The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-01-18
THE OLD VERMONT.
THE LOG OF OUR LAST WOOD
EN- WAR SHIP.
How She Ran Away to Sea-Now
Utilized as n Nautical
Boarding House-Em-
bryo Jack Tars.


bryo Jack Tars.
The wooden part of the United States
navy, contains nothing more impressive
than the old receiving ship Vermont,
anchored fast enough nowadays TO the
Cob dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The surging tides of the East River have
gently rocked her now for twenty-five
years, Just where she lies, girdled with
giant shiny boom, bereft of spars and
rooted ike house; but she had adven-
lures once, and came mighty close to
getting into history
Last of the old ships of the line is the
Vermont Her triple tiers of ports are
duplicated in no ship that floats to-day.
She was of the class of frigates like Mel
sons famous Victory and the old Tenn
eralre, and her timbers were laid at a
day when steam had lust begun to be
all important as ship driver. Her keel
was laid at the Charlestown Navy Yard
when the nineteenth century had COM
pleted half its course, and she is good to
see the twentieth get well und way.
The intent was to make her flo 5ship of
Commodore Matthew Perry's famous ex-
petition to Japan, but something hap
pened-nobody can remember now Just
what it was-and the Mississippi went
in her stead. The Government lost in
terest in her after that. and she rested
ten years on the stocks, until the war
broke out. Then everything that could
float was wanted, and wanted quick.
AS a result the Vermont was fixed up
and put into commission on January 2a,
1852, filed up with 81, 600, 600 in stores
and a lot of gold coin besides and or
dered off to Port Royal as supply ship.
Steam had uslrped all the fighting
chances. That was the longest voyage
from Boston to Port Royal that any ves-
sci ever made. She sailed on February
"a, under command of Commodore A 5.
Baldwin, with a complement of twenty
one officers and PCS men. Horatio n.
Clapp, pay clerk of the yard to-day, was
one of them, and he tells what hap
pened:
Just OFF Cape Cod an awful gale struck
the ship, and in an hour stripped her of
every stitch of canvas. The next day
her rudder parted company along with
seven boats and three anchors and their
chains, and the Vermont went pitching
off like great bowl in the trough of
the sOughing sea.
This particular tempest ragged for three
days. Three men died in it and were
buried while the gale was at its height,
with the chaplain lashed TO a gun to
keep him steady during the funeral
service
When the gale went down she drifted
about helplessly, unable to get rudder
rugged, completely at the mercy of the
sea, TO be caught'and hurried on by the
rough winds of March. Gale succeeded
gale and blew her two-thirds across the
Atlantic. The Government seLt q couple
Of steamers in search of her, and one,
the Saxon, found her off the Azores, and
furnished her new rudder and a set of
sales. The new rudder was hung, but
only to be dashed away and the drift
began anew. At last, on April 3, the
frigate Sabine found her again. Then
an ingenious boatswain, Isaace Bartlett,
rugged another rudder out of a spar and
got her head on again. On April 10 she
fetched up at last at Port Royal She
had been forty nine days doing it;
thirty eight without rudder or sails and
twenty-three of these days were without
sunshine. 1t makes Dir. Clapp sad even
now to think of it.
She was flagship of Admiral Dupont's
South Atlant squadron for a while af
ter that. then store ship. hospital ship
s'fI'f even Drlse'-s 57Ii p TOISsInss N captIv
ity various talented blockade runners,
including the eminent Bill Perry.
The best oak, pine, and hackmatack,
Joined with copper tree-nails, form her
materials. She was built for comfort.
The officers IL the cramped iron-clads
sigh for her big staterooms and commo-
dious beds. There's nothing like them
in the navy now.
The receiving ship IS nautical board
ing house for newly enlisted tars Here
Jack comes, after the recruiting officer
has taken his dimensions, to await as
signment to some war ship. Thus the
Vermont Is always provided with a big
crew of men, dagoes, and Dutchmen-
the three great classes into which Jack
Tar divides his kind. ssMen' are Eng
lish or Americans, ''Dutchmen, Swedes
and Germans, and all the rest are ''da-
goes"-colored recruits, Portuguese.
Blalays, and the fotsam and ietssm of
humanity that drifts through the port
holes of a man-o'-war.
The vessel is Differed lust like a fight
ing craft, and the initiation of a sailor
Is no picnic. The first thing he does is
to get $50 in debt to the United States
Government for a pair of blue satinet
trousers, one flannel overshirt, two
wooden undershirts, two pairs of wooden
drawers, two duck working suits, two
pairs wooden socks, shoes, a mattress
and two blankets, one seamless cap,
black silk kerchief for necktie, black
ing, brush, bar of soap, jack-knife with
Il string for lanyard, comb, pot, pan.
and spoon, tape, cotton and needles.
and plug of tobacco.
In winter the Government sticks him
$40 more on pea Jacket. He can't 90
ashore-that is, leave the yard-until
this is paid, and until the Government
owes him months wages. His time is
spent IN an agreeable round of musket
and broadsword exercise, gun drill, ard
deck swabbing, with a good variety of
splicing and tying and sewing. The
Government lends him hammock to
sleep in. and he swings this on the gun
deck and SHORES in unison with his fell
@OHH- AAetiAAAAAHNho dEC 6M QuG fourteen
inches apart by regulation. One long
tom on what was the Vermont's spar
deck affords material for the great gun
drill. :
JacEi'-rs--rr1 setter On tiies stihont
than at sea He gets soft tack dread,
four times week, pork and beans twice,
and other delicacies in season. A regu-
lar ration consists of 1 I pounds beef, II
pounds vegetables, assorted, 1 pound
fresh bread, 1 + pounds hard tack, two
ounces coffee and four of sugar per day.
Half pound of flour, I pound of dried
apples, rice, vinegar, butter, and molas-
ses are allowed weekly. A ration is
reckoned worth thirty cents, and can be
traded off for more toothsome things if
desired. Sixty or so men mess together.
and the ration is so bio that thev usuaIIv