davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
The Cost Of Armor Plate.

Many persons are surprised that in
these days of cheap iron and steel ar
NOR plate should cost $500 or more per
ton, yet an American company has con-
tracted to send large amount of plate
to Russia at still higher figure. The
price of arnor Is accounted for by the
enormous cost of the plant. by the diff
Guilty of handling such heavy pieces of
metal and by the compleXity OF the
process of manufacture. piece of steel
Weighing 10000 POUNDS is no trlhing
thing to handle, and 1t takes from three
to six weeks to make n piece of armor
plate.
Each plate has a different shape to
fit the precise place on the ships side
which II Ia to occupy. a huge press.
capable of n pressure of 100 tons to the
square inch, shapes the metal before 1t
il hardened. When the plate is to be
tempered, 1t Is heated in one of the
great furnaces, all the handling being
done by gigantic cranes, and then
plunged six or eight feet deep into n
huge oil tank dlled with mixture of
crude petroleum, fish oil and rosln. Here
Il stays until cool. 1t is then put into
the furnace and annealed, after which
it Is put into a pit and covered with Gin
ders for some 60 hours. OF course there
are huge borers and planners for finish
ing the plates and providing the bolts
for fastening them to the ship.
In the harveyizing process the sur
face of the plate Is cnrboni2ed TO
depth of three or four inches by spread
ing silica sand. slack and a clay mix
ture over the plate and subjecting 1t to
an intense heat. from which it Is al
lowed to cool gradually in the furnace.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

which they must have inherited from
hun by shooting crackers and exploding
torpedoes with the boys and their
| friends as n visitor remarked. "the big
| gest boy of them ALL"
The captain and his boys are exceed
ingly fond OF dogs. and for some years
their great delight was in a magnifi-
cent English setter named Andy, who
was household pet and constant COM
panion. but early this year the dogs
genial nature underwent n sudden
change. He sprang upon Ralph without
cause and bit the youth severely in the
face. The canine met n just death for
his ineXplicable treachery by being
chloroformed to death. There are stlll
ugly sears on the youths face. and pos
sibly some of them will never disap-
PEAR.
The two daughters OF Captain Samp-
sons first wife are married to two ma
val officers. Lieutenant Roy C. Smith
and Ensign II. X. Jackson. The latter
immortalized himself when, serving as
a cadet on one OF the vessels caught in
| the hurricane that wrecked the several
| United States men-of-war In the har-
| Dor OF Apiu. Samoa, in 1889, he led
body of seamen to the tops and formed
| the famous human sail" which pre-
vented his ship from going on the rocks.
For this gallant act young Jackson, who
otherwise would have lost n commits
sion through the lack OF vacancy, was
retained In the service by u special act
of congress.
She father of Captain Sampson. nam
ed George. was n day laborer, and the
youth helped in the ordinary work. of
the little farm. The boy was studious
and engaged the interest of Squire VIII
lam II. Southwick OF Palmyra, who Sc
cured from Representative II. h. Nor
gan his appointment to the Naval acHd-
envy, which he entered on Sept. q, 1851,
and was hastily graduated with his
class in 1861, just as the country was on
the verge of civil war. Promotion was
rapid in those days and, jumping over
the grade of ensign, he was made mas
ter "a grade since abolished) in August,
1861. on July 10. 1862. he was made a
lieutenant and on July 20. 1866. leu
tenant commander.
During the war Sampson served on
board the practice ship John Adams and
on the monitor Patapsco 1t was on
the latter that he won his first fame
The monitor was one of the bockading
squadron OF Charleston. The Federal
sailors knew that the harbor was full
Of mines. but when on Jan. 10, 1865, or
ders came for the monitor to go in adj
vance Of the fleet and pick up and de-
stroy all explosives there was no demur
Lieutenant Sampson as executive OH.
Ger was on the bridge, and, ordering the
marines and sailors behind iron bull
warks, alone on deck, amid shot ant
shell from the forts and rain of bul
3 let's from sharpshooters, the Patapsc'
H.. -.
later she was rent into fragments by ,
r. giant torpedo. Lieutenant Sampson wa
, blown into the air and tossed into tn
, water 100 feet away with % of the GREY
r struggling about him. The remainder
o more than 70, had been torn to pieces
- The men 10 the water were all rescued
T and the next day Lieutenant Sampso
@ serenely reported for duty.
y In 1861 Sampson was on the fagshi
o Colorado of the European squadron
n After service at the Naval academy a
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

| By instinct and never close student
| He graduated near the foot of his class.
| like Grant. while Sampson, with stripes
| on his arm, was near the head Of his
class.
| The founder of the family in Mary
land was Thomas Schley, who settled in
Frederick near the beginning Of the last
century. Henry Schley, one uncle Of the
present naval hero, fought under Scott
in the war OF 1872 and another under
the same commander in Mexico. In
connection with these ancestors there
is this story told: In 1861 the sloop of
war to which Schley was attached in
European waters was hurriedly ordered
home. on arriving In Boston harbor
the officers and crew feverishly waited
for the news" and in response TO the
captains question the pilot answered,
Sumter has been fired upon and has
surrendered"
! The next morning the captain sum-
moned the wardroom officers to his cab
| in, making little speech, in which he
| told them no oath could bind man be-
| yond the dictates of his own conscience.
ION the table yonder," he said, lis
the oath of allegiance which 1 have
written. | have signed it for the second
| time in life, for stay by the flag. What
will you do?"
Leaving his associates there, the cap
tain returned n half hour later to find
| several names inscribed below his own.
Did you sign. Winfleld?" he asked of
a tall figure standing near.
AYE. aye, sir Same flag and same
Uncle Sam in Maryland as in Massa :
chusetts," responded the ,nidshipman,
who was Schley.
There is. as has been stated. n scar
city of details regarding Simpsons
youth, but there is plethora of anec-
dotal matter relating to Schley. How
he obtained his. first command is an
amusing episode.
After being detached from the Ninga-
ra he received his lieutenants commits
sion and was assigned to the Owasco
as executive officer. Her commander
was rollickIng devotee of the flow
ing bowl and periodically had to retire
to the "seclusion that the cabin
grants" where he would remain for
several days The owasco was sta
toned off Mobile bay and was one of n
small squadron of which Captain James
Alden of the Richmond was senior Of
flcer.
Alden was notified one morning that
the gig of the Owasco was approaching
with the captains pennant flying. Ar
raging himself in full military dress
Captain Alden ordered up the side boys
and the boatswains mate made ready
at the gangway for his three pipes on
the whistle.
When the Owasco's gig came along
side, the man who ran up the rope lad
der was Lieutenant Schley
81 expected to see the captain of tho
owasco,' said Alden. with sarcastic
hauteur. He was naturally offended
by the thought that he had been trick.
ed into showing unnecessary respect Il
a subordinate officer.
81 am the commander of the owasco
sir" responded Schley.
Since when, may l ask?" The sar.
cnsm heightened.
IAN hour ago. sir"
"Wherc is your captain?"
Locked up in the cabin, sir, drunk"
"Who locked him in?"
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
A Torpedo Boats Machinery.

The engines of n torpedo boat are of
the five cylinder triple expansion class
or of the quadruple expansion type.
They are the lightest. most carefully
adjusted and the most perfect and deli
cate specimens of mechanism afloat. As
a consequence they must be handled
with consummate skill. Usually there
are two sets of engines, occupying the
entire waist of the ship and u part OF
the after body. Every part Is as COM
pact as possible. There IL not an inch
of waste space. Pipes, pumps, cylln-
ders. levers and other parts of the APP
paratus are presented to the view of the
uninitiated in seemingly endless confu-
sion.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

Il did. I first put him under arres,
ana then shut him up In the cabin.
Ihen took command of the ship, and
mere | am to report for orders"
The captain OF the Richmond could
appreciate the ludicrous side of the az
fair and was inclined to laugh, but he
said as sterhly MS possible: "The first
order I'll give you is to lower the PEN
nant in that Gig, go back to your ship.
sir. unlock that cabin door and restore
Captain - to duty. Then report to mo
in writing IL the captains illness stili
incapacitates him. and will know what
to do. Don't be In too great q hurry to
get command Of n ship. Mr.. Schley."
Commodore Schley is resolute, re-
sourceful, daring. always ready to take
| the initiative, capable OF deciding wisely
in an emergency and with perfect con-
| fidence In himself. lie is n man of fine
| literary tastes, speaks French Spanish
and italian fiuently and is famous in the
navy as wit and after dinner speaker
| His bonhomie Is irresistible He wears
| n fine gold watch that was voted him by
| the Maryland legislature after the res
| cue of Greedy, but more perhaps he
values the ebony cane with n gold head
given him by the crew of the Baltimore.
The sailor spokesman at the time OF
presentation made the following naive
speech. Touching his hat and scraping
his foot with true nautical fervor, he
said. you know. sir, that when you
We're our officer the regulations would
not allow us to give you present, but
now that you have given up the COM
mand of the ship you are just gentle
man" And no one has ever contradict
ed the last statement.
ARTHUR TITCOMB.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

instructor in chemistry he had another
cruise in European waters. lie was in
command of the Alert in 1915 and the
Swatara on the Asiatic squadron in
1899. From 1886 to 1890 he was SUI
perintendent Of the Naval academy and
was then in command of the San Fran
cisco for two years. He was given a
captains commission on March 26. 1889.
From January, 1892. until June. 1897,
Captain Sampson was chief of the bu-
reau OF ordnance and since June Is of
last year was on hoard the Iowa until
he transferred his flag to the New York
recently. He has for years been consid-
cred one OF the ablest and most scien-
tnc officers in the navy.
There Is n tradition about the navy
department that the ordnance bureau is
the most rigid OF all the eight bureaus
and that IT abandons old positions with
more deliberation than any OF the 9TH
ers. The chief has a multiplicity of du-
ties He must attend to the manufac-
ture and purchase of offensive and de-
fepsive arms and apparatus and all ma
chinery, apparatus and equipment need
ed in their use. He recommends the
ornaments to be carried by vessels, the
material, kind and qualities of ship ar
NOR ana the dimensions OF gun tuTTeIS.
lie has to indicate the distribution of
the weights to be carried by the ships
when their carrying power Is determin-
ed by the constructors. This imposes
upon him the duty of so distributing the
armor as to have II thicliest where it is
most necessary and yet not interfere
with the movements or stability of the
ship. There is no other bureau calling
for the same amount of special knowl-
edge on the part of its head official and
none in which there Is SO much depend
ence upon progressive chief for steady
development.
1t was for this reason and because OF
his familiarity with the use of torpedoes
and the resistance of explosives to heat
that he was made president of the
Maine board of inquiry.
The findings of n medical court nj
Key West that Rear Admiral Mont
gomery Sicard was temporarily inca
pacitated from active duty, owing to
long continued illness. resulted in Cap
tain Sampson being detached from his
position ms commander of the Iowa and
| ordered TO take control of the north At.
lantic squadron March "a last.
SIMPSONS great virtues are coolnes,
and aggressiveness. coupled with delib
| GRAFTON, With Lieutenant Joseph Strauss
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

THE personal side of the men whose
business 1t Is to fight for the honor
of the flag is a matter Of interest 80
every American. The public. hearing
only of the martial achievements of
these heroes, associates them exclusive
ly with scenes OF havoc and destruc-
ton. so that the softer side of their ma
lures is entirely lost sight of. But there
is Il gentle phase In the character of
these grim fighters. for they are brave
men, and all brave men are gentle men
as well as gentlemen.
Two of our naval commanders whose
fondness for domestlcity is proverbial
are Acting Rear Admiral Sampson and
Commodore Schley. They are types OF
the men who have made the United
states great among the nations, but the
softer side OF their nature is as lovablc
as the sterner side is admirable.
Captain William Thomas Sampson,
No. 2 on the list of his grade, who ia
now by special designation Of the presl-
dent acting rear admiral. commanding
the north Atlantic fleet, popularity
known us the Cuba squadron" was
born In Palmyra. Wayne county. n. Y,
on Feb. ., 1910. Many of his relatives
stlll live in the vicinity OF that placid
town. The love of home is one of his
strong characteristics, aud whenever
opportunity permits he visits the scenes
of his boyhood. where the old people
lovingly and Familiarity refer to him as
Billy sampson. But there are no anec-
dotes related OF him. He was n quiet,
studlaus boy, and today his only weak
ness is tennis playing. He owns the
famous Mormon Hin farm, upon which
Is the embankment where Joseph Smith,
.F ln
alleged, the golden plates from which the
Book of Mormon" was printed by
the late Major Gilbert bearing the name
OF Egbert Il. Grandin. ON an old hand
printing press which still exists Ia the
village Of Rose, Wayne county. n. y.
A brother, George Sampson, works the
farm. Two cousins also live there and
are employed in the cemetery.
The old house where Captain Sampson
first saw the light Of day on johnson
street, at the south end OF Prospect hill
Is still standing, although 1t has been
repaired and beautlfod tu such an ex-
tent that ii Is now In better condition
than 1t ever was during the boyhood OF
the embryonic admiral. Miss HANNAH
Sampson, o sister OF the nCv0l cG+-
mander resides there and is as highly
respected for her many virtues MS foi
ner relationship to the commander Vi
The north Atlantic squadron.
Captain Sampson has been twice mar.
ried. His first vile was Margaret Al.
drleh the daughter ot prominent Pal
myra business man. She died In ISIS
after lG years OF conjugal happiness
leaving two daughters.
Captain Simpsons second wife wa
Miss Mary Burling, a preceptress In Tia
Palmyra Classical Union school.
The family at present lives in a mod
EST brown cottage at III Clark street
Glen Ridge, N. ]. There are two boy,
Ralph Earl, aged II. ANA his brothe
Harold, who IS 8. There are also tw
daughters The sons have grand times
Whenever their father is at home. ia
the relations between them arc Of III
,hummiest nature. Last Fourth OF Jul
he was with them ana devoted hours
stimulation Of the fires Of patriotlsl
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

less look in his calm, grayish blue eyes
of some Northman ancestor.
Captain Sampson has not till very re-
Gently been so prominent in the news
of the world as Schley. His success has
been as solid, but less snowy. 1t is OPP
portunity that gives the right man
fame. The chance did not come to
George Dewey during the civil war, but
Manila has placed him among the list
of naval immortals.
Though Schley graduated from the
Naval academy n year in advance Of
Sampson, the two men were both mas
ters at the same date in 1861 lieuten-
ants at the same time in 1862 and leu
tenant commanders at the contempo-
raneous date In 1866 The former was a
commando. on June 10. 1874, a captain
on March 81. 1883, and a commodore on
Feb. of the present year. Shortly aft
er he was placed in command OF the
flying squadron,
He saw much active service during
the civil war first on the frigate Poto-
mac and then on the gunboat Winon..
in the west gulf Mexico) blockadlng
squadron and in the engagements
which led to the capture of Port Hud-
son in 1868. He commanded the Alert
on the successful Greedy relief expedi-
ton In 1881 and the cruiser Baltimore
when in November, 1891, one of her
crew was killed and many of his fell
| lows We're injured by a mob in Vulpa-
raise. lie was chief of the bureau Of
equipment and recruiting from 1885 to
| 1883.
| His father was John II. Schley. for
many years a leading member of the
| Frederick county (Md.) bar. He died
in Baltimore in 1876. but was buried in
his home city of Frederick. Years later
| the widow said of her son: Scott was
always fond Of the seq from boyhood
| ana never seemed at home upon land
| He loved his wife first and his ship
next. | remember hearing him say the
last time l saw him: on board snip
feel at home. on land feel as If | was
good for nothing His father was al
| ways, when boy anxious to enter the
navy. but his father, SCOTS GRANDPA
Their, put his foot down on It, and he
never got to sea. with his sons 1t was
different, for three OF them entered the
navy. Scott was appointed to the acad.
envy at Annapolis from Frederick by
Congressman Henry w. Hoffman"
He married Miss Mamie Franklin
daughter Of George r. Franklin of An.
napolis, There are three children. Thom.
as Franklin. Virginia and Winfield
Scott. The daughter in 1890 married
Ralph Granville Montague Stewart
Wortley, nephew of the Earl o.
Wharneliffe. In England he would b,
n great swell, but he prefers to stay II
the United States as railroad mar
and flnancier, with headquarters in New
York city. One of the boys Is in tn,
army. The other is in business.
The commodore is devoted to his fam
lly and is n man OF very pleasant ant
aminbe character who is always IL
good humor, and 1t is alleged that h,
has never been known to be "out OF
temper"
Schley was mischievous boy, al
ways trying to break his neck" nc
cordins to the traditions eNtant in tn,
vicinity OF Frederick, robbing birds
nests or playing pranls on the WOOL,
headed old African "uncle." who never
theless idollzed him He was a dghte
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

he designed the novel double turret sys-
tenn which has been adopted for the
latest constructed battleships, the Kear-
sarge and the kentucky. Its chief pur-
pose Ia to avoid the difficulty in the way
Of concentrating the fire Of the heavy
guns which is a troublesome problem
on the Indiana. He Is a keen, shrewd
man. who thoroughly knows every
branch of naval theory and practice.
The confidence in him is not lessened by
the fact that he came from the plain
people," as Lincoln designated the bone
and sinew of the country.
quite different in his way Is CON-
modore Winfield Scott Schley, native
Of Maryland, where he was born in
Frederick county at the village of Rich
field. near Frederick, Oct. Q, 1880. His
entrance into the Naval academy was
on Sept 90 1856. Consequently both he
and Sampson matriculated into the
naval service at the age of II. But he
was a prankish boy. while the work.
mans son was quiet and studlous.
Strange to say, both men have married
their alter egos, dlsproving the theory
that antithesis of disposition is neces-
sary to connublal happiness. Mrs, Schley
is as jolly ms the commodore while Mrs.
Sampson is as reserved as the cap
tain. Schley is a fighting man of the
impulsive sort, while Sampson Is strong
and brave, with the judicial mind. The
former is 1.-the in body, with Jet black
hair and eyes, the mustache and goatee
streaked with gray. He looks as IL
there might he a tingc of French blood
in his veins. There is a Gallo dash and
nerve in his movement that strengthens
the belief. Sampson is about as tall as
Schley. being feet . inches or more
in height, with the full. broad chest of
the AngluSaXon type, light blond hair
and close cropped, full beard. now lib
orally sprinkled with gray, and the fear
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

muddy puddle and the purest spring
water. He states that for time one
feels after coming down from an ascent
as II one were breathing solid dust
Somebody with plenty of time on his
hands has figured up that the average
number Of hairs on the head of a red
headed person is $500. that dark hair.
cd people have about 10000 and fair
haired men and women from 40, 900 to
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

by the Greeks and that Homer was
none other than Ulysses himself. n
great traveller.
The tolling of church bells on the oc-
caslon of burial is based on the old
pagan custom of banging gongs when n
body was tc he inferred in order to
scare away the bad spirits.
The most extraordinary things were
eaten in ancient tlmes. Rats, sharks
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
USEFUL INFORMATION.

me pest watchmakers' oil comes from
the Jaw OF the porpolse About half a
pint is found in each fish.
ihy origin Of the custom of widows
wearing caps ~ extremely ancient. 1t
may oe traced back TO the Egyptian
ana Hreeian practice OF shaving Off the
""'r IN periods Of mourning. But as
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

10000. It has also been calculated that
If all the hairs on the head OF fair
haired woman could be plated together
they would sustain a weight Of so tons
The roe OF Goldfish contains more
latent living creatures than the whole
human population OF the globe.
Russian journals state thai the coal
discovered last autumn by Russian
expedition on the shore Of Okhotsk is,
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

as regards quality, better than any 9TH
er coal known.
II is stated that coal equal to the best
varieties OF Welsh coal is obtainable in
Natal, South Africa, and that IL suni-
clent supply is forthcoming the British
government viii be II purchaser
NJ, de Mesquil, Frenchman, has
written "A book on Madagascar in which
he claims that the island was oolonized
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
Room For Lots Of Money.

The swedes and Norweglans carry
their loose cash in immense pocket
books. Some of these have been in use
for two or three generations and con-
tain almost enough leather to make a
pair of boots.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21

flesh. thistles and sea nettles all figured
on the dinner table. The cooks were eX-
ceptionally slSillful.
An eminent italian ornithologist says
that the owls eyes have no muscles by
which they can be moved. but that ex-
traordinary flexlbllity in the muscles OF
the neck enables the owl to move his
head with incredible .apidity in any d.
rection.