The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-01

ID In the waters OF Alaska. anchored IN
the harbor Of Sltka. there IS detaueI Tor
service i vessel Of the United States gov
eminent ,hat il a disgrace 70 ne service
and 3 menace % the lives OF officers snd
men besides being a laugh .ng stock Ter
all tire civilized nations Of the globe Ire
name OF lhts floating coffin IS the Pinta-
rated as a gunboal u he fourth class N
the navy. None OF the cfi GERS who are de-
tailed for service IN the far north, ives
aboard the craft. eut quarters himself
ashore, where there Is a reasonable asStf-
ance on going 70 bed az night that he VIII
wake IN the morning TO find himself IN Sit
ks, and not a. the bottom OF the sea
With the men forward X Is different Iaey
are exposed 10 the dangers that rotten
huh and -encrusted boilers contribute
10 the lives of ssamen. This nan-et-
war" the Pinta, vas built in 1866 a. Ches-
ter. Pa, and for all-around unseawerthi-
ness she IS infinitely worse than the many
times condemned Oliver Woicott, late OF
the revenue service, watch was sold I'M
der the auctionesr's hammer couple or
weeks ago as unfit for the government :
use. Not so with the Pinta: she Is sun
afioat, and consequently IN the service.
with crew OF men aboard and compile
rnent of officers. some Of whom are OF the
flower of the navy. There is not single
officer in the service that does no. regard
with apprehension a possible detail on the
Alaskan station, as 10 means constant
confronting with worse conditions than
those imposed by s'grim-visaged war
The Pinta is but 1S7 feet on the load
water line. the Wolcott Is $50 feet; the
Pinta's beam is Is feet, the Wolcott y;
the Pinta's draught is 10 feet. the Woleott
Of In her best days the Pintas speed
was only registered as sla miles per hour;
less than could be attained by an IN
dian canoe with a good, lively crew; her
registered horsepower Is 1870 So much Tor
a comparative statement or nsaTes on
naval vessel in commission and vessel OF
the revenue service condemned and sold
as unfit for service, The principal differ
ence lies in the registered tonnage.
The peonle of Alaska are disguised, the
officers OF the navy are disguised and
afraid, and the term "gunboat" is as alb
surd as Is the rickety, old ark TO whch II
Is applied. No one is in position 10 pro-
test except the public, and as part OF the
public the people Of Alaska are protesting
at the maintenance OF the Pinta. The last
issue of the Alaskan. published at Sitha,
has the following to say
sThere stands moored in the harbor at
Sitka little old wooden gunhoat called
the 'Pinta' with Old broken down. ieaky
boilers and other equipment in similar
state OF repair, so far as We can learn.
few weeks ago this man-of-war was or
dered 10 juneau TO queli mob, and II took
two DAYS for her to get ready 10 start and
two more to actually start What grand
and glorious affair our navy department is,
anyhow.
'sWhy. with such powerful engines Of
warfare as the Pinta we may well defy
the nations OF the earth. Let them come
over till they darken the seas with their
sails, and we would sink their gigantic
men-of-war Indeed. large fleet Of Alas
ka Indiankanoes would quail before a navy
composed of such vessels as the noble old
'Pinta'
I'm the name of justice we charge home
the fact that II n private corporation had
n vessel plying in our waters with such
rotten boilers that they would rip open
and scald the firemen every time they
would attempt to run the vessel. the gov
eminent would Justly and Indignantly put
a stop 10 It. We ca. the attention of the
secretary of the navy TO the fact that
criminal negligence on his part causes the
suffering Of those men in the marine hos
pital. They were scalded several weeks
ago by hot water pouring out OF the
Pinta's rotten boilers. Every friend OF
humanity ought TO cry out against put
ting brave men on such a rotten hulk. tt
is a crime to thus needlessly endanger our
countrys defenders. We urge, in view of
this fact that without delay you put new
boilers I'm the Pinta. give us a new boat
or leave us to our own resources"
The same crew that il kept aboard OF
the Pinta could be n once transferred to
some one Of the servtceable ships that are
lying in the boneyard OF every naval sta
ton and yard I'm the country. The com
plant for several years on the part OF the
naval department is that there are not
enough men I'm the service 10 man the
ships, and there appears at every session
of congress a bill to increase the allow
ance OF men. Let the officers and crew
OF the Pinta be transferred to some yes
sci out Of commission, and let the con-
demnation proceedings and sale of the
riekety old craft follow as speedily as the
slow machinery OF departmental procedure
viii allow.
There is not a single naval officer who
has visited Seattle for years that has not
shuddered at the mere mention of the
name OF pinta.