Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-09-04
OLD IRONSIDES.
HISTORY OF ONE or TIE OLD SHIPS
IN TIE AMERICAN NAVY.


ON the Part OF Patriotic People OF To-
day. who Are Proud OF Her.
Not many people may know that the
old frigate Constitution, so renowned in
our annals, is still included among the
vessels of the navy. She is dismantled,
as might be expected at her age, and Is
kept in that condition at Portsmouth,
N. H. She is craft of 2,aO0 tons dis
placement, and now carries no battery
In place of the forty-four guns Of the
days of her glory.
IL was the Constitution that, after the
inaushcious opening on land of our war
with Great Britain, eighty years ago, /
led off series of splendid victories on !
the sea- The honor of the firstSapture I
OF a British war vessel undoubtedly be- |
longs TO the Essex, Captain David Por-
ter, whose defeat of the Alert occurred
six days before the Constitution de.
stroyed the Guerriere.
Blu. the Essex carried thirty-two 81
Founders and the Alert only twenty lS-
Founders, so that very soon after open
| ing fire the crew of the little British
I craft, which, having captured one of our
transports had made up to the Essex,
taking her to be "A merchantmen, were
compelled to quit their guns and within
eight minutes to strike their flag. This
conquest. though gratifying, was in
evitable. whereas that of the Constitu-
ton was gained over craft nearer her
own size and strength.
But while yielding the laurels of prior
20 l,a
the Constitution, under Captain Isaac
Hull, can claim them again for success
in trial of seamanship between herself
and British squadron. Till then af-
fairs were looking gloomy for us at sea
as well as ON land The British frigate
. Belvidere. while conveying a fleet Of
merchantmen, had escaped from a
! whole squadron of our warships, where
as our Nautilus had struck to an
English squadron, being the first war
ship captured on either side. Under
these untoward circumstances the Con-
, stitution, returning from Europe, fell in
with British squadron led by the
Africa, n 6i-gun ship
During four days she was chased by
this squadron. Through calm and
through breeze the flight and pursuit
went on. AT one time she had boats out
towing her. at another her crew were
, hauling upon kedge anchor that had
been carried out and dropped a long dis
4 lance ahead. On the fourth day the
longed for wind came and with every
sail set the Constitution drew away from
her pursuers, the scene when five frig-
ates were standing on the same tack and
the Constitution was showing her heels
to her enemies being often recounted
eighty years ago. Some Of the historians
describe this as the first of our triumphi
on the sea in that war
But in our time, of course, the fame
of the Constitution is more familiarly
associated with her capture of the Guer
riere. 1t was on Aug. 10, 1872, that tn.
two vessels met, both eager for a fight
The scene was off the coast of Massachu
sets. The British craft, commanded
Ia by the gallant Dacres, was first to oper
= FIRE, but Hull Unanswered his vessel intS
n the right position before he replied. Tn,
of enemy's mizzenmast soon went by thu
TO board. followed by her nainmast. WheI
!, she struck she was, in fact, So complete
u ~ used up that she could not be takel
!. into port and had to be blown up.
n The Constitution was superior in ton
rs mage and complement, carried NOR
Of guns and threw much heavier weigh
CT of metal in her broadsides: still the yes
20 sells were near enough matched for TIN
Is victory TO produce a tremendous impress
9 sion on both sides Of the ocean. Alisoi
!, describes the "shock of this unwonte,
n naval disaster" in England. where tn
81 belief that Britannia ruled the wave
in was so profound that the American nav
had seemed 10 be mere mouthful TO
no her.
II That same year the Constitution, IN
" der Bainhridge. gained another grea
- victory over the Java. off the coast o
!. Brazil. The Java like her predecessor
he was 3S-gun ship. and in the battle sh
III lost foremost and mizzenmast, besides
ct part of her bowsprit; while. to complet
IN the parallel, like the Guerrero, she wa
NJ SO wrecked in the fight that she had I
- be blown up. Ii was a great exhibitio
ns of coed seamanship and superior gun
~ merry on the part of the American vesse
or for. as Cooper says, 1.-THE Java had bee
literally picked TO pieces by shot, spa
following spar until she had not on
left" Her loss in killed and wounde
"a was very heavy.
nj Finally. in 1915, under command G
Nv Commodore Stewart. the famous old shi
OF made double capture Of the BIRTHS
ne frigate Cyane and sloop Levant.
OF Old Ironsides, rs she had come to /
nd called during the war. was launched q
ar Boston in 1877; and who knows br
80 80 when the hundredth anniversary Of ths
=, event comes around she may again /
~ put into commission, so as to receive Ger
re tennial honorsg-New York sun.
nd The Mysterious Power of tho Turquois
n The turquoise, although not credite
81 with either remedial or protective pro-
y critics. so far as disease was concerned
~ was nevertheless regarded as kind {
~ sympathetic indicator. the intensity /
NJ its color being supposed to ductuate wit
re. the health of the wearer.
d. The latter. however. by virtue of tn
ed stone he CARRIED, could. it was said, ia
be from any height with IMMUNITY. TIL
O Marquis of Vilena's fool, however, wa
~ somewhat nearer the truth when he n
yersed the popular superstition in III