The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-25
A STANCH OLD SHIP.
First Fighter, Then a Messenger
Of Mercy.
Tho Old Man-of-wnr to BE Sent with
Supplies to the Relief of tho
ranine.Stricken People
OF Russia.

The fact that Secretary Tracy, in a
letter TO Senator w. d. Washburn, sig.
mites his willingness to assign the sail.
ing ship Constellation to the duty of car
rying to the starving people of Russia
the flour and breadstuffs given for that
purpose by the northwestern millers
recalls the fact, says the New York
Times, that this ship has been on sim
liar mission before. This was in lS45,
when immense quantities of provisions
were given by the Americans for the
starving people of Ireland.
The Constellation is pretty old ship
now, and many of lrer timbcrs will not
stand the hardships of long cruises in
succeeding years, so that her mission to
Russia, II accomplished. will probably
be her last active duty afoat. 1t will
be fitting end to the career of n 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-
tion 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 its
second cruise the Constellation, then in
command Of Capt II. Campbell, Joined
the American squadron off Tripoli, a
squadron famous in naval annals. The
frigate Constitution, with Commodores
Decater and Preble and Midshipman
McDonough, figured in the attack which
followed the CONSULTATIONS arrival.
After the victory the frigate proceeded
to Syracuse and saw no more active
duty OF a warlike sort until June, 1913,
when she was blockaded by large
English force. Several attempts were
made to destroy or capture it by boats
from the English feet, all of which re-
suited in heavy loss to the enemy.
The Constellation is put down in the
old records of the navy as fleet sailor
and stanch ship in heavy weather.
In her early days she is credited with a
speed Of ten knots on a wind and twelve
and half knots free. speed which she
knNyun IN hox sV,<o fv,o 4 "a
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 whole morning. In heavy
weather she can outride any Of the old
ships. In her cruise in the Mediter-
ranean in 1888, for example, she lived
through heavy gale in which French
eighty-gun ship was lost, and during
the same night, while lying-to, she
weathered 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 prettier
sight cannot be found. She is reported
to have beaten the whole British fleet
on wind in the Mediterranean in 1884.
Although originally thirty -six-gun
ship the CONSULTATIONS battery has
been cut down in the course Of her
many alterations until to-day she car
ries but twelve, these being smooth
bores Of an old type. She carried
pivot gun amidships until 1888, when it
was taken out and her pivot ports built
in. For a good many years she has
been the practice ship attached to the
Naval Academy for the summer cruise
OF the naval cadets. This cruise only
lasts about ninety days, and throughout
the remainder of the year it has been
the custom of the department to put
her out of commission. These short
tours Of active duty have resulted in
prolonging her life far beyond the pc
riod allotted to the frigates Independ-
ence, Ohio and United States vessels
which were built early in the century
and which have long since passed off
the navy list, The Constellation re-
turned from her last cruise with the
naval cadets in fairly good trim, and
were it not that the new government
practice ship will soon be completed to
take her place at the Naval academy
she would doubtless live to see several
more summer cruises, and thus perhaps
crown her glorious career with a CEN
tury of service, for some of her timbers
at least were a part of the Constella-
ton. Senator Tracy's statement in his
letter to Senator Washburn, that she
'can be sent at short notice." shows
that the 'old ship is not dead yet"
A Fox-Hunting Cow.
The first instance on record of a COW