The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-06-09
The U. S. sloop-Of-war Hartford.

The [. ). Hartford now lying IN the harbor OF
Honolulu, under the I'M Of Captain c. c.
Carpenter, Is a historic vessel Built IN 1898 OF
good live oak, she has passed a quarter of a CEN
tury il the service Of the United States, and dur
ing that time has carried the flag Of the Union
to all parts Of the world.
In January of 1862, she was put in commits
sion as Farragut'S dag-Ship of the Western Guh
Blocking squadron, and from that time until
the close, she bore her commander and the brave
officers and man under him through many OF
the iercest naval engagements of the war.
The Hartford Is a screw ship Of the second
class with full sail power. She is of 800 tons
burthen length BPS feet, breadth Of beam Al
feet, and draught of l6 feet 3 inches. Her en-
gineS are direct acting, and with them alone she
attains ! speed of eight knots which can be in
creased TO eleven by the use Of both sails and
steam. At the time that she sailed from aanp-
ton Roads, Virginia, February ,, 1882, she had
no long quarter deck as at present, but was fitted
with a small cabin aft, about twenty-five feet
long. From this cabin 10 her forecastle deck in
the bows, her deck was clear, and on each side
she carried eleven 9 inch Dahlgrens, some Of
which are still in her batteries. On the forecas-
tie was mounted two "a ID Parrot rifles, while
the fore and main tops were protected with boil
ers, iron screens behind which were howitzers.
To this formidable armament was added q saw
yer rife, this being a gun Of a [then) new pat
tern having an extraordinary range.
The Hartford arrived at Ship Island. OFF the
mouth OF the Mississippi, February 10th, and
after many weeks Of preparation moved up the
river with the leet and : passed Forts Jackson
and Phillips, $50 ran tue d<>patchl the night OF
April Psi. While doing SO she grounded on a
shoal under a stoim OF shot and shell, and the
ram Manassas forced against her starboard bow
a IRE RAFT whose fierce flames seized upon her
hail way up TO the tops. Beating OF this enemy
and extinguishing the flames, the good ship
swung on the shoal and, delivering her IRE as
She went on UP stream. was anchored OFF New
Orleans by break OF day.
Again AT Nicksburgh, June rs, 1862. at 1
o'clock =. NJ, the Hartford lead the way past the
batteries that poured a piunging ire OF shot and
she'll upon her. She moved steadily on how
ever, {eyen stopping once 10 let the other vessels
close upJ aud in n short time found herself
above the forts. In this fierce engagement the
Hartford received several shot in her hull, her
maintopsail ward was cut in two, an eight inch
shot struck the break OF the poop. and passed
into - ctb4u, and a fifty pound ride shot pass
ed Though her side, through the shell-room
IN the staTboard forward passage and lodged in
the hold. She had fifteen men killed and thirty
wounded in the short time she was under fire.
At PORT Hudson. March Ia, 1862, the Hartford
with the little gunbOat Albstross dashed to her
port side-(or as her Commander Farragut said,
- with her chicken under her wing y she en-
gagged the rebel batteries-and passed them too
having her rigging, spars, and hull torn by shot,
= tie enemys grape shot sweeping the decks of
before It,"
Finally. at Mobile Bay on August 9Th, 1864,
the Hartford took her place in line with the
50 RNAh SfAS AH0 NGSAA u okaAa |
through a tempest OF iron, and then, when out
OF reach OF the guns of the forts encountered the
ram Tennessee, and with the other vessels caused
her to surrender, and sunk. burned or captured
the rest OF the rebel feet. During this engage
ment q shot tore through the side of the vessel
nearly a~midship and smashed the II steerage"
into kindling wood. When the ram Tennessee
rushed at the Hartford to bear her down by sheer
weight, the noble vessel turned and met her in
such a way that the bows of the two met with a
glancing blow and as they passed each other
those on board the Hartford could hear the sharp
crack of the exploding primers to the huge riaed
Brooks guns with which the Tennessee was
armed, but the charges failed to ignite. and but
one shot took effect. This one shell driven
through the port side III tie Hartford, glanced on
one OF tue massive hanging knees .-struck a huge
sitt, and then the deck below (Which had been
covered with railway iron IN protect the engines
and exploded killing ONE twelve or i
fifteen wounded men out Of thirty who had been
carried down there in the heat of the action. III
After the terrible fight at Mobile the war worn
vessel vas ordered North, and everywhere was
ooked upon with pride and exultation hy all the
Americans.
She has been refitted since those years of fight
ng, and now. as one walks her decks il is hard
10 realize that not only has she encountered the
ierce storms of the Atlantic and Pacific, labored
the icy gales OF the Cape, and bowed
before the typhoous of the Indian Ocean. but she
mas borne herself as calamity and we'll midst
OF shot and shell her decks have been
iwept by showers OF deadly grape and canister
md through her rigging, masts and hull has
Thistled ami tore the thunderbolts Of war. In
Ter cabin hangs a shield bearing the arms OF the
OF Hartford carved in q peice of oak taken
rom the heart OF the famous Charter oak
Through all the twenty-five years that the Hart
ord has been aaOat she has carried this relic of
he Revolution. May it long hang within her
wooden walls, defended by the = hearts Of
ak aInungot her crew and finally when the
ship liVes only in the memory of men may
his memento Of l776, he fifty framed from the
ship HaHford.