The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-05-30
From New Orleans.
The Exposition


large collection Of curiosities and antiqui
ties exhibited here.
Louisiana makes very good showing IL
the ordinary and practical lines, but in TIVE
respects she is prominent. One is thu
large and beautiful display of wax flowers
fruits, &c, modelled by the deft fingers o
her Creole population and the other the
exhibit of relics
A large array of antique coins and an
Cient weapons Is special feature, while
near by are numerous modern weapons
which once belonged to noted persons
such as the sword Of General Taylor, the
sword of Conolel Bowie at the Alamo, the
swords of Kellermann the hero Of Marengo
of the pirate LATTE and his lieutenant and
number Of swords, pistols tomahawks
and bullets with sanguinary histories at
tached. Many piece Of old lace and jew
elry are here, some of which was worn by
the "gyandes DANES" and beauties who
graced the court of Louis XIV. A chair
of the 18th century is shown together with
an oaken chest plundered from monaste
ry in the time of Cromwell, and a cross
made of wood from the Charter Oak.
Probably one of the most valuable OBJ.
jects in the whole collection is an unpre-
tending little square of wood, containing
under glassI what was once a part of the
"Man of Destiny" a lock of hair cut from
the head of Napoleon on the Isle of ST.
Helena. Another lock of hair is from the
head OF that most unfortunate of empress
es, Marie Antoinette. Old books and pa
pers, war relics, &c, complete the collec-
ton, which is by far the largest of the
kind here.
Tennessee also has a number of relics,
among them being the desk chair of Wash,
ington, numerous articles belonging to An.
drew Jpckson, Davy Crocket's rifle, the tai
lor's goose used by Andrew johnson and a
coat made by him, Turkish sword said to
be more than seven hundred years old, a
piece of Napoleons chamber floor at st.
Helena, and variety of other articles.
EXHIBIT OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Passing from state to government eXhi-
hibits, we find every department exceed
ingly we'll represented and all exhibits We
ry interesting and instructive. The Navy
Department has an exhibit of the outfit
Used by the Greedy Relief Expedition.
This consists of ten life-size figures dress
I'd in arctic clothing, with boats, sledges,
ents, snow shoes, tools and stores, fully H.
ustrating arctic life and explorations. The
very shrimps, oil and seal-skin are here
which the survivors, when discovered,
we're using to sustain life in their last bit
ter struggle against starvation.
The Bureau of Ordnance exhibit naval
equipments, shot and shell, torpedos with
method of firing, electric rchlights and
other apparatus. Several ancient cannons
are shown, among them brass field piece
used by Cortez in the conquest of Mexico.
The ancient artillery, though, is not all
from foreign nations, nor Is 1t all laid up in
museums as and attraction for the curious
The ships Of our navy are full of it.
In a prominent part of the exhibit is a
collection OF models that has a melancholy
interest for every American who has the
welfare of his country at heart The col.
lection is labeled "The old cast iron guns
now in use. These are models, one tenth
size, of the guns now forming the arma-
ment OF the U, $. Navy" Pausing before
the first, model of seven inch smooth
bore muzzle-loader We read the inscription
Model of gun still in use in the American
Navy. Obsolete 20 years ago" An eight
inch gun bears the inscription Model of
cast-iron guns forming large part of our
Navy. Absolutely no use against modern
artillery" On a nine-inch gun we read,
Model of gun which comprises the great
er part of present armament of navy. No
No use in modern times" To this depth
has cur navy fallen! The greater part of
it consists of rotten hulks armed() with
guns that in modern warfare would be of
little more use than pop-guns. We have
seen this for ourselves. We spent half a
lay on the Tennessee, the flag ship and
largest man of war In the American navy.
She is perhaps as well armed as any ship
Of her class, and We were told that such is
he case Her twenty-five guns are nearly
all of the csastiron, smooth, bore muzzle.
loading type that the Bureau of Ordnance
have pronounced obsolete and worthless.
On, or two breech. loasers, Calling gun
anda Hotchkiss revolving cannon, firing a
fou pound ball are the only approaches to
modern artillery.
around us lay at anchor four other men,
of.yar of our once boosted navy, and none
wee better armed.
The collection Of models spoken OF en-
brces one of fifteeninch castiron gun,
the largest gun at present used In the
American navy. II is a plaything compar-
,fv talx, or