New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-02
RELICS OF THE OLD NAVY
THE PASSING OF WOODEN SHIPS
,,,x TO REFIT TIE HISTORIC HARTFORD
VESSELS on THE JUNK HEAP

,.rsd 10 in a Washington dispatch few days ago
. AZ ND for service the historic old Hartford, is
,.oted upon by officers of the Navy. 1t will be
~ many taxpayers, not only gratifying senti-
,, but retaining In the Navy practical cruls-
,,s vessel The proposition is not to rebuild her
49,, n nut her in a thorough seagoing condition
.b machinery Of the first class. and with Il mod
.,r and powerful battery. Whether she be utilized
a. cruising vessel in the Pacific or by the Naval
,cadernv whatever active service she may be re-
,,red TO do can be more economically done than
~ any Of the modern vessels of the new steel
x,vv She will have full sail power as we'll
steam power and can make such cruises as may be
,acuirei OF her mostly under sail. Being a modern
,essel she could make long cruises without re-
,urng frequent docking clear her hull of the
seagrowths
The Hartford ended her last cruise as flagship of
Pear Admiral Edward Y. McCauley, Commandant
~ the Pacific Squadron. In 1887 when she was put
ant Of commission at the Mare Island Navy Yard
and dsmantled. since which time she has been
wing 'in ordinary" In charge of a Waterman and
eating for Congress to determine whether she
should be sold at public auction to the highest
bidder be broken up and thrown into the "old
Junk" heap. The proposition now Is to keep her
an the Navy list. like Lord Nelson's old flagship
the Victory.
The Hartford was built the Boston Navy
Yard In 1885, is DDS feet long A. feet beam. displaces
100 tons and is ship-rigged. Her first cruise was
10 China as ndgShp OF the tate rear AuTHrdl
cornelius X Stribling. But her interesting career
beean on February 3. 1862. when Captain David
Glasgow Farragut the General Grant of the Navy,
called from Hampton Roads In that vessel to as
sume the duties of flag officer of the West Gulf
Bockading Squadron. In addition to the ordinary
blockading duties. Captain Farragut as Acting
Rear Admiral especially charged with the re-
duction Of the Confederate defences guarding the
approaches to New Orleans. and the taking pos
session of that city, which he successfully did.
naval history records Then when Admiral Far
ragut ordered TO take command of the fleet
that afterward captured the defences Of Mobile
Bay he took on January is. 1864 the Hartford as
his flagship and she the leader in the fleet In
the attack on the Mobile forts August of that
rear II this day that the Hartfords
career nearly ended by being cut down by the
Iackawanna. which vessel had been ordered to
run down the Confederate ram Tennessee instead.
Although there is not much left of the original
hull OF the Hartford, she yet preserves her general
appearance the same graceful sheer and sym
metrca lines and her masts and rig. In lsIl she
Yard and another deck added TO her; but this
deck was removed few years later 0O because eo IL
again partially rebuilt and made cruise In the
'y There are not many of the old wooden ships left
on the Navy list The old Kearsarge disappeared
in February last having been wrecked on R6ncador
Powhatan. susqueianna. Pawnee and Others equal
e,,, sn0 bu, az Phadepa in ISIS returned from
the China Station a few days age and Was ordered
Yard She is to be converted into gunnery ship
for the training SQUADRON at MeWH S sb,ns
or what was Familiarity known as "McDougars old
warship" sold al auction short time ago She
c Tas Su Eary in ah the cv Var she to the
Pacific to look out for Confederate pryateers Her
1855 the time when the Mkado issued the manifesto
ss n S. Scr the Prince nys o
the Straits Of smonoosaki which form the western stern
on several American and German vessels. Com
modore McDorgal went a. once 70 the scene OF ms
the fire duly s 1883; and sunk one OF the japanese
h sxp ra he and comm G great havoc
on the and the batteries. This led the Jap
snese Government to make terms with the United
The Alliance. another Of the old wooden slOops;;
las seen service in nearly al part, Of tine world
Norfolk from the South Atlantic. Another OF the
old wooden vessels. the Portsmouth. Is now one OF
he NaVy Yard She has been noted ship her
day but is no Longer real wnr vessel she r was
pal public square in San Francisco is named after
sy and te Re T after hT
q, the time of the annexation Of California
to people in every part Of thc, world, has been used
as nautical training school since 1910. and mas
io und places la" sG ocers in D' The Pacc Mall Ward
Mallory and Other s,eamshp Ines 'hs was nu
oak and though in need Of repairs frequently. her
hull as strong and seaWorihy as When ir't b Dn re-
cving-ship at League Island; She was built at the
IVA ha7 days Ss ABOUT lar en ater One day.
when among the Windward Islands and under 'uil
sloft. and as te reckoning plotted her position at
least 100 miles from land captain officers ana crew
surging and boiling. and in another minute her bows
raised high in the air and she seemed to stand on
tdal waves followed the first one but the ship came
the suTfacs each had sn BEEN wH dom ne hs
but every person on board was more or less bruised
The Mononsahea is sailing shp, Dark sb rsse s
one Of the second-cass steam sloops-o'-war be-
n n @ sister to ns Sas cads and n sseh
on June II for the annual cruise OF three weeks she
lone OF the relies although pu IN iSs oI. ou.
She the vessel which at the time Of the tidal wave
@ was thrown upon one ol ,n bef"r est b w
ruary. lsss. Started from Mare Island for Samoa
with supplies for the crews OF the vessels which
were wrecked there and was so long time reach
The Iroquois is another Of the old relies Of the war
She is now stationed at Port Orchard the new
naval station in Puget sound as hospital drt chip Up,
herself and the country In the Civil war. her nrs'
engagement, being with Farraguts feet on the Mis-,
sssppi She was also conspicuous in the siege OF
vsksburg and at Fort Fisher Sne was one Ei 'I n
Kobe Bay Japan, when the ports of Kobe. Hogo
and Osaka were opened to foreign commerce on
su day, 1853 ,S and ycaon tns wo ad % Teceny ab
Gated. took refuge Captain a. r. Mahan who has
recently attained much prominence; was ex-
ecutlve officer at the time. The vessel has been
hoodooed' for several years. but the records do not
show that 1t was because of the mysterious dsap-
pearance Of a pet cat one night In s6o when ru da
Ming through the Inland Sea In December 1889
WIEN going Gilbert Islands. her boilers gave out
snd she made remarkable voyage under sa DeI .y
me brought up at Port Richmond, Washington Hei
coal was entirely exhausted. and her provisions Tar
s low that February 49, 1890 me rations , Mte,
eut down to one-haf allowance. and week ia Az
one.quarter allowance. Officers ana men I aise
a1ssed intensely from cold and eXposare IN Ju,,t
- 1850 she started for Samoa. but mad not been a
A long before she almost wrecked ana hao
rseiun to San Francisco. 1900 -
lone Marion, recently arrived after voyag S ss
ING that she was reported az lost on several GAYS
= another OF the old wooden bark rugged steam
bu ia s Originally she was only lso feet TO io s.
~ wv when she was rebuilt In 1871 she was increases
,ensh 10 nc feet and to 900 tons dsplacenetnt
"e appropriaton for REPAIRS was not suIIcien
cb,r meet all requirements. which meant new ma