The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-27

44G ToN6uu6 CubtdA -OOmAAO4o SI
recently launched at Buffalo, ran into this
port several days ago, on hor trial trip TO
Detreit and Fort Grstiot. During her brief
stay We were not fortunate enough to have
an opportunity for . personal inspection of
the curious looking craft. She returned
Yesterday afternoon and was in port, coal
ing, about two hours. A large number of
people visited the Commodore" and we
were kindly shown over the craft and viii
give some account of her points, taking the
risk Of. repeating some things published in
our Tuesdays issue.
The steamer is I75 feet long over all; Is
feet beam (5S feet, including wheel-housesl;
10 feet 4 inches deep and about 400 tons
burthen. She is driven by four engines, of
22-inch strokeand 1s-inch bore Of cylinder.
She has two propellers, Is feet in diameter,
one on each side, located considerably aft
of midships, and has two engines to each
wheel, yoked to right sngled cranks, SINH
lar TO railroad locomotives. Her engines,
in fact, are precisely similar to those of
locomotives, only, of course, considerably
larger. These are placed upon the gun
wales Of the boat, with heavy cast-iron
bed plates. She has two boilers of Whit
takers patent, weighing q tons, which
contain q fire surface of $500 feet.
The Captains rooms are below, aft, sd-
joining which is the ward room. All these
rooms are comparatively spacious, and
tsstefully furnished. The berth deck, which
is occupied by the crew, is very commodi-
GUS and situated forward. She is pierced
for twelve guns, but only carries four at
present-two brass "a Dahlgren Founders
and two rifed Parrot guns Of the same
cslibre. She draws six and q half feet of
water when fully coaled and with q full
crew and armament on board. She is sharp
as q rattle razor forward, and when she is
coming full speed towards you, as we saw
by putting a tug across her course, she
looks, black savage thing that she is, very
much as one would imagine the devil would,
should he "incarnate" himself in wood and
iron. Of course the Commodore" can
run. The other day "she" made the dis
lance from Detroit to the stake, at the head
Of Lake 81. Clair, SO miles, in one hour and
forty minutes, and that, too, against a cur-
rent of three knots per hour, and without
doing her best. It is claimed that she can
make twenty miles an hour.
The Commodore" was designed, model
led and constructed by Captain Harry
Whitaker, of Buffalo, who has been study
ing cher" up for the last eighteen years.
Of course he is proud of her. An ieono-
clsst in s~hip-building, he has lived to
laugh to scorn those who feared his notions
years ago. He first proposed TO put deck
cabins upon lake boats, and, years ago, he
set one on the MGraat Western amid the
predictions of all that she would "tip over
He will put the Commodore into Govern
ment service Immediately on her return ia
Buffalo, for which place she set out yester-
day afternoon at five O'Clock. Captain
Douglas Ottinger and Lieutenant and Ex-
ecutive Officer Webster were on board, and
will, it is expected, remsin as permanent
officers. Captain Samuel Barse is the pilot
and she has four engineers, of whom Mr.,
Jarvis is the chief.
Just before the Commodore" left yes
terday, an amusing scene occurred on the
rIL~
tug "Levi Johnson" gave Captain Harry
Whitaker a broom, whereon hangs a tale
On the last Fourth Of July Captain G. gave
a party of gentlemen an excursion
ride, for which he charged nothing. One
of the mon 0aid he would make him q
broom, which the Captain should keep un-
til his craft was passed by some other. II
was painted red, white and blue, and on
one side were four aces, symbolic as al
card players know, and on the
other the words: al pass" Cap
tain G., with great gravity, walked
off his tug and presented the broom to Cap
tain Whitaker, with the remark that hG
should not set It up until he had passed the
"Atlsntic," which was just then casting of
for Buffalo. He should keep the symbolic
broom until his craft was passed, when h
must with religious fidelity deliver it up t.
his successful rival.
score or so of gentlemen jumped aboard
the "Lsvi Johnson" which rushed out intc
the lake TO see the race. The steamer "At-
lantic" came rushing by like q race horse
and, q good quarter of a mile behind her.
Satan came also. The black imp didn'i
seem to gain much, the first five miles, on
the "Atlantic," but he was going through
the water like an eagle through the air
The tug Ajax met them out about twelve
miles, and the cutter was q mile ahead,
Captain Whitaker can hang out his broom,
After going five miles or SO down the
lake, Captain Greenhalgh put the Levi
johnson about, and after q short time
landed the delighted crowd upon the dock,