The Worthington advance., 1886-10-14
AMONG THE VESSELS.

.
G. B. L"veless furnishes us some in
tcresting facts about ships which he
visited during Ills recent stay in the
east. He made i visit to the navy
yard and after taking Il look at the
"Atlanta," he says:
Iwent on board the line Of battle
ship "Vermunt," now fitted up for !.
receiving ship. There were ouly about
10 men left on board as two drafts had
been made on her to man two ships
lately fitted out. l fell in with two
young men from New York who could
not make any Roadway III getting on
board these ships. and they wanted to
put themselves under my care. They
were two business men and fine fel-
lows. took them under my wing and
took them through. next visited the
Oldest ship in the service, but now lay.
ed up. She is side-whee steamer and
ship rigged. She Was used in the
blockade below New Orleans during
the war and Was the first ship that
Admiral Porter was commander Of.
She is quite large and called the ''POw.
haitian" Next took in the "rhetis, -
the one that went on the Arctic expe.
dition and brought Lieut.. Greely
home. Next the Pagon. Enterprise.
Richmond, Alarm, Leipsic, and ALI
ance. The latter is handsome ship.
rugged screw steamer. all manned and
everything in trim shape. She just ar
rived from New Port and is now in the
monster dry dock having repairs made
below water line. She Is rated sloop
of war and has extension pieces on her
sides to keep from rolling. Next visit
ed the celebrated Monitor, Miantono-
ma, and Nantucket. There is in one
of the large ship houses fine shil,
partly finished. She was commenced
during the war and is perfectly sound
nOw-is built of live oak. It seems a
shame to have her lay there unfinished.
An old Vet. told me there was no diff
ference in either party, republican or
democratic, and he damned them off
in high key for not having more
done in the navy yard. 1t looks as
though there had been a big funeral
since l last visited it years ago. The
receiving ship Vermont is Que of that
old class of "a gun ships to which the
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Old IrOnsides. Constitution and 9TH
ers belong that are now no more, ex-
cept. perhaps, the Constitution, and
that has so many times been built and
rebuilt by our government and kept as
relic Of old revolutionary days.
There is an island opposite the navy
yard and on it building with reading
rooms, and one end of same room used
as q theatre in winter for the men
about the yard.
also went on board the largest
ocean steamer plying between England
and America, the City of Rome" I
went through it from end to end and
from top to bottom and along alley
way leading from main engine room to
main shaft that turns the screw in the
stern. 1t was a grand sight for me,
the monster cranks connecting with
shafts so large and powerful they
seemed large enough to turn the
world. She is 5S6 feet long, $500 tons
is driving power. Other engines do
the work about the ship. Stears by
steam, burns 3O4 tons of coal day,
has SO fires under boilers, has l20 FIRE
men and stokers, or coel beavers, seats
26O in dining saloon and makes the
trip in 7 days. Crew all English.
was treated like prince and shown
into all parts and had everything ex-
planned to me. One of the engineers
lit his torch and took me down flight
after fight of iron stairs among the
immense machinery clear to the bot.
tom of the ship, and all came in con-
tact with were very polite and kind.
When she is loaded and all on board
she draws 81 feet of water or displaces
that much, or sinks into the water
that deep. As for state rooms, there
are four rows of them running from
bow to stern on main deck. Tho Off.
GERS rooms are on upper deck.