The San Francisco call., 1896-11-08
LAST OF AN OLD
SLOOP OF WAR
The SWatara Was Towed
TO the Bone Yard
Yesterday.
Alter Years of Service to Be
Broken Up for Her Cop
per and Iron.
CHANGES AMONG sHlPMAsTERs
Arrival of the Rio de ] neiro From
Honolulu Without Kate Fields
Remains.

The old sloop-of- war Swatara has at
last reached her final resting place. Built
in 1872 by the United States she was then
the pride of the navy. Now she is lying
at Decotaville, near Hunters Point, and
tomorrow the work of wrecking her will
begin. Some weeks ago a full history of
the historic old ship was givenin THE SUN
DAY CALL and now all that remains is an
obituary notice.
Some time ago Uncle Sam advertised
the remains of the vessel as for sale. She
had been dismantled and all that remained
of her was the hull. A company, headed
by ex-Pilot Johnson and John w. Co.'S
grove, experimenting engineer of the Pa
cifc Coast Steamship Company, pur-
chased the vessel and made all the ar
rangements for breaking her up. Last
Thursday ey sent the RED Stack" Com
pany's ting Liberty to Mare Island to tow
her down, but the commandant would not
give her up as he had received no instrnc-
tions from Washington.
The telegraph was used, and after a
delay of twenty-four hours the vessel was
turned over to the captain of the tug. Off
ValIeio-street wharf the tug Sea Witch,
Captain George Harvey, took the Swatara
Decotaville. Strange to say Captain Har-
vey was the man who named the little
place. The first vessel ever broken up
there was the old ship Decota, and Har-
vey towed her TO the spot where work
| of wrecking the Swatara will begin to-
morrow. On his return to San Francisco
he told the newspaper reporters that he
had run the old hulk ashore at "Decota-
vile" and IL went into the papers accord
| ingiy. The name has stuck to the place
| ever since.
The Swatara and the little tug made
| quite picturesque appearance as they
passed along the front. Only q stump ol
the foremast remained and It had been
sawed off close TO the rail. The ports
were all wide open and conveyed a re-
minder OF the days when cannon bristled
| along the sides OF the stout old ship. Her
copper showed away above the water line
and judging of the amount that must be
| on her bottom the purchasers will make
| enough out of it alone to recoup them
selves Some of the choicest timbers will
| be made into canes and one of them will
! be suitably mounted and engraved and
forwarded to President-elect Mckinley.
| When everything of value has been taken
out OF the hull the remains will be set on
| fire in order to secure whatever iron OF
copper that may remain.
The old Swatara was wooden ship of
| 1900 tons displacement, Z16 feet long, 81
| feet broad, 10 ieet inches deep, CSC indi-
Gated horsepower and an estimated speed
| of ten knots.
There were more changes in the masters
| of vessels yesterday than there have been
! in month. Nearly all the moves are in
the nature of promotions, so the shippers
are happy. Captain Brissem of the
schooner Gotama has been transferred tc
the four-m asted schooner Volunteer. Fol
year he has been making most success
full runs between here and Coos Bay, and
his owners have rewarded him. The Vol
unteer will load railroad ties for Mollendo
Peru.
Captain Morine, who brought the Vol
unteer into port, will leave on the steamer
Mexico for Victoria, b. c., to take COM
mand of the bark Colorado, while Captain
Jones of the Colorado Will take com mand