The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-27
B%ATTLESHlPS HERE.
Uncle Sans Navy Being Re
paired at the Foot Of
Grand Street.
QUEER OUTPUT OF A TRAMP
Splendid Models Arrive From
England for Exhibition
Here.

A big English tramp steamer arrived
at the Red Star pier at the foot OF
| Grand street today and began to unload.
The first him to be put over her side
by the crowd of 'loneshoremen was the
United States battleship Texas Next
came gracefully sliding over the Indiana,
ollowed by the Brooklyn. iowa, Massa-
chusetts and cruiser New York. The
superb Oregon was lowered stern first,
and the monitor nearly landed on the
pet corn of a burly '-longshorernan. who
was carrying under one arm the dynamite
boat vesuvius. Over the side came Uncle
SAINTS fine feet until nearly twenty mag
nificent ships rested securely on the
wharf.
'Hand me the Oregon's thirteen-inch
guns shouted the foreman Of the en-
CINE repairing shop. near the Grand
street gates. to an assistant. who prompt
ly reached over the Oregonts decks and
picked up guns turrets and all and pass
ed them to his chief.
Take out the Iowa's S-inch guns and
solder their jackets" was the nex or
der, and another man yanked out the
destructive engines of war and took them
under his arm to the shop to be re-
paired.
Where have you got the Maine?" again
shouted the foreman. and. strange to say,
another man pointed to that battleship,
snugly encased in a huge wooden box,
just as if a Havana harbor mine was a
myth. The Maine was hauled to the
shops and workmen at once began to
strip her. Guns, boats. military masts,
f,yr,nI- pro.a11arr aroharc aud thaf
miscellaneous assortment of things which
naval men mark ssOverboard'' were swift
ly removed and taken into an adjoining
shed out of the rain.
Hurry up with the Oregon imra-
tiently exclaimed the foreman, tackle
her first. She wants her guns fixed and
her armor belt. you see, is loose, and
needs lacking on and painting. Scrape
her hull we'll. and put a screw in her pro-
peller post to keep ii in position. Her
sforrard' guns you'd better take out and
give them a polishing. Mind them sseam
launches on her deck, and, for the lands
sake (oniy that's not the word useI). look
out for her ram that you don't bend it."
Obedient TO these orders a squad CT
grimy faced men with their shirt sleeves
rolled up above the elbows, pouneed on
the Oregon, yanked off her guns, pulled
off a strip of her armor. tore out her pow
erful propellers, lifted as if they were
toys the steam launches. and in less time
than you could say Jack Robinson, re-
duced her to a mere hulk, sans guns, sans
upperworks. sans everything.
Now, where in thunder is the flagship
New York; cried the foreman. wiping
off the perspiration from his already very
red face, and wandering backwards and
forwards among the fleet carefully cx-
aiming the name on each ships stern, Il
told you to be mighty careful and not give
her a knock as you hauled her from the
hold. wouldn't have a dent on her for
something. OH there She is. Great Scott,
man, you nave twisted one of her ten
inch guns. There, put a broom handle
down the muzzle and hammer it straight.
but be careful you don't break the sod
dering.' These guns are very tender and
won't stand much rough work. Look gu,
for her boilers; they may need a few
pieces Of tin TO prevent leaking. Hei
coming tower Is not on straight. You'd
better take it off and bend 1t a iit,se.
Good heavens, man, don't use a hammer,
a X your fingers. That,ll do
BY this time a crowd had collented;
leviathans of war. tenderly stroked their
smooth sides, inserted their little tingers
in the muzzies of the death dealing guns,
and tried the edge of their razos-like
rams. The Maine was the object Of gen
eral attention. n many a discussion
was started as to the precise point hit by
the Spanish submarine mine. Strange 10
say, her keel was bright and smooth, and
not an indentation from a mine or any
thing else marred It's surface.
you have a big contract to repair all
these vessels here 2" said a News repre-
sentative to the foreman of the repairing
shop.
you bet: it'll mean about a couple of
hundred dollars"
Where do they go when fnished?'
was the next question.
.WeIl finish overhauling the feet in a
few days. and then Wen ship them on
cars to Madison Square Garden where
some fellow is going to exhibit them.
He's been showing them in England. Good
bye; thisi is my busy day. and the Maine
Is nearly ready and / want to see her.
said the foreman who disappeared in the
repairing shop with two of the Inflated
battleship's thirteen-inch guns in his
hands.