The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-04
THE CORVETTE srRELoK.
General Appearance, Armament and Speed
of the Russian Vessel.

uuSy AGcI ! " CIOck yesterday morning
saw the tail yellow masts of clipper bark APP
preaching from the southeast. Her canvas was
furled and her yards squared. while black smoke
poured out of yellow smoke-stack just forward
of the mainmast A. broad white flag crossed
with two blue bars foated from her mizzen peak.
She was readily recognized as the Russian cor
vette Strelok, which left Norfolk at l o'clock on
Wednesday morning. Sailors remarked as she
came in past Sandy Hook at $50 that she had
made fine up the coast,
sidering the way the wind blew. An
hour later she reached quarantine, VIII ere
the Russian consul for this port was waiting
on the tug Excelsior. A little later the two
steamed up the bay Word had already reac he'd
the city that the Strelok was in port, and a
crowd on the battery watched her as she went
up the North river At 1880 she passed the
United States steamer Minnesota, lying off
West Twenty sixth street, and then came to
anchor few hundred yards up stream
The piers were soon crowded with people from
the neighborhood the majority of whom are
Irlshmen, and some of the more enthusiastic
wanted to give the stranger three cheers. but
they cOntented themselves with complimentary
remarks and predictions that she would blow the
Garnet out of the water il she ever got chance.
The ship was not unworthy of the praise be-
slowed upon her. She is 220 feet long, AZ feet
broad and 14a feet deep. She is bark. rugged,
crossed on her fore and main masts. The masts
tall and taper, and the yards are proportional
like those of a Yankee clipper. Her masts rake
forward. She is painted black above the water
around her about foot below the rail- and her
name, the English of which is archer" appears
in white hieroglyphics below broad indie
scribable gold ornament on her stern
When Sun reporter came alonside he was
received by good-looking young man wearing
fierce pointed brown mustache, and dressed
in dark navy-blue uniform, with moderate
amount of gold lace on it. The officer
dagger foot long instead of a sword. Other
officers strolled about the deck, one of whom,
Count Heyden, sublieutenant, was ready to
describe the ship and show her good points. The
crew, all told, are fifteen officers and $50 men.
They are all Russians, most of the sailors being
from Finland They are broad shouldered lot,
and at least as tall as the ordinary run of sea-
men. When ordered aloft to furl
the sails, which had been drying, they
jumped up the rigging and handled the canvas
rapidly and together, while those on deck pulled
the ropes with will. When those aloft came
down some jumped on the backstays and seemed
to drop, they descended so rapidly. The uniform
of the common sailors was bluestriped white
underclothing, light blue cotton shirt with
wide collar ornamented with four white stripes,
a dark blue overshirt with two yellow stripes on
the broad collar, and green. flowing trousers.
The white sailor caps had black bands with two
yellow stripes on them. The few that were not
pare IoOteds wore White canvass SHOES. Ihey
were mostly light-haired men.
The upper deck of the Strelok, which was par
ticularly white, was SCARED all over with the
metal track on which her guns are slowed.
These are three six-inch rif1ed breech- leaders
on pivots am;dships, and four broadside four
inch breech-loading rifles At each end of the
two bridges that cross the deck is machine
gun that will throw about 1000 bullets minute,
and another is in position to repel boarders A
steam launch, rugged to handle spar torpedo,
was in place amidships
The compound engine develops $50 horse
power, but because of the fine lines OF her
model she is able to steam over sixteen miles an
hour.
How long could she kept ur!" was asked of
Count Heyden.
about twelve days"
"Do you expect war9"
mo. We hope there will be no war. Russia
does not wish to fight. She does not wish to be
interfered with by any nation, however, and will
fight if compelled to-"
''The British ship Garnet is said to be watch
ing you :,
not run away from her if she offered battle She
is larger, and has more guns and more men, but
there are so many chances and accidents in
battle that it would be hard to tell which would
be the victor"
He added that they came to New York
because ordered to do So They did not know
no orders about destroying British commerce,
but, in case war was declared, if such orders
came he thought there would be no difficulty in
obeying them
The Strelok was launched at st. Petersburg in
1878. She has iron frames and wooden sheath
ing She is divided into six water-tight COM
partments. Her running rigging is a little old,
but she is shipshape in other respects, and will
make good match for the Garnet if occasion
offers.