Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-22
HISTORICAL.
Movement on Foot to Raise the Niagara
for Worlds Fair Exhibit.
The Famous Old Ship Now Lies in Misery Bay
In Thirteen Feet of Water Near Erie,
Pa.-How it viii be Done.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
NEW YORK, March 21.-One Of the results of
the 1892 Worlds fair is the growing interest in
the raising and restoration of the brig Niagara,
Of Commodore Perry's feet, the we'll preserved
remains of which are ut the bottom of Lake Erie.
Perry's flag ship, the Lawrence, was raised sue
cessfully and transported to the centen-
NAL exposition at Philadelphia in
1876. The American people would
not, however, believe that the old hulk, so plain
and simple in its construction, was the hiStori-
cal vessel that so CALAMITY withstood the fire
uninterruptedly for two hours of the British
squadron, commanded by Capt. Barclay. The
Lawrence, therefore, received the ignOminiouS
treatment Of being sold at sherihs sale and
Whitfield up into canes and other other
hunters. The Niagara, which may be raised in
the near future, is therefore the only important
relic of that naval encounter and magnificent
square of this city is graced' with heroic monu-
meIt in marble of the gallant commodore, and
in his relief on the pedestal is i'm
gave to Perry the victory, and probably
prevented national disaster In the midst OF
escaped either injury or death out OF a command
of loo on the flagship Lawrence, Perry seeing the
Niagara at a safe dist ance and uninjured, deter
mined to change his flag TO that vessel, and with
the words IF victory is to be gained, IN gain
il, boarded a row boat and thus exposed to the
guns of the enemy for q distance of
standing erect as a target for the British guns.
The oars we're splintered, shells were flying
Ground thick and fast and about him, but he
gained the Niagara, poured deadly fire into the
Detroit and Queen Charlotte. which boats be-
came hopelessly entangled and in seven minutes
the enemy forced to surrender.
The Niagara now lies in Misery bay near Erie,
Pa, about mile and half from the mainlsnd,
in thirteen feet of water. She is careened to one
side and her ribs on the upper side a. plainly
visible some three four feet under the surface.
careful examination recently made by
an expert diver showed the hull to be
in a very fair state of preservation, being in 3
much be ter condition than the Lawrence when
she was raised.
The Niagara could be raised and placed upon
The diver reports that there is nearly half of her
hull remaining, although she has been
washed by the waters of Lake Erie for
more than three-quarterS of century serving as
a land mark, so called, for the fishermen and as
the prey of a few daredevil relic hunters, who
other relics, and so the poor old boat, which
has figured so conspicuously IN the
most brilliant victory ever recorded
in naval history modestly concealed beneath the
waters of the old Erie for nearly a century may
be exhibited to the throngs of the Worlds fair
canoe when compared with the frightful engines
of death and destruction tnat float the seas to-day
may be most readily commented upon. This
is what Pennsylvania governor (BeaVer)
had upDermost in his mind when he
wrote that the movement for the rails
ing and restoration of the Niagara ought
to be popular, as the exhibition of the ship at
the World 8 fair in 1892 would not only appeal to
the patriotic impulses of our people, but would
at the same time illustrate the wonderful change
quarters of a century since the Niagara went
down.