Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-07-15
NAMING OF THE MONTEREY.
This Story II Told of the Manner in
Which the Monitor Received
Its Christening.

The story of the naming of the big
coast defense monitor Monterey, that
is on guard now at San Francisco, has
never been told in print. When prepar-
atoms for her launching were being
made at San Francisco Irving NJ. Scott,
general manager of the Union iron
works, was at Washington and num-
Der of Californians wired him to use his
influence with Benjamin F. Tracy, then
secretary of the navy, to have the ship
named for some California town, and
Scott hit upon Monterey as name that
appealed to him as appropriate, and the
request was accordingly referred.
"I'll see what ! can do" said the ami
able secretary and, ringing bell, he
summoned the head of the war depart
ment having the matter in charge.
When the matter was explained the
chief of bureau replied:
"But you know, Mr.. Secretary, the
rules require that the ships of that
class shall be named in honor of some
naval battle in which the Americans
have participated. So far as 1 know
there has never been battle of Mon
terey."
This rule has been changed since, but
Mr.. Scott, seeing the corner he was in
as the matter stood, retorted prompt
ly:
eyes, it was true that there has never
been a battle at Monterey, but let me
tell you story. In 1916, when we were
having our little unplcasantness with
Mexico, an American man of war was
lying in the harbor of Mazatlan. Near
him lay an Englishman, who had an
uncomfortable way of keeping her guns
pointed in the direction of the Ameri-
can. Now, that Yankee skipper, who
was typical of his class, got it into his
head to raise his flag at Monterey, CAL,
which was the capital of that territory,
and it SO happened that the Englishman
got the same notion just about the
same time. The Yankee suspected
something of the kind and made up
his mind not to be outwitted.
''Late that afternoon he sent lot OF
his men ashore, and when the boats re-
turned to the ship without them the
Britisher made up his mind that they
would not be back until the following
day. Satisfied with his conclusion, he
sat down to wait. But the Yankee was
hustler, as Yankee sailors always are.
The night was as dark as a stack of
black cats, and along about ten o'clock
the American boats with muffled oars
rowed the crew back to the ship and
in the inky darkness that Yankee skip.
per slipped his cables and warped his
ship out of the harbor without the fact
even being suspected by the English.
man. When day broke he was so miles
up the coast, scudding along before
ten-knot breeze.
''The other fellow saw he had been
outgeneraled, but he made an effort
to rectify his blunder. He had smart
crew and fast ship. There was no
reason, he figured, why he might not
overtake his rival and beat him to
Monterey. He tried it and came very
near making success of it. He sailed
into Monterey harbor just two hours
behind the American and dropped his
anchor in time to see the stars and
stripes rise to the top of the flagstaff
in the plaza and futter to the breeze,
Monterey and California were ours"
Don't say another word, Scott" said
Secretary Tracy. "That ship shall be
the Monterey
And Monterey she is.-Chicago Chron.
icle.