The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-05
FIRST IRON VESSEL ON THE
LAKES.
fContinued from Fourth Page.)

A clause of the treaty of 1918 between
Great Britain and the United States
prohibits the increase Of the naval
force on the lakes by either power;
and consequently the Michigan has
been kept in commission until she is
more than half a century old, and is
about as up-to- date as the frigate Con-
stitution Like the Constitution, how
ever she was a crack 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 of December, 1913;
and the Marine band journeyed by
stage coach all the way from Washing
ton to Erie to take part in the ceremo-
MES
The Michigan was the first iron ves-
vel on the great lakes-some say the
first built in America Uncle Sam
seems for once to have been very enter
prising, for the pioneer merchant ship
of the lakes did not appear till nearly
twenty years later The plates for her
hull had to be rolled in Pittsburg and
hauled overland to the ship-yard. Like
most steamers of her generation, she is
a side-wheeler; and her speed is only
eleven knots an hour, less than half that
of some of our salt water cruisers. She
is rated at five hundred and eightytwo
tons, and has a length of one hundred
and sixty-three feet and a draught Of
nine feet. A writer in the year 1S45
speaks of her armament as consisting
of two guns on board and four on
shore, and wonders what would be-
1,o,, ~, he rAfo hnp ytrar
and the invasion of the lakes by fleet
of British ships entering by way Of the
Canadian canals. 1t is needless to say
that she is guiltless of any protective
armor. She formerly carried the spars
of a three-masted ship, and for many
years she was, in all probability, the
only square-rigged vessel on the great
lakes. Her old armament has also
been discarded-the two guns on sea
duty, as well as the four on shore leave
and has been replaced by main bat
terry of four thirty pound breech-load-
ing rifles, a secondary battery of three
three-inch Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns,
and a couple of Cuttings. Her regular
crew consists of about one hundred Of
ficers and seamen and fifteen Marines
and every summer the naval militia of
the various lake states goes cruising on
her.
OF late years her principal duty, aside
from drilling the militia, has been to
furnish amusement for summer tour
lists, and to give them a glimpse of a
real man-of-war Against a battle
ship or an up-to-date cruiser she would
be almost as medieval, and about as
effective, as the old stone fort on
Mackinac island would be in sparring
match with modern harbor fortifica-
lions, but she is curious and interest
ing sight, with her quaint, old-fash-
toned hull, cleaning white paint, and
immense side wheels; and she attracts
great deal of attention as she goes
boxing around the fresh-water seas,
The treaty has not only prevented |
any increase in the naval force on the |
lakes. but it has kept the lake ship I
wards from constructing war vessels for |
service on the ocean, and has thus been |
a great annoyance to builders, some Of |,
whom have wished to bid on govern
nent contracts and have made vigorous |
conplaints when they have not been al |
lowed to do so.
Some time during the last session the |
question of building a modern success
sor to the Michigan came up in con-
press. but the scheme was dropped. |
parhaps it is as well, for the ugly |
horned reptiles of modern construction
are less of curiosity than the venera-
BILE Michigan, and it is exceedingly
doubtful if any armed vessel will ever
he needed on the lakes in any other ca
nacitv than that which the Michigan |
,,erv well flls-to serve as a delight to
+be eve and a reminder of their boy
hood DAVIS to the oldest citizens.-Col-
lier's Weekly.