Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-06-24
END OF OLD WAR SHIPS.
THE VESSELS OF THE CIVIL WAR
FAST DISAPPEARING.

what becomes of he Eonts That Fight
No More-Now Cruisers Taking tho
Place of the Wooden Ones-Changes in
Recent Years-Somo Famous Hullcs.
OF the nearly 700 steam vessels which
were recorded upon the navy register in
1865 at the close Of the civil war, there
now remain only the Lancaster, Pensacola,
Hartford, Richmond, kearsarge, Iroquois,
Wabash, Minnesota Franklin, Yantic,
Monocacy, Michigan, Palos and Pinta be-
sides the thirteen single turreted mont
tors. This entire feet carries fewer guns
than were carried by three Of the original
ships of the navy-the Constitution, the
Constellation and the United States-in
the war Of 1919
-Four Of the obsolete warships, old timers
that were familiar TO the navy yard hos
pital nurses and which had been con
demned by the government, lost their OPP
portunRy Of ever again having their
wounds healed at the navy yard, and were
sold to the highest bidder for old Junk.
And 80 one after another of the old Grip
pies is disappearing and in n few more
years the new cruisers, commerce destroy
ers, battle ships, irOnclads and torpedo
boats will have displaced them all.
1t is likely that whoever visits Cow bay,
a picturesque arm of Long Island sound,
will have his curiosity excited by a picture
that will suggest to him a marine junk
shop. It's place where the business of
breaking up old ships is carried on 1t is
the place where the last scene of the event
full histories of very many of the war YES
sells has been enacted, and where the old
Brooklyn and the Quinnebaug will have
their weary and rotten bones laid away to
rest. That is, they will be torn or blown
to pieces.
BIG PRICES FOR HULKs
All that can he taken apart with the
crowbar and the ax and saw will be taken
out intact, and then dynamite will be
brought into play to complete the ruin.
The timbers and pIanks that can be got
out whole will be sold to the farmers and
contractors for building barns and bridges
and there Is many IA bridge along the
drives ON Long Island upon the titlbers of
which may still be seen the names of sea
men and landsmen, cut in by those who
fought and died in battle on the Guerrero,
the Roanoke the Shamrock, the Powhatan
and others of the war vessels
Aside from these few timbers, the iron,
valuable things in the ship. The copper,
of course, is most in demand, and always
brings a good price.
Finally, when everything is taken out
that is of any value, and when all the tim
Der is taken out that will pay for the labor,
whether for building or hrcwood the rest
of the hull Is set on fire and burned. The
sight of one of these burning vessels at
night is really n brilliant one. The verdgris
and other combustible matter in the tim
Der give off rich lights of the most brilliant
tints, and some of the supersttous sight
seers have vowed that ofteutmes the ghosts |
of dead mariners have been seen walking
the sands and digging in them for their
stolen kits
IL has often been matter of wonder to
those who know nothing about the value
of old junk MS to where the buyers of
these old vessels make profit? For in
stance, the Old Quiunc'HDg was bought
for about $4,000, and the buyer no doubt |
made pretty fair profit upon his specula- |
ton.
AUTHOR or A FAMOUS REMARK.
Upon some of these old hulks there is |
often saved out some particular part of the |
vessel that Is looked upon as valuable for
relic. One Of the greatest treasures of the
odds and ends from these old ships is the
steering wheel of the old Constitution, or
"Old Ironsides," as she was called. The |
old sailing ship Cyane, which was one of
the vessels she captured in 1878, and which
did service for many years afterward in the
Pacific was sold a few years ago and
broken up.
Few vessels of the old navy saw more
active service during the civil war than
81, L.,
haitian. Before then, in 1857, she formed |
part of the squadron which went to Japan
nnder Commodore Perry. 1t was on this |
cruise that the famous expression, "Blood |
is thicker than water" originated The
expression has been credited to others since
that date, and to an officer of the navy
who died in this city recently. In fact
Commodore Tattnall was the originator
of it,
He was in command Of the powhatan |
during the troubles between the English |
and the Chinese ON the ri river when he
was obliged to remain neutral while the |
Chinese forts were Smelling the French and |
English gunbOats. One of the English !
gunboats was sunk by n shot from the
fort, and turning to some Of the officers
alongsideof him hcsaid, "BlOod is thicker |
than watcr,n and ordered the boats low |
cred and sent them to rescue the drowning |
officers and crew of the British gunboat.
The powhatan once chased the privateer |
Sumter from off the mouth Of the Missis |
sippi to Mawnhau, Brazil, and missed cap |
turing her by the giving out Of the Pow |
hatan's conl when she could not obtain Il |
new supply. Tho Powhatan has disap- |
pearcd, except n small portion of her hulk !
and mass of old material which lies piled |