Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-26
BRAVE 'OLD RONSIDES'
A SKETCH OF HER FAMOUS LIFE.


sutution. whose hulk that has long
survived all usefulness, sim carries I'm
Its hold the precious freight of patrl-
otic memories OF service when this
young nation needed great work done
to establish 1t among the nations of
the world. There can be no doubt that
the navy that brought down the power
OF the plratlcal Barbary states, and
humbled the flag OF England in its IN
Just war thirty years after the Reyo-
luton ended, was OF the highest value
IN this respect: presidents might have
/ proclaimed and Congress resolved for
ever to no avail. but the guns of the
Constitution and the seamanship of its
commandments single out "old Iron
sides as the representative of that
navy,-were emphatic and proved I'M
answerable. This, too. showed the
great wisdom of George Washington,
when in his last message to Congress
he advised the building of a navy and
the founding of n naval academy. 1t
Is wonderful that we can go back so
often across a full century and find
that clear and lucid mind of the gener-
al of American liberty and the first
President of the United States indicat-
ing the continuing necessities of his
country, just as vital now as when he
/ gave his word.
| The Constitution was one of the six
ships which began the American navy,
the Chesapeake, the Constellation,
the Congress, the President and the
Philadelphia also have their names
| surrounded with fame, but none save
TaA 60,
the days of our fathers, sixty years
ago. This fine old frigate was built
at Boston, but her timbers were fetched
from the long stretch OF the seaboard.
It's keel came from Georgia, its masts
from Maine, Paul Revere made its cop
per bolts and spikes, its anchors were
forged in the Old Colony, and Mrs.
Ross Of Philadelphia. who wrought the
| first flag of the Stars and Stripes, made
also the ensigns, pennants and signals
OF the Constitution. 1t was a national
ship in every respect and when she
went to sea, she was manned by Mas
sachusetts men, who had been trained
| in seamanship on fishing boats and
traulng coasters. and seasoned to their
| work. besides being patriots, warm
from the war OF Independence. That
! her battery was all from England
showed our youth. for we had not de-
veloped great gun-shops These very
| guns, or Some of them. were turned
against England in 1sl2-14 and the
mother country did not enjoy the eff
feet the Yankee gunners produced
| from their sturdy metal The Consti-
tuition was n lucky" ship so sailors
thought and yet we read that 1t took
| three attempts to launch her, for mis-
calculations defeated the first two.
| But although there were forebodings
them.
There was no luck about the Consti-
| tution's success. Evidently. as one
| studies the history of sea and land
| fights In comparison, the personality
| or the commander counts for more on
board ship than on the field. and very
naturally, for his area is circumscribed
| and he can reach every point of nc
| ton in n moment. The commander
Is not only the planner and the over
| seer, but he is the absolute center OF
| action; from his word proceeds all that
| Is done, and no general can possibly
enjoy his tremendous opportunity Of
! personal impression. On the other
| hand, naval antagonists are more on
| q level than two generals can be in
TINS very respect Of seeing the whole
| problem before them in close limits.
and 1t Is n direct contest of relative
| merit TO a degree that cannot happen
| In land battle. where an error in a re-
| mote part of the field may ruin the
best plan Of general, because he cam
4
| trieVe the mistake. The commanders
Of the Constitution were all men of
! vigorous and striking personal force
| Nicholson made no record for her
though he made one for himself In
other service; Preble had superb mettle
ana showed 1t Mt Tripoli: Isaac Hull
made magnificent record both I'm his
skilful retreat from n British fleet off
| New York harbor and when he des-
troyed the flrSt-class Guerriere under
Capt. Dacres-whose braggadocio was
| well taken down in that 40 minutes
confiet-Bainbridg showed grand sea
manship as wen as fighting genius in
| the engament with the Java: and
! stewards victory over the Cyane and
the Levant In 1914 was one OF the most
magnificent displays OF skill and cour-
| age In both lines of duty that have
| been known.
The old frigate was saved from be-
| Ing broken M in 1884, as every one
knows by the splendid lines NJ Holmes,
men mere boy, student IN Cam
bridge beginning. "Oh, tear her tat
tered ensign down, which. copied all
over the country, induced the nuthori-
ties at Washington to rebuild the ship,
and then there was little of her timbers
above the water line that was saved
The Constitution was transformed into
quiet cruiser and eventually became
n practice ship on which the cadets OF
the Annapolis naval academy were
exercised. She lay at Annapolis when
at the outbreak Of the war Gen But
Ter ana the Massachusetts Eighth
regiment took possession of her and
saved her from going into the service
of the rebels against the Union she had
so greatly served Some years later
once again it was proposed that the
Constitution should he broken up: once
again the lyric Of Holmes went all over
the Union, and the newspapers united
1fnu fnt. ha,
preservation; and the expression was
saved, but lgnominously saved she
has been long since an inmate of
Rotten Row" the refuge OF old hulks
at Portsmouth navy-yard. Rooted
over with a shabby shanty of boards
she has long been n melancholy object
of outworn value and disrespect.
Boston has made a local glory OF
the centennial of her launching in her
harbor in 1891 but can Boston pro-
cure her perpetual existence by many
rebuilding? For seaworthy she can
never be again II any part of her
original timbers are TO be kept, and
she is mere show of the past Better
10y far the fate of the Kearsarge. which
went down on the Key of Roncador in
the Caribbean sea few years ago.
IL 1t not the time for Holiness alteTna-
tive
oh better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the waves
Her thunders shook the mighty deep
And there should be her grave.