The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-09-08

the gunboat Michigan, AS the .lattst
craft will doubtless carry the edmiralt
flag in the event Of three-cornersd strife
between England. Canada and America.
1t is with her principally tsat we have to
deal.
A CLAUSE of the treaty of 1918 between
hibIts the increase OF the naval force on
the lakes by either power; and conse.
quently the Michigan has been kept In
commission until she is more than half q
century old, and is about as up-to-date as
the friRate Constitution. Like the Con-
stitution. however, she was eAcrRok ship
when she was built, and her advent made
great stir in naval circles There was
grand celebration when she took the
water, on the 9th or DecemheF. 1913; and
the marine band iourneyed by stage coach
all the way from Washington TO Erie to
take part in the ceremonies.
The Michigan was the first IRON vessel
on the great lakes-'some say the first
built In America, Uncle Sam seems for
| once to have been very enterprising, for
the ploDesr merchant ship OF the lakes
did not appear till nearly 20 years later.
The plates for her hull had to be rolled
in Pittsbura and hauled overland to the
ship-yard. Like most steamers of her
generation, she Is a slde-wbeelsr; and her
speed is only IL knots an hour, less than
| half that of some of our salt water oruis-
ers. She IS rated at ESQ tons, and has
length Of 163 feet and q drnught Of nine
feet. A writer in TIE year 1915 speaks OF
her armament as consisting of two guns
on board and four on shore. and wonders
what would become of her in the event OF
another war and ths invasion OF the lakes
by feet OF British ships entering by
| way of the Canadian canals. 1t Is need
less to say that she is guiltless OF any
D rotective aruor. She formerly carried
/ the spars OF three-masted ship and for
many years she WASH all probability the
only square-rigged vessel on the great
lakes. Her old armament has also been
discardec--the two guns on sea duty, as
| we'll as the four on shore leavs-and has
been replaced by a main battery of four
80 pound breech loading rifles, second
airy battery of three three inoh Hotohkiss
rapid-tir guns, and couple of Gatlings.
der regular crew consists OF about l0O
officers and seamsn and 10 marines, and
IeveTy summer the naval militia OF the
various lake states gees cruising on her.
OF lats years her principal duty, aside
from drilling the militia, has been TO
Furnish amusement for summer tourists,
and to give them q glimpse of a real man
Of war. Against a bst leship or an up-to-
date cruiser she would ba almost as
medieval and. about rs effective. az the
old stone I ort on Mackinao island would
be in a sparring match with modern
harbor fortiHcations, but she is q curious
and interesting sight, with her quaint.
old-fashionsd hull, cleaning white paint,
and immense side wheels; and she at
tracts great deal OF attention as she
goes pokinQ around the fresh-water seas.
The treaty has not only prevented any
increase In the naval force on the lakes
but 1t has kept the lake ship-yards from
constructing war vessels for service on the
ocean, and has thus heen a great annoy
ance to builders. some of whom have
wished to bid on government contracts
and have made vigorous complaints when
they have not been allowed to do SO.
Some time during the last session the
Question of building modern successor
to the Michigan came up In Congress, bub
the scheme was dropped. Perhaps IL Is 90
well, for the "ugly horned reptiles Of
modern construction are less of a curiosity
than the venerable Michigan, and 1t Is
exceedingly doubtful II any armed vessel
win ever be needed on the lakes In any
other capacity than that which the Mlchi-
gan very well tills-to serve as a delight
to the eye and reminder of their boys
hood days to the oldsst citizsna