, 1891-04-28
RELICS FROM THE SHIPS.
SOME OF HE QUEER THINGS SEEN
N OLD SOUTH STREET.

HNA AAA DAAAhE NAN AFNAAN AkAoAAs
A Psssimistio Old salt.
A battered looking old fellow, wearing
IN sntiquated chin beard that wa the
color Of picked oakum, stood on South
street yesterday, gazing at one of the big
clipper ships that was loading prepare
tory TO 4 trip around the Horn to San
Francisco. bis gaze was somber. He
seemed in some way discontented with
affairs as they stood. Evidently he was
not pleased with his immediate sur
roundings.
Handsome ship, that, remarked a
bystauder 10 the veteran.
"Humph,' snorted he Of the oaken
beard. 'Mebbe you're 4 jedge o. ships
well, no., but l thought
"Oh, you did" retorts the veteran.
well. l 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 wuz a ship
rs vas hausum an as did hansum. An
there wuz-but what's .he 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 seen along here
a while ago. Well, | went in one Of
them junk shops where they keeps all
sorts Of things that they picks up from
old ships, an shiyer me ef thar in that
shop wuzn't the f~gurehead Of "A ship l
sailed in thirty years ago. 'Twuz all
battered an broke. but knew it at once.
Well, l bought 1t, an I'm goin' to take
1t mp TO Cnettykut, where | live, an
keep it there. An l amt goin' ~voyagin'
through South street any more. II
makes me feel like "A castaway hulk my
selfr7 With this the ancient one re.
lapsed into a silence which he would not
break
II OLD STYLE F1aUREHEAD.
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 arr a number Of
shops that keep all sorts Of queer things
on hand. They pick these things up in
a variety of ways, and there is a consid.
cradle sale for them.
There are fRureheads, for instance.
In the olden time every ship Of n pre-
tensions had a igurehead. Owners Of
vessels Wed in their efforts to secure fine
designs, and the enterprising gentlemen
who modelled the representations Of fair
maids, sea nymphs, Of trim midshipmen
or Of admirals in uniform did n right
pretty business. A simple sort Of scroll
work has taken the place Of the dashing
figures Of the past.
OF N there are exceptions. The
big English four master, the Falkland.
has an excclleutly modelled representa-
ton Of the Fair Maid OF Perth above her
cutwater. The clipper ship Seminole
has a Seminole brave IN frif war p5int.
and there are others. In the main. how
ever. the old tim fgurehead has fallen
into desuetude.
just off South street, before n shop in
which nautical instruments are sold,
there is the figure Of a sailor that has
evidently seen many and many a storm.
He looks as though he had been crimped
aud shanghaied times beyond number.
Part OF his nose is gone, some one has
made n pot shot at one Of his eyes. bu;
there Is a jaunty. wicked lcer upon his
face and an expression that says:
Here's a salt rs has sailed, an be
blowed TO ye,"
EFF1GY OF GEN. BOLIVAR.
There are a couple Of old fgurehead.
10 be seen on South street that have had
very hard experiences on land as well a.
on sea. One Of these is an efigy Of Gen,
Bolivar, and was the fgurrhead Of the
ship Of that name.
Originally the efigy was so painted a,
to appear dressed in full naval uniform
cooked hat and all. At the time of tn,
draft riots the rioters, having nothing
else to do at one time, stood across tht
street and fired bullets at him. He re
ceiyed full many a wound that day, bu
he stands in his place still, stiff an,
erect
Another hgurehead Jared even wors'
at the same hands. IL was intended 4
represent Samuel Kimball, OF Keunebec
Ne, but it left the sea some forty year
ago. 1t was then placed where it nov
stands, TO call attention to a store. Tn
draft rioters had rare sport with it on,
day. They tied a rope around its neck
dragged it here and there in wild glee
Then they made it the central figure o
a bonfire. Just as it was being consume,
h police came down and rescued II
1t was reprinted, and today, impassivi
and dignihed, it passes its time studying
human nature as it is on South street.
But there are other curios TO be founC
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 yo,
will be told they are.-New York Mai
and Express.