Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-11-11
SAD FATE OF FAMOUS CLIPPERS.
Fine Ships Converted into Floating
Coal-Bins.

Fine Ships Converted into Floating
CoaI-Bins.
The old clipper bark Oracle, once a
famous mistress of the seas, passed
out Of port yesterday, in tow, for
Providence, Il. l., transformed into an
ugly floating coal-bin. There was a
day when her towering lasts spread
cloud Of canvas to the winds of all
the seas, and her decks and houses
were spotleSsly clean. She was built
in Thomaston, Me-, in 1862. She paid
for herself twice over in the first
three years she was afloat. A con
tinual fall in freight rates is RESPONSE
bic for the decrease in sailing ships
The barge Sovereign of the Seas, now
trading here, was also famous in her
day. On her first voyage, in 1868,
she earned $4,000 She also sailed
6,245 miles in % days Now she cant
move without the aid Of tug. She
is now owned by New Workers.. and
has gone back to her original name
Inc Sovereign of the Seas was built
in East Boston, in 1863 and is 1,449
tons register. Despite her hard years
of service on the ocean, her timbers
are today in an unusual state of pres
ervation. She will last for years in
her present occupation of carrying
coal tod New England ports. In her
early days she made some record
breaking passages around Cape Horn
and he money she earned has been the
foundation for millions now possessed
by some of the New England capital
lists.
Recently the Mary Whitridge. once
proud Baltimore clipper, went out
of port, a touching nautical picture.
as she reluctantly held on to a tow
boats hawser. She is now unsightiy
in shape and grimy in color, her decks
are covered with coal dust, and she
is battered old hulk, which has al
most outlived her usefulness, except
as coal barge. That same old hulk
was the most famous of Baltimore
clippers, and was built in this city In
1856. She was the crack ship of the
world-famous fleet of Thomas Whit
ridges China clippers and South
American traders. In the tea trade
the gallant ship made wonderfully
quick voyage from the land of the
Orient and beat all competitors.
Every week or two the barge Des-
sOug comes into port to load coal
She was once a palatial steamer, and
was built for the khedive of Egypt in
1864, and named the Denton. At that
! time she was considered one of the
fastest and most beautifully appointed
vessels afioat, and the khedive en-
joyed her immensely for while. But
he got tired of her, and in 1879 Will
lam H. Vanderbilt bought her to trans
port the obelisk from Egypt to Cen
trail park. New York. The obelisk
which weighs 1876 tons, was far from
the shore line and buried, besides
deep in the sand 1t was altogether
too heavy for ordinary machinery to
be used and it was carried down on
immense platforms, with cannon balls
under them for rollers. Then it was
placed in crib fixed on a pontoOn
The pontoon and ship were lifted in
craving dock head on to each other
and when this had been accomplished
hole 20 feet long and IL feet high
was cut in the starboard bow of the
boat below the water line. Through
this the great stone was rolled into
the hold of the ship on a groove hav-
ing an improved ball-bearing attach
ment, also made of canno balls. In
side, the obelisk was braced along
the keels and stout shoreing fixed
about it to make it immovable. Be
fore the stone could be taken from
the vessels hold she had to be cut
open again The vessel is now owned
by the American towing company OF
this city. and was overhauled at the
shipyard of r. NJ. Stedden. She is
one Of the largest barges on the coast,
being 2S3 feet long, 50 feet wide, and
registers 1882 tons New York Sun.