Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-02-19
A LEGEND OF THE TYRONE.

A LEGEND OF THE TYRONE.
And l see the start of eager interest
at the mention Of the dear oil favorite
steamer. The pleasure boat on whose
deck youth and beau have stood aud
eyes looked love to eyes as she
glided gracefully down the lovely
Cumberland-the Rhine of Tennessee.
The Tyrone was favored by young and
by old; the favor;te barge for pleasure
expeditions, resort for the gay and the
giddy, the elite. and patronized by the
elders for the kindness of its officers,
and the perfect freedom of its realm.
Now that it is crushed and heaped in
shapeless debris we will still uphold
its fame in memory of what it has
been, as the fragrance of flower given
us by hand now faded to dust fingers
with us in the little weary years that
we are left to live, comes back with
its perfumed memory, freig htedofmoon-
lit nights and summer ewes, and great
golden, glittering sunsets whose image
sank down in the heart to be forgotten
no more, because lingering near was
the heart chosen Or the dreamy
music of phantom ship anchoring
with our destiny goes suddenly down
in the heart of wave, as the song
sinks into sorrow will echo in our ears
even when the waters of dissolution
lave the world worn feet, and earth's
grey-hued vista is fading away. Shall
we forget the Tyrone then, because it
no more plies the waters of the Cum
berland and invites us to its deck by
manifold charms? No, no, we will
cherish the memory Of the favored
barge, and through these kind columns
repeat one of the many incidents of its
noted career. When the Tyrone was
being built its owner, Capt. Harmon,
took into partnership one Andrew
Hamilton. Before its completion Mr..
Hamilton was called to Louisville on
business, and our jovial friend. the
Captain, was like Mark Twain at one
time, puzzled for name" for the new
treasure. He wrote to Mr.. Hamilton
with the suggestion that he should
call it for him, Andrew Hamilton, y
but this gentleman for unknown
reasons opposed the proposition, there
by again leaving the Captain a la
Twain. He had employed a trusty
and good Waterman, Irish by descent,
and iimbibing all the fierce enthusiasm
of his illustrious pedigree for the dear
old Emerald Isle" But with all the
conquering alteration of the ''old coun-
try" he did not forget the niche in his
heart for mine Rhine wine. In his
dilemma for a name, Capt. Harmon
one day spoke to Paddy about it, and
he quickly suggested Tyrone to him.
Tyrone" he inquired, why Tyrone ?"
thinking perhaps there was some
romance woven with the name about
old Ireland, and some rudy checked
lass. Because" he replied, Tits the
name of a county in Ireland where
most all the Lords reside, and the
county that came from" The Captain
acted upon the advice and the next
day had Tyrone painted upon the pilot
house. How do you like the name
of our boat Paddy?'' a workman
asked. ut has none. The Captain
spoke to me about it the other day and
he cannot decide upon name" Just
step out there and see," he replied
Paddy did step out and seeing in pref
ty painted letters the name of his loved
old home. stepped up town and got un-
pardonably tipsy on good Rhine wine.
Again showing his fidelity to the boat,
once when the Captain issued com
mand he thought would bring them
to harm he walked up to him and re-
quested that he would please get
another Waterman. His faithfulness
and valor is not forgotten. The Cap
tain still cherishes his memory with
love. 1t is charmingly true that when
far away from the land of childhood,
and the home of infancy, any respect
full observance OF the slightest attri
butte inspires in the exiied heart loyal
ty that knows no languor.
"Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land.
Whose heart hath meier within him burned
AS home his footsteps he hath turned,
From wandering on foreign strand"
This rough, untutored Irish heart
though severed by rigid destiny from
his home in Tyrone, never forgot its
loved associations, and guarded that
soulless inanimate pile of plank and
iron, with faithful fidelity, because it
bore in painted letters the name of his
far away nome. The Tyrone has sunk
en-, the Waterman perhaps dead, but
the moral holds as beautifully bright
as ever. The sentiment OF this legend
is intrinsic, though that loyal Irish
heart may slumber in this, his adopted
dust. Capt. Harmon still fingers in
the field ofaction, and would be pleased
to meet his friends on his nice little
boat, the Eddyville, where all is as
comfortable, free and delightful as the
Tyrone once was. Just give him
trial when you make your trip to Nash
vile to see Booth play on the 18th
inst, and he will prove these things
admirably to you.
81 vouch not for the truth do you see,
But tell the tale as twas told TO me-"
uILDA.
SHALL THE OFFICE SEEK THE
MAN: OR THE MAN THE OFFICE