The record-union., 1897-09-26
MARE ISLAND.
Glimpse at Uncle Sans Navy Yard
at Vallejo.

1nQSe Sdcraln6nt ta1S VINO are III the
habit Of making periodical visits to San
Francisco and tire of the usual pill
grimage to Golden Gate Park, Cliff
House, etc, can pass pleasant day
visiting Mare Island, the navy yard
and supply station of the United States
on the Pacific Coast. 1t offers a pleas
ant ride, initiates one into the myster-
les of the navy and is ap excellent
source for gaining information.
After reaching Vallejo you take fer
ry for Mare Island, which is about the
distance from Vallejo that Washing
ton is from Sacramento. The fare is
10 cents across, all passengers being
able to secure a permit to inspect the
navy yard.
When 1 visited the place last Sun
day 1 was able to go aboard the Mo-
nadnock, Marietta and Independence.
The latter is the receiving ship, where
all recruits enter and get drafted to
the different vessels in which they are
to serve My conception of what the
Independence must be was entirely
shattered The old war ship, which
figured in the Mexican war and the
wrestling of the Pacific Coast from the
barn With an extra allowance of Win
doWS.
The Monadnock, with it's hull buried
in the water, and rising but a few feet
above the surface of the water is a
beautiful specimen of work. The main
deck is spacious and the floor looks
almost like polished wood Everything
is scrupulously clean The big cam
non, woodwork, brass fixtures and ma
chinery are kept in perfect condition.
To a person making his initial visit to
a man-of-war the scenes presented are
interesting We unconsciously picture
to ourselves, when thinking of an i'm
mense war vessel, a scene of activity
blue Jackets on duty pacing to and
fro, sailors busy at work, apprentices
rushing about and Captains, etc, Civ
ing orders. If we have a vivid imagin-
alton perhaps we can picture an en-
gagement with the deck SWarming like
q beehiVe here and there a wounded
sailor, and a huge shell bursting over
head amid the dark, foreboding smoke.
Instead of all this, peace reigned su-
preme aboard the MonadnOck. The sail
ors 2 fine, robust, well-clad set of men,
lolled about on the deck, some sleeping
in the shadow Of a cannon, some perus-
ing the Sunday papers, and others in
groups. .conversing quietly. Old Sol was
out IN all his glory and seemed to be
out On the warpath for he shot down
his 'ays with a vengeance.
AS cne stepped around to the other
side OF the vessel, he could. without the
slightest effort, imagine himself in AL
giers CT Africa. Here, reclining in the
shadow of the upper deck, was a
group of some ten or twelve negroes
large, athletic felloWs-playing on gui-
tars and mandolins and humming, sotto
voce the latest tunes of the day. De-
scending the steps to the lower deck
one saw another cluster of sailors.
Some We're mending their clothes-all
use the needle deftly-others writing
home to their parents, relatives and
sWeethearts, and one was using a hand
sewing machine with the grace and
ease OF an accomplished dressmaker
The discipline is perfect. There are
a couple of hundred men about and
still all was quiet, no loud conversing,
boist arous laughter or hilarity of any
kind A little canary bird on the upper
deck warbled away contentedly, while
on the front lookout a sentry walked
to and fro.
Next we went on the Marietta, the
sister ship of the Wheeling, which had
left for San Francisco the day before.
Here again we inspected the different
departments, the sick room, the kitch-
en-, the bathroom and the big guns.
Too much cannot be said of the univer-
sal politeness and courtesy of Uncle
Sans sailors. All questions were kind
ly answered and in many cases infOr-
nation volunteered.
An unusually interesting sight was
the Baltimore in the dry dock No one
/ realizes how large and massive these
modern ships of war look when ex-
posed to view There she lay, a stu
pendous hulk of iron, propped UP on
all Sides undergoing repairs. The dock
itself is a sight worth seeing, as it is
a marvellous piece of cement and gran
/ ite work.
Besides the above mentioned men-of-
war, we saw the Charleston, which is
out Of commission, as is also the Thetis
/ Ranger, Mohican and Hartford. What
a sight the latter makes, in her present
state! She is being repaired, but looks
| battla-scarred and old-fashioned When
1 thought of the active part she play
! ed in the Civil War l could not help
| looking at her with veneration, and
pictu1ing Farragut commanding her al
/ the taking of New Orleans, Vicksburg
Port Hudson and Mobile. She was ther
his flagship, and the pride of the navy
Now, when contrasted with the new
| iron cruisers she looks like an old scow
/ But It must be remembered that she
was built in 1853. when the Mohicar
and others of their class We're consid-
cred excellent sIoops- s-of-war.
Leaving the water front and thread
/ ing a labyrinth of work shops, supply
rooms etc, one reaches the avenue
/ leading to the officers homes and head
/ quarters of the marines. The former
| are large, commodious brick buildings
surrounded by blooming gardens Near
the bandstand where concerts are
/ given, are a number of historical relics
/ Among others is the propeller of the
Nipsic, which was wrecked in the har-
Dor Of Apia, Samoa, March 16, 1889
during the terrible storm which rageC
that spring It is a huge affair and the
blades, which are very thick and solid
were twisted and wrenched as if they
had been made Of copper wire. Other
relics which have great historical sig
nificance are the eleven-inch guns
(front and back pivot Of the sloopof
war Kearsarge, which sunk the Con
federate privateer Alabama off Cher
bourg, France June 19. 1864.
There are many other novel sights
to see, but these are the most import
! ant. OF course the vessels are CON
stantly changing as they are ordered
! to different stations and others go out