Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-17
The fIGUREHEAD MAN. =
He Braycd President Jacksons Amer by
Saving His eifigy from the Bow Of the Con
stitution

Living in Philadelphia today is tho man
"h" I'M III" Year lNi st thu uit,d States
I M " liam" lay a d''d which. while ~
throws " curious aud interesting side
light upon thu history ut thu times has
mover Hpp"tr"i in fun IN print hctot..
says tn" Philadelphia Times
TIL" man Is Captain Samuel l.. Dewey.
hle H~e Is -. and thr decd which made
| him famous in the dayS If .Gack~uu'~ ad-
mlnlStrati"u wa~ the saving utt ~ tn.
head Uf tn wooden ctiGy of jackson.
placed aS "A iigurehcad On the famous ulj
SHIN Constitution.
II was Il d,od which. "n one hama. sid
tho NhiE~ Wild with delight ANA made
TIM +" lcrlIjStS. who lust at that tim"
Wcr" beginning 10 call Themselves by The
new and popular title uf jefferson Demo
Gratis aftcrWard shortened to Democrats
SimPY equally Wild with anger. Nothing
at tn" time threw better light on the
popularity of jackson. and Tor this rca-
son tho affair. not known To this genera
tlon, and a matter of history even To the
generation before has. outside of its be-
ing the story of a difficult ANA dangerous
matter we'll done by a brave man. a pc
CuliHr interest
III understand the story completely. it
is necessary to 80 back at least to the
year 1850. Then 4 report appeared in
The Boston Advertisers that the naval
authorities had decided to destroy the
Constitution. together with 4 number of
other old ships of the War of 1872. Their
plankS had become rotten. and the ships
We're dangerous tn their crews Little did
the naval authorities. however. appre-
Ciatp the sentimental glamour which hung
around the Constitution, and when. two
days after the announcement. Oliver
Wendell Holmes. then y years old. flung
the poem of "Old lronsides to the world.
ana with the stirring lines beginning.
AYE, tear her tattcrel ensign down
struck the popular chord fun ana strong
the shin. as it aftcrward appeared. was
saved. No one could helm thrilling with
Indignation at those lines:
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea.
ana the navy department aCquiCSccd TO
the popular demand.
1t was some time after this that it was
found that. in order to keep afloat the
constitution at all. the ship would have
10 he rebuilt. Accordingly she was
docked at Charlestown. in the first dry
dock erected in the country. and rebuilt
on her own lines. Only the keel and keel
son of the old ship remained. The com
mandant of the navy yard was then
tommodore Elliot, an ardent Fcderaist
and q great admirer of jackson. In the
rebuilding. therefore, the former figure
head of the Constitution. one of an allie
Gorical character. was replaced by one
mo ieled in likeness to President Jack
son. This was done in spite of a vehe-
ment protest by Commodore HUH. who
mad charge of the unlocking. hut who |
was powerlesS before the approval of the |
change by Mahlon Dickinson. then secre- |
tary of the navy, and as good, if not bet |
ter. FederaliSt as Elliot.
As soon. however. as the public knew
OF the change, which was as soon as the |
new Constitution was launched. in 1894 |
there was almost as loud protest as that
in 1870 upon the report of the intended de- |
of the old ship. Feeling ran es- |
pecially high III New England, and was |
increased in force by the contemptuous |
action of Commodore Elliot in nrhorincy |
the Constitution in Charlestown harbor'
with the nose of the ship facing west and |
not % feet from the CharlestOWn bridge /
However gallant and brave an officer Ell |
n ,r.ltl 1yat,