Captain Brooks.
He afterward superintended the building of
the Crusader at Fredericksburg, now Carroll
ton, at the mouth of Kentucky River, a 300
tun vessel for Major Ely aud his brother in-
law, Mr.. Gillette. OF his family it may
not be pTesumptuous TO mention that
one SOD, Capt. Ira Athearn, one of the
early commanders on the Ohio and Missis-
sppi, resides in Cincinnati. His other son
Prince A. Athearn, resides in Stockton, Cali
IOrnlh. beloved daughter, mrs. Harriet
]. Porter sleeps her long sleep" in Beooch-
istan. Another daughter, Mrs. Jane Lanius,
also resides at Stockton, California DIR. L.
A. james, of your city, corner Of Eighth and
Mound, is the son of another daughter, who
is deceased. Only one of his children, a
widowed dsughtsr-Mrs. Martha Lamb
din, remains with the good old couple, to
cheer the golden days that still remain TO
them on earth. Reverses of fortune over
came the old gentleman in an evil hour, aud
they have been left almost penniless in their
extreme old age-for the wife is only a year
or two younger than her husband-but they
live among warm-hearted friends, who if
their children did not-would amply provide
their every want.
Their lives are going down peacefully and
happily, like the declining sun ona bright
summers eve; and in few years more they,
with all the loved ones who have gone ne
fore, will have left us to battle with the
storms of life until we, too, are summoned to
make room for our children as they make
room for us.
Our humble tribute to the worthy, good
old people, may interest the reader for mo-
ment and cause him TO add with US, there
are but few such left 10 tell the story. IL.
Af.En.. .T R.auab