Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1868-01-01
The Bust Of Clay Carved BY sims-In
teresting Steamboat "Reminiscences.
From the Cincinnati Commercial, Hsc. s7th
URBANA. ONO, Dec. 25, 1858

Inc busG OF Gay GafVeQ py GlmB-4n-
teresting Steamboat "Reminiscences.
From the Cinciunati Commercial, lse. g7th.l
URBANA, OHIO. Dec. Is, 1858.
| To the Editor of the Commercial:
Your paper, of this morning, in speak
ing of the "fuined statue "a full
length figure of an Amazon, has this
paragraph:
It appears that Mr.. Sims was very
skillful at WoOd-earving, and that one Of
his masterpieces was 3 bust Of Henry
Clay"
As I am one of the few now remain
ing-psrhaps the only ons-who can
speak Of that bust, send you this
note.
In the year 1924, my father, Captain
Levi james, was building, at tee yard
of Weeks & Sons, a new boat to take
the place Of the Vulcan, then dismantl-
ed, and as many other boats were then
on the stocks at other yards, Mr.. Lar
quin N. Tarrant gave a sketch Of the
number for one Of the papers, stating
their names and tunnage. In this sketch,
he bestowed on my fathers boat the
name of Patriot, and the name was &C.
quiesced in. That being the year Of
the Presidential election, and L. james
& Sons being supporters of Henry Clay,
they decided that the proper figure head
for the boat vas a bust Of Henry Clay,
and Charles Sims was employed to make
| it.
In the preceding year I had seen in
the library of Pennsylvania University a
bust Of Mr.. Clay, made by an Italian,
as I now remember. and I wrote to Mr..
Robert Bess, who had then become 3
citizen of Lexington, in connection with
the college, to send me 8 drawing of the
bust, and a sketch in watsr-colors, to
guide the carver and painting i'm max
ing the fgure-head In due time I re-
ceived a full-sized drawing made by Mr..
Jourstt, then celebrated as a portrait
painter, accompanied with written direc-
tions for coloring the bust, which he said
an artist would understand. He wrote
con an,ors, and closed by saying that
you may succeed in your enterprise, I
most sincerely desire. I think you
ought; you sail under the best guide
and token out in these United States. "
It was the practice then to color the
figure-beads of busts, but in this case
the bust was left pure white when it
came to be used.
When the drawings came to be eZ-
amined, they we're not satisfactory in the
matter of likeness, and instead Of these
we placed in Mr.. Sims hands the small
likeness of Mr.. Clay which was to be
found in the Analstio Magazine, pub
lished in Philadelphia, and from this
Sims made the bust, which was some
what more than life-size. It was an ad-
mirable likeness, and universally rseog-
nized by these who knew Mr.. Clay
That figure-head remained upon the
Patriot until she was laid aside in 1881, |
and BY that time Charles Strader and
others had built the steamboat Henry
Clay, when my father bestowed the ig- |
ure. head on them, and on that boat it
continued during her life, and what be- |
came of it afterWard I do not know as
I had then became q dweller on the
prairies. IA am talking steamboat,
will give you this further note. When
the Ambassador came to the wharf at |
Louisville, in 1882, as successor to the
Patriot, Mr.. Charles Strader came on
board with an immense china bowl,
white and gold, which he placed on the
center table in the ladies cabin, as a token 4
of Acknowledgement for the hgure-head
This bowl was one Of few which had /
been imported from France under these
circumstances: A merchant of Louis
vile had ordered a quantity Of bowls,
twenty-four to the dozen. a term which
Mr. Huntington can explain. That mode
of designation not being used in France,
the manufacturer supposed that it meant
twenty four inches, and when he sent
forward the bowl he apologized for not
sending more, as the rest had melt
ed down in the oven. That bowl was
afterward given to me BY my father, aud
I have it yet, carefully preserved, and
of course only 20 be used on great oe-
casions-which do not often come. I /
have, also, in q sorap-book prepared by
my family, the original engraving from
which Mr.. Sims worked in making the
bust and 1 prize it as the best likeness
of Mr.. Clay, as I first knew him.
Mr.. Editor, this gossip does not al |
relate to Mr.. Sims and his bust, but il !
grows from what he did.
Yours respectfully.
JOHN h. JAMES.