The Mena star., 1898-05-18
.,uooecoED" SHIPS
.., Has in Many Instances ''' Attended Those chr'stenea
 with water.

ro,eh gratifed,' writes Wash ' a'A' '.asan. "that the official chris
 psl0n ~ inc Kentucky battleship was |Fen,ns ,sater. despite some opposition
 Fitn .hs S vessel in consequence should |esl 'l.e l..se,oodoo"--a fear which has no
 pe . hasis even in seaman's super
 PIopS, l,9"n because the records of history *.s directly against it. 5 2re r'e',sI'gard Dls T. Lincoln, late of the s states navy and past captain
 ni,. ns Naval Veteran association of H.
 R 'n' bas furnished the Union Signal ag,s .,,h inc following facts;
 Fl.T .Tlha a constitution, old Ironsides,'
 M aet ship of the navy in the war of { *as a'o Y and thereafter celebrated in song 'lT s story and known and loved by
 n" .r schoolboy, was christened with
 'sy .r taken from spring on Cops Hill,
 - sara inc battle of Bunker Hill was E.rrbt and bottle of salt water s .aIan over her figurehead as she left she ways.
 l zD .srhe United States ship Hartford, iii in the Charlestown navy yard and
 srrcbed November %, 1858, was chris ss0ed by a fair sponsor, who broke r.ross it's figurehead bottle of Con- fsot;eut river water, and by another genne lady, who broke bottle of Eoriuc water, and by the late Admiral b,shle. then q lieutenant, who con- rinsed the ceremony with q like quan- stv of ocean brine. No ship except the Prostitution has had anything like the Lacord of the Hartford. She left the navy yard in 1859, consigned so the East India squadron, commanded N Commodore C. K. Stribling, and re- snrbed to the United States December .o 1861. She was commissioned Janu- srY f9, 1862, at Philadelphia. IS the flag Ebip of Commodore David c. Farragut, tt the West Gulf squadron.
 4she was in the battles, as is we'll |nown, below New Orleans. and was hit Iver i40 times by shell from the con- ieaerate works. She also did noble 'sork at Galveston and Mobile bays. It was to her mast that Admiral Farra- Eut was lashed during most of the fight lt Mobile bay, that he might clearly observe and direct the movements of His feet She now lies at Mare Island aary yard, San Francisco, being put in srst-class order for future service. The Hartford has record second 10 none [ the wo1la aS lucky ship. She never iad an accident or any ill luck, and
 very old sailor is proud of her and Fyes instituted praise for her services, nd yet she was chfistened with noth- rg slrcng than alt water.
 Tn contrast with these tHo water hips, lucky. renowned In history and Tell beloved, the past captain gave the blowing particulars as to omne' ships:
 The President-A large gun ex- loded and killed several visitors, gov officials, on the Potomac river. he Aississippi--Lost on the river of He same name in the civil war. Tine lafon Lost oT Cape EIatteras, over a lives lost The 0rnado--Run into an English vessel in Bombay har- oF' over 101 officers and men lost. ne New Ironsides-Destroyed by a lrpedo in Charleston harbor, with rge loss of life. The Tecumseh Lost
 Mobile bay. with everyone on board he Aipsic, the Nandalia and Trenton Lost n q hurricane near the Samoan lands, Pacific ocean. The Texas ran round, was sunk, had many mishaps la x known as the hoodoo of the navy 'e Maine, the pride ofthe navy, blown lh The harbor of Havana and nearly Y men lost. ."-W Washington Star.