Daily globe., 1879-05-20
GOING TO GIVE THE WEST A SHOW

DecE 1nOntpSOn AOotC 70 6e1O u NOUUt
VesseI to Csuise Along the mississippi.
Washington Special to St. Louis Republican. !
This afternoon your correspondent had
conversation with the secretary of the navy
to the following effect:
Correspondent-"Is it true that you are
to send naval ship to St. Louis?''
"Secretary-"Yes, but was trying to
keep the fact 2 secret. wanted to run a
vessel up the Mississippi river before any
one knew what was the matter, just to aston
ish the natives.''
Here the secretary enjoyed one of his
hearty laughs.
eyes, he continued, sabout the first of
next week the Wachusett will leave the
Charlestown, Mass, navy-yard. have been
thinking for some time of a way to give our
Western boys chance to get in the navy.
They are too poor to come East, and am
going to send ship after them. The
Wachusett is of that size and make of ves-
sells that are called third class. She is
about 100 feet long, with displacement of
1850 feet, and has a tonnage of 695. She
is an old vessel rebuilt, and this will be her
first cruise since rebuilding. She is screw
propeller, three-masted, square rugged ship,
and is the same one with which Collins
cut out the Florida during the war. She
was designed for six guns, but her broad.
sides will be taken off to give her room; but
she will carry two eleven-pound guns, which
I think will be sufficient for all war purposes
on this trip"
Here the secretary again recurred to the
novelty of the expedition. He said that he
could not we'll get man of-war around te
his home at Terre Haute, so he was going tt
do the next best thing, and send one to ST.
Louis.
"Those Democrats out there in Missouri,
he continued, twill swear I am using tht
navy for election purposes. We will hav,
them fire a gun or two to let them know ",
mean business. No, but in dead earnes
now, our Western boys ought to have SHOW
and think this is the best thing have don'
since have been in the cabinet. wrote tt
John Simpson, of the Vandalia road, asking
him to get for me some facts as to the navi
cation from some boatmen. The Wachuset
draws sixteen feet. A gentleman who was
twenty-five years on the river says can gel
the ship up to st. Louis at this time of tn,
year very easily. She will go there ane
when the river lowers she will be taken dow
to Cairo, where she can lun all th'
year round. This vessel is not adapted for
| regular training ship. She will serve as I
recruiting ship, and when we get her full O
boys she will run down the river and UNLOAD
on to regular training ship. The officer
are now being selected for her. lies
The secretary believes in making the nav,
popular in the West, whence it gets nearl,
half its officers, a fact not generally known
It is not unlikely some Of these Western of
fcers will be placed in command Of the Wa
chusett. It takes about 10 men to ma,
her, but on this trip she will hardly hav
over 80 men, besides the servants, SO as t
make more room for the boys to be pickle,
up along the river. Under the law, boy
must be between the ages Of 16 and 18 t
enter the navy. They are put through
regular course of training calculated to adap
them for not only the ordinary duty of
sailor, but the higher duties of seamanship
The Plymouth, q larger vessel, year ag
made the trip to Vicksburg and Natchez
This is the furthest up the river that three
masted ship has ever been able to go.