Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-11-05

! that comes into Boston. As she is now
commanded by an ingenious sailor and
| gentleman she will continue to maintain
her graceful appearance and wherever she
goes uphold her dignity and responsibility
onbodrd and be reliable toward merchants
and cargoes. When vessels are allowed
to fall from these principles they are a re-
proach to their owners and seldom sue
cessful. Such names as hers are solid and
suitable; but to go out and seal ch wicked
world and bring in Pekin and Toxic as
names for coasters, or to go beneath the
surface and delve in cinders and other OBJ
structions to draw up the name of some
lost and sunken city, which was too vic
lous to continue even in those days when
morality was at a discount, in order to
burden good vessel with it, seems to me
to be labor lost and poor nsme, very far
fetched. But every one has the right to
his own odd fancy.
| once knew of a firm of ambitious build
ers, with classic views. who started to
| build feet to be named down the Greek
alphabet. The Alpha and the Beta went
of all right, but through some unlocked
for influence, or circumstances beyond
their control, the should-be Gamma went
into the water bearing the less Grecian
name of Ella Brotra
The names of noted statesmen have been
| but little used. For line of vessels
where single name is preferred nothing
| would sound better than Lincoln, Grant.
Garfield, Blame and so on. Nearly all that
| small. There are four named Samuel j.
| Tilden and the largest one of them Is eight
tons. For Abraham Lincoln there are
three-the largest fifty-two tons. There
| are seven named James A. Gartield-the
| largest is $40 tons. The whole seven were
built in 81, the year he was martyred. and
when tears snd sorrow for his fate ruled
the hearts of his many admirers.
| There j. one vessel named James g.
Blaine and one Eugene Hale There are
| three named for Grover Cleveland and
their combined tonnage is sixjy-nine For
General Grant there are named fourteen
but none of them large. The ship General
Butler is about 1900 tons. She is NOW
commanded by Il school-fellow of mine
There was large Norwegian bark named
Abraham Lincoln. In 1873 was in Pen.
sacola during negro not which move
ment was against the Canadian stevedore.
who crowded down there in the winter
and gave the negroes no chance 70 work.
The latter gathered one night and when
morning came they would not allow a
white man to 20 into the bay. Bullets
whisiled around the docks and the darkies
meant business. was at the landing try
Ing to get my gang into the boat when the
captain Of the Abraham Lincoln came in
for his men. He explained to the excited
blacks that his vessel was named for the
man who freed them and that they must
not cause her 10 suffer delay. He was al
lowed to take his stevedores aud his yes
sci was The only one able to work for
hye days, when the Canadians came to
man going into the bay colored man
should be employed by his side. Their
cause was just. | was glad of its success
and pleased that even in their excitement
and desperation they should show so much
respect for Abraham Lincoln
When boy | served a long apprentice
ship on board the Meteor That is a
pretty name but the vessel was never noted
for her beauty. As the little girl said of
the Alice Tarlton. She had a stern al each
end, and would never 90 much more than
half as fast as meteor. She had painted
ports and very lofty spars-carrying sky
sail. In sea-way she would roll very
quick and very deep 50 when one was on
that sky-sail yard he went through space
something like the every day gait of real
live meteor, and that was the only act
that could possibly remind any one of her
namesake. But the name was only one of
the many cases where the eternal fitness"
of things is overlooked.
Previous to about dozen years ago no
American vessels name could be changed
unless she was so nearly rebuilt as to be
equal to new. Then there was one Of
those peculiar laws passed something like
this: Any vessel free from debt and
found by government inspection to be sea
worthy, may, on application of the owner,
have her name changed at the discretion Of
the Secretary of the TREASURY Quite
number were changed-probably in most
cases for sensible and honest reasons But
| think the late Mr.. Window declared a
rule that he would allow no more changes
on vessels more than six years old | think
1t was six years. and some other stringent
conditions. As his successors will be ike
ly to follow his ruling it will again be hard
to change a name and therefore a good
one should be chosen at first Among 10
ticeable changes that might seem frivolous
is that of the bark Pacific being changed
to Atlantic. They perhaps wished her to
be more war-like and boisterous in her
movements. In addition to the name all
vessels have number and all sea going
vessels of more than one hundred tons
have four official letters taken from the
first eighteen consonants of the English
alphabet-bens simply international code
signal letters. The letters and number
are awarded to each new vessel by the
Treasury Department and no two vessels
of same nationality have same number or
same combination of letters. Vessels are
| now Obliged to have name on each side of
bow and, as before, on the stern. Nearly
all have the name on each quarter but that
| is not required by law.
Ex-NANTAskET.
Mr.. George Hunter of South Strong,
tells the Pennington Chronicle that he has
piece of that meteor which created quite
sensation in those regions last February.