Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-09-24
THE END OF TWO SHIPS.
Vessels for the Navy That Never Left the
Ways.

Vessels for the Navy That Never Left the
Ways.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.l
For q few days there Will be some
life and activity in the navy-yard, for a
large number of workmen have already
been engaged to destroy two immense
hulks known as the Colossus and the
Java. For the past twenty years these
two uncompleted vessels have never
been moved from the ways on which
they were originally built, and the very
timbers on which they lie are almost
rotten from long exposure. The Java
and the Colossus have always attracted
great deal of attention from VISITORS:
and from their battered appearance
many people supposed that The two
ships must have been through some
frightful naval combats. The large
nails that project from the sides of the
ships have often been mistaken to1
missiles thrown from the enemies guns.
A few years ago the white oak timbers
of the vessels began to show signs OF
decay, and at the request of the naval
constructor of the yard a shed was
erected over the ships to protect them
from the ravages of the storm.
"You talk about your leviathans
afioat," said Boatswain Barker to the re-
porter, shut if these monsters on the
ways had been completed we would
have had one of the most powerful ma
vies in the world. These ships would
have been an ornament to our waters,
and would have been well worth the
money expended on them"
"Could you give me some idea of the
history of these ships, Boatswain
Certainly. The Colossus was to be
double turreted monitor carrying four
fifteen-inch guns. She was designed
by BENJAMIN Delano, one of the most
skillful naval constructors of his day
He, of course, died, but never saw his
ship launched, neither did any one else.
Two millions and half were to be eX-
pended on her, but when the war was
more advanced orders were received
from Washington to stop work on the
Colossus. This was done, and many
men in consequence thrown out of EN-.
ployment The ships engines had just
been put in her, and she was all ready
for launching when the men ceased
work, and nothing has been done to hel
from that day to this. It was only last
spring that the machinery was taken
out of her and sold. The Colossus was
also provided with double screw which
was of great advantage in steering her.
What about the Java?"
"The Java was designed for q fast
steam cruiser for the purpose of pursu-
ing such swift vsssels as the Alabama
and others of her class. She was Ca
pable of attaining a speed of seventeen
knots an hour; in fact she might have
equaled the speed of the Arizona. The
Java was mainly built for speed, and
all her wood work was of the best white
oak. She would have made formida-
BILE mate to the Colossus. and especially
In those old war times the two vessels
could easily have withstood the attack
of any other two men of war. 1t is 6
pity to see tnem go without having
even touched the salt water, but then
the space that these two old hulks oc
cupy is very valuable and will be USED
for something else, I hope, more usefu
and ornamental"
when are you going to begin the
work of destruction ?"
1--WE have commenced to demolist
the Colossus already, and as soon as
we take on some more help we will lay
the Java low. 1t will take about five
months to break up the two ships"
"When did the Navy Department Or
der the destruction of the two vessels y
During the last session of Congress
we received orders to remove these
vessels and sell their material at public
auction"
what do you propose to realize
from the sale of the materially"
ave just propose to realize from the
material little more money that we
will pay out to the men for breaking
her up. If we have any surplus it will
no doubt be used for a good purpose
I am only glad to see that many idle
men are about to find little employ.
ment to tide them over winter. What
we will realize most money on will be
the coppe4, and those two old vessels
are just lined with it. They built good
strong ships in those days. They were
built to last"
when will the sale take placer"
Gas soon as the ships are broken up
and all the copper, iron, brass, etc.
gathered together, the day of the sale
will be announced in the daily papers,
tits most likely that the Brooklyn
which is also one of the old hulks, will
undergo the same fate as the Colossus
and the Java.
In tent in Saratoga, N. Y. is ex-