The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-03-19
A STANCH OLD SHIP.
First a Fighter, Then a Messenger
of Mercy.
The Old Man-of-War to BE Sent with
Supplies to the Relief or the
Famine -Stricken People
of Russia

ing ship Constellation to the duty Of car
rying to the starving people of Russi;
the flour and breadstuffs given for tina
purpose by the northwestern miller'
recalls the fact, says the New Yorl
Times, that this ship has been OIL a sim
liar mission before. This was in 1S45
when immense quantities of provision.
were given by the Americans for the
starving people of Ireland.
The Constellation is a pretty old shir
now, and many of her timbers will moi
stand the ~hardships of long cruises in
succeeding years, SO that her mission tc
Russia, if accomplished, will probably
be her last active duty afloat. 1t will
be a fitting end to the career of a famous
old man-of-war.
The old Constellation, nearly all OF
whose original frames have been re-
paired and rebuilt in the present ship,
was completed and launched at Norfolk
in May, 1890, being the second vessel
launched under the then new ~organiza-
ton of the navy. Commodore Stephen
.Decatur's squadron in the West Indies
was her first assignment to duty.
Before the close of this cruise she en-
.countered the French frigates L'Insur-
gents and La Vengeance, trouble with
France being then in progress, and de-
feated them both, although the enemy
were greatly superior in guns and men.
She lost her mainmast in this action, a
midshipman and seven topmen going
with it A gold medal was given to
Commodore Truxton, her commander,
by congress for his %gallantry.
When in the Mediterranean on it's
second cruise the Constellation, then in
command of Capt. H. Campbell, joined
the American squadron off Tripoli, a
squadron famous in naval annals. The
1frigate Constitution, with Commodores
!Decater and Preble and Midshipman
McDonough, figured in the attack which
followed the CONSULTATIONS arrival.
Aftertthe victory the frigate proceeded
to Syracuse and saw no more active
duty of a warlike sort until June, 1878,
when she was blocl1aded by a large
English force. Several attempts were
mahefto destroy or capture it by boats
from the English fleet, all of which re-
suited in heavy loss to the enemy.
II SOlioCCldUlOD > PuOrQONA III luc
old records of the navy asa fleet sailor
and a stanch, ship in heavy weather.
Inihe carly days she is credited with a
speed often Knots on q wind and twelve
and a half knots free. a speed which she
is known to have maintained even after
she attained to the age of three score
years and ten. In the summer of 1883,
when cruising with the naval cadets
along the edge of the gulf stream, stud
ding sails on, she made thirteen knots
throughout q whole morning. In heavy
weather she can outride any. of the cid
ships. In her cruise in the Mediter-
ranean in 1888, for example, she lived
through a heavy gale in which q French
ship was lost, and during
the SAM night, while lying-to, she
w~eathered the French .admiral's ship
seven miles.
The Constellation has been in every
part of the navigable globe, and as long
as wooden sailing ships were the models
of the day she was among the foremost
of her class. Everyone of her lines is
symmetrical, and when she sails under
full spread of stun sails a prettier
sight cannot be found. She is reported
to have beaten the whole British fleet
On a wind in the Mediterranean in 1884
Although originally a thirty -six-gun
the CONSULTATIONS battery has
been cut down in the course of her
many alterations until to-day she car
-ies but twelve, these being smooth
oores of an old type. She carried a
pivot gun amidships until 1888, when it
vas taken out and her pivot ports built
n. Fol a good many years she has
oeen the practice ship attached to the
Naval Academy for the summer cruise
If the naval cadets. This cruise only
asts about ninety days, and throughout
he remainder of the year it has been
custom of the department. to put
Ter out of commission. These short
ours of active duty have resulted in
her life far beyond the pc
iod allotted to the frigates Independ-
nee, Ohio and United States vessels
which were built early in the century
nd which have long since passed off
he navy list. The Constellation re-
urned from her last cruise with the
cadets in fairly good trim, and
7ere it not that the new government
ractice ship will soon be completed to
AXE her place at the Naval academy
he would doubtless live to see several
lore summer cruises, and thus perhaps
rown her glorious career with q cen
Try of service, for some of her timbers
t least were a part of the Constella-
Senator Tracy's statement in his
to Senator Washbnrn, that she
can be sent at short notice." shows
lat the N'old ship is not dead yet"
Amher Incnnka-