The Dickinson press., 1891-03-07

Quaint Figureheads Which Have Inter-
esting Histories-How Some of Them
Were Handled During the Draft Riots.
A Pessimistic Old Salt.
A battered looking old fellow, wearing
an antiquated chin beard that was the
color of picked oakum, stood on South
street yesterday, gazing at one of the big
clipper ships that was loading prepare
tory to a trip around the Horn to San
Francisco. His gaze was somber. He
seemed in some way disconnected with
affairs as they stood. Evidently he was
not pleased with his immediate sur
roundings.
Handsome ship, that" remarked a
bystander to the veteran.
"Humph," snorted he of the oakcn
beard. "Mebbe you're a jedge o ships"
well, no. but l Thought
sob, you did," retorts the veteran.
.'Well, 1 thort you did. Well, that air
clipper she air well enough for her. l
amt sayin' she amt a bit handsome to
look at, but I've seen a heap better. Thar
wuz the Davy Crockett. She WIZ u ship
as was hansum an us did hansum. An
there wuz-but what's the use? Times
is changed an ships is changed an South
street is changed. There's more wrecks
along here than anything else.
"What dye think 1seen along here
a while ago? Well, 1 went i'll one of
them junk shops where they keeps all
sorts of things that they picks up from
old ships, an shiver me eff thar in that
shop wuzn't the fgurehead of a ship l
sailed in thirty years ago. Twuz all
battered an broke, but knew it at once.
Well, 1 bought it, an I'm goin' to take
it up to C'nettykut, where I live, an
keep it there. An l amt goin' voyasin'
through South street any more. 1t
makes me feel like q castaway hulk my
self!' With this the ancient II re-
lapsed into a silence which he would not
break,
THE OLD STYLE ~FIGUREHEAD.
In one respect the old salt was right
enough. South street can show an
abundance of queer relics of wrecks and
relics of brave men who have gone down
to the sea in ships within the last thirty
years or more. There are IL number of
shops that keep all sorts of queer things
on hand. They pick these things up in
Il variety of ways, and there is a consid-
cradle sale f. them.
There are h%gureheads, for instance.
In the ollen time every ship of any pre-
tensions had a figurehead. Owners of
vessels We'd in their efforts to secure fine
designs, and the entcrprising gentlemen
who modelled the representations of fair
maids, sea nymphs, of trim midshipmen
or of admirals in uniform did a right
pretty business. A simple sort of scroll
work has taken the place of the dashing
figures of the past.
OF course there arc exceptions. The
big English four master, the Falkland,
has an eXcellently modelled representa-
ton of the Fair Maid of Perth above her
cutwater. The clipper ship Seminole
has a Seminole brave i'll full war paint,
and there arc others. In the main, how
ever, the old time figurehead has fallen
into desuetude.
Just off South street, before a shop in
which nautical instruments are sold,
there is the figure of Il sailor that has
evidently seen many and many a storm.
He looks as though he had been crimred
and shanghaied times beyond number.
Part of his nose is gone, some one has
made q pot shot at n of his eyes, but
there is u jaunty, wicked leer upon his
face and a expression that says:
kTT.-.s. III - H. I'll - l.
blowed to YET"
EFFlGY OF BOLIVAR.
There are a couple of old figureheads
to be seen on South street that have had
very hard experiences on land as we'll as
on sea. One of these is an efigy Of Gen.
Bolivar, and was the figurehead of the
ship of that name.
Originally the etigy was 20 painted as
to appear dressed in full laval uniform,
cooked hat and all. AT the lime of the
draft riots the rioters. having nothing
else to do at one time. stood across the
street and fired bullets at him. He re-
ceived full many a wound that day, but
he stands in his place It'll, stiff and
erect.
Another f~gurehead f. ed ever worse
at the same hands. II AS intended to
represent Samuel kimbull, of Kennebec,
Me-, but it left The sea some forty years
ago. 1t was then placed where it now
stands, to call attention to a store. The
draft rioters had rare sport with it one
day. They tied a rope around its neck,
dragged it here and there in wild glee
Then they made it the central figure Of
a bonfire. Just as it was being consumed
tho police came down and rescued it
It was repainted, and today, impassivt
and dignifed, it passes its time studying
human nature as it is on South street.
But there are other curios to be founi
in this locality besides fgureheads
There is n shop where more or les
warlike articles can be found. Their
you can see ugly weapons taken iron
Chinese and Malay pirates; you can fin'
queer looking weapons taken from ma
tives on the African coast or the wa
clubs of the Patagonians-at least yo1
will be told they are.-New York Mai
and Express.
1t is not alone the composition whic
determines the quality of a bell; yer
much depends upon its shape. More
over, the proportions between its height
width and thickness are all to be take
into consideration. The dimensions
roughly stated, which are deemed to b
the best for large bells, are one-ffteent
Of the diameter in thickness and twelv
times the thickness in height.
There arc vacant public lands in til
United States amounting to 5s6,216,8f
acres, exclusive of the undesirable d
mains in Alaska, and not counting IL
Indian reservations, some of which al
already falling into the general territor
of the nation.
A Monstrous Tide.
The Bay of Fundy forms a cul-de-sa
at which the Atlantic ocean seems t
horo re l>op n cpoo;o1 cp;{a opJ M rar,