The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-07
ON Other SIDE OF channel
Some Events Of the Day on the West
Side Of the City Noted.
INTERESTING OLD DAVY BIRD
llc IL q Seasoned Old Sca.DOg Who
PilOted the Monitor to the Place
Where 1t Met tho Mcrrimac.
Personals and News Notes.
INTERESTING OLD DAVY BIRD


PilOted the Monitor to the Place
Where 1t Met tho Mcrrimac.
Personals and News Notes.
1.-THE West Side interests Of The Tribune
have been placed In the hands Of Emer-
son Owen. to whom all news announce
ments and complaints may be addressed.l ]
While centerboards and keels. De-
tenders and Valkyries. of the third
generation, Is the theme Of the sportive
hour. there lives on the West Side OF
the city, in the solitude Of old age. a
quaint, weatherbeaten. old sea dog,
whose fund of personal "reminiscences
Is the result Of seventy-four years of
life. two-thirds Of which were spent
amid the roar of the waves. as a hard
working seaman; and the discovery Of
his identity is as interesting as II Is
timely. ] visited this delightful individ-
ual yesterday through the courtesy Of
Daniel Phillips, of 800 South Hyde Park
avenue, at whose residence "Davy"
Bird, for such Is his name. has made
his home for the past four hours.
He had just finished the noon-day
meal and was in an unusually rem
iniscent frame Of mind. One glance at
Davy Birds face shows the marks of
the sea. His hair Is white and thin,
the face is a may of old age with it's al
Turing simplicity. and the short-cropped
whiskers. white in color. presents the
typical tar in retirement. When he
spoke. a chlld-like quaver In the voice
added to the genuineness Of picture and
the dim eye needed metal-bound spec
tacles when occasion required his
scrutiny.
Then In the exclusive vernacular Of
the seaman he talked Of gales and good
weather. yachts and tugs, 'cap'ns"
and "pints" for an hour. He was born
seventy-four years ago, in Port Pres
ton, about thirty miles from New York
city. He remembers when the now
great metropolis was almost an entire
farm or number of them. At that time
Tenth street was considered up
town." but now thoroughfares run into
the one-hundred and fifties. 1t was
hard to get "Davy" started. but once
begun he told yarn after yarn as the
flood of memories rushed to his brain.
On Yachts and Racing.
What do you think of the chances
Of the Defender in the coming race.
captain?" The old man bent his head
to assist his defective hearing and an
swered: well, England has better
chances this time than she ever had.
Ye see the fight has allus been twixt the
keel and the certerboard. America has
allus use the flat-bottomed boat, or
centerboard, till now, and England
has stuck to the keel. Now we meet
her with the keel and we may lose.
tell ye," he continued. getting enthusi-
astic, u fat-bottomed boat Is the best;
\, L..
why the English boats have allus been
licked"
Capn Davy then described the for
nation of the two styles Of boat in a
way that showed he knew all about II.
The captain was personally acquainted
with George Steers. the man who built
the America" the first boat that met
England In her own water and won the
queens cup on the other side. He also
knew Richard Brown, the man that
captained the boat. This was forty
seven years ago. He spoke of the first
yacht ever built. the Jim Crack" and
remembers the boat we'll. Jim Crack
al first wouldn't sail. but the owner
widened her and she went like race
horse" said the captain. And then
there was the Maria" big yacht
she cleaned out all comers. The
"Sapho" was another famous boat that
Davy remembers: also the "Poleon.'
He worked for years carrying prison.
ers to Blackwells' Island. and tells
many tales of the sea and of life saw.
ing. He saw the Lee Van Harker
burn UP, and fifty lives lost as a re.
suit. He, with his tug boat. saved nine
people from a watery grave.
But what makes ''Davy' Bird more
interesting still Is the fact that in the
L.. IL. 90 xN.,t,, 40
Seth Low. he played an important part
in the war for the union, and II may
be said that simple "Davy" Bird, living
right here among us. is the secondary
principal in the revolution of battle
ships, from old wooden boats to the
present ironclad
Davy Was tho Pilot.
1t was In the second year Of the civil
war, when the northern heart was de-
spondent and union seemed impossible
that the confederates captured Norfolk
navy yard and with 1t the Virginia. af-
terward renamed Merrimac This
boat was remodeled and strengthened
until 1t seemed invincible. The roof
was covered with scrap iron and rails
secured In such a way that balls strik-
Ing this monster floating fort would
glance harmlessly Off. In this boat
centered the southern pride and hope
Of victory, and on Saturday, March 8
1862. the Merrimac steamed down the
James river and attacked the wooden
ships Of the federalists lying Off For
tress Monroe. The Cumberland and
Congress were soon destroyed by the
huge rebel war vessel. At nightfall the
Merrimac anchored, and In the early
Sabbath morning following, returned
from her station to complete the de-
struction Of the union fleet. "Then,''
says one Of our historians, suddenly a
strange little craft appeared, looking
like a cheese-box on q raft" This was
the Monitor. a new union vessel made
Of iron.
"Davy" Bird 10 the man who pIloted
the Monitor" to the scene of the
struggle. II ''Davy" Bird had not, with
the aid Of the seth Low" Of which he
was captain, arrived on the field OF
action at that opportune moment, the
result might have been different. He
was employed by the government as q
pilot. At IL o'clock Thursday noon, on
March Q, he received an order to assist
the Monitor" to Fortress Monroe. II
was fine weather when his tug, the
seth Low" accompanied by two
tenders. to protect the fleet from the
rebel ship "Alabama." which was
prowiing about, pulled the little Mon.
itor out Of her dock and started for
epueheru waters. On the folloWinn