New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-02
TUELAST OFTHE COMANCllE
ADVENTURES OF THE OLD MONITOR
FROM HOBOKEN TO SAN FRANCISCO
TAKEN IN PIECES AS FREIGHT TO THE GOLDEN
GATE AND SUNK IN THE HARBoR-
CAPTAIN MERRITT's WORK
IN RAISING HER.
IN RAISING HER.

week that the Navy Department hau du''''
ized the sale Of the Comanche' one oil the IT,"
old single-turreted monitors stI anoat' cr'd''"
.o,,,o comment in shipbuilding circles, where the
inioue record Of the COmanche has often pee"
discussed A firm in Oakland. CAL became the
,,oseessors Of the old fighting machine at SG'Sl.
and the craft will be dismantlcd. reconstructed
and re6tted and when she appears on the scene
AGAIN II will be as a peaceful fcrryboat
Tho Comanche was built in IIobokcn in l>b-
when II was feared that prvateers might APP
near on the Pacific Coast which was poorly
Guarded. In order to save as much time as pos
eihle and TO avoid the dangers connected WIN
NAVIGATING a craft Of the monitor class ON ioht
trim. she was put together with screw bolts TEN
porarily. and then taken apart ana i'"'eu OIL
hoard the sailing vessel Aqula. which belonged
10 Durham, Secor Il Ryan. VINO hau ildue
contract to build the monitor and to denver hei
in the harbor of San Francisco. The Trip oil the
Aouila was made in fairly good time ana WIN
out anv remarkable incident. She rounded the
Cane and sailed up the Pacific Coast with heI
mighty burden. which included, in addition |"
the "cbeese-box" monitor two hundred tons OF
snot and shell and two 15-inch guns. weighing
twenty-one tons each
When the vessel reached San Francesca sh'
,rae bauled alongside Of the pier at Rincon Point
before
nv q southeast gale; the Aquilas keel pounded
against the rocky, shelving coast with the reSu'
that Twenty-Five feet Of the after keel went 10y
the board and the heavily laden vessel Ven
down ONLY a small part Of the stern protruded
after the storm. and the Comanche. which was
intorded 70 defend the Pacific Coast had foun-
dored before she had made her how TO the ocean
She was heavily insured. and for three months
work was carried on with a view to saving the
sunken craft. but it was abandoned as hopeless
CAPTAIN MERRITT CALLED ~.
After q short intermission Of idlcness it was
sao,dod 70 make new efforts and Captain Israel
7 Merritt Of the Coast Wrecking Company. Sc
owed the contract for raising the wreck His
oo,,,,,oreation was to be $4,000 and - per cent
- .be ea1vage on the ship and the shot. shell ana
ordnance. -.
Cantain Merritt when seen recently at ms
oece in Wall Street said about this episode:
"Tbe contract was looked upon as pretty UNI
c,It one to carry out. but when ! sailed away o."
December 90 1863, with my crew OF tWeINe ilcH'
7 felt sure that could accomplish the TASK W.
won't bv way Of Panama, and reached san fiau-
.isoo in about a month but we had other diih-
entities to overcome besides those when we kne"
ahout when We started on the trip. Inc sunni u
vessel was in irons having been charged WIZ"
50 500 Wharfage, and this had to be sallSneu W
fore ! could go to work. ] had anticipated u''"Y
Of this kind and had a clause inserted I'D 'H'
contract to the effect that / was to receive a
bonus Of 81 900 a day for every day that WAS
kent from work after reporting 10 the naval au
thorities at San Francisco. We lay a'ou'''' "'''
after ten days ! was ash'u' wy
start your work. , .
"Gow can I do so until the ship Is take" '"'
of irons? / asked.
o,rban 7 called the attention Of the authorize
to the clause in the contract They saw that th'l
had already forfeited $4,000 and realized ina
i, would be well to pay the $500 and let I'D.
20 ahead They did this, and then we Iroce'"'
IN raise the vessel. As soon as we began WI '
We were flooded with plans and susE'7''
from nevspaper men. cranks ana W"uId 3D.
mechanics. and I told Mark Twain one day una
If his plans and those # all the other ne"sp"p'
men could be put together i'm balloon ah'
fastened to one of the mountain peaks thel
would raise the Aquila to any height desired
eve began work on a Saturday. and ON th'
Monday following at o'clock IN the morning
iron was coming from the ship ard Wa lande'
on the shore.
"Then | advertised for men 10 lay the ke'
mt M the stem and stern and frame, ana TO ruI
the ribbons This was not done because it wa
nv business, but because | wanted The obJec
Of the Government accomplished. My contra
was 10 recover the metal and deliver II OF
shore the building Of the ship was the concern
Of thu owners. I got men TO do the WORK. ai'
the cargo Of the sunken vessel was d-hVere
finally as a completed monitor instead oil 81
much scrap-iron.
TROUBLE WITH LABOR UNIONS
90, 800. 49,, , litro 5f0iculiv conucctc