New-York tribune., 1903-06-07
INTERESTING THINGS AT NAVY YARD.
Many Warships Have Been Built There
The Maine One of Them.

Memorial Day holiday or which many per-
sons living at considerable distance from New
York obtained special permits 70 visit the navy
yard and ships there Among them were a large
number Of women school teachers from Putnam
County. who had special attention shown TO
them because OF the relationship Of one OF tho
officers to of them They saw ships and
sailors in their best apparel: officers and mascots
guns and a-nmunition-both domestic and relics OF
the Spanish War. and they were especially priv
ileged to see the beginning Of the new battleshiD
Connecticut. whose keel plates and transverse
frames-the real beginning Of a new warship--
were already in place.
School teachers are notably we'll Informed on
matters in general. but these were not familiar
with the fact that the Connecticut Is not the
first ship to be laid down for construction at the
New-Ycrk Navy Yard. And yet there are mary
others more familiar with naval affairs who ars
not better informed than these school teachers.
judging from their inquiries In fact il was at
this navy yard that the first steam warship ever
constructed by any nation was built and launched.
She was the old frgate Fulton. a thirty gun vessel
OF about 1000 tons. built in 1915 after plans drawn
by Robert Fulton But her armament was not
limited to suns. for she fitted to throw hot
ai water as as We'll well as hot shot upon her enemy she
father CT the late Admiral David D. Porter and
sn "a tS 9y the ne & explosion 9f her m Ss
oestGuet1on OF the ship. one officer and fortyseven
The next vessel constructed there was the sew
F!rsfdd gun nigaJe ohio modeHed By HsnTy Hh
builder IN his day. She was launched in LS-3
and after long period Of active service she De-
came the receiving ship at the Boston Navy Yard.
where she remained until few years ago. and was
succeeded by the Wabash
The savannah was the next vessel constructed az
the New York yard. and she followed by the
brig Somers, which became notorious account
or the hanging from her yardarm OF Midshipman
spencer and two OF her for mutiny. Other
vessels were built there during the Civil War. soma
being laid down but not finished before the war
was closed. OF them being the NeW-YOfK,
which was afterward broken up and thrown into
the Scrapheap. Then the OatteShtp Maine
which vessel was sunk by a mine explosion in the
harbor or Havana on February "a. 1885 which re-
suited In the war with Spain Another vessel oul!s
here was the gunboat Cincinnati which has re-
ceived new machinery and boilers and had much
other work done. thus practically making her
pean Squadron.
Much historic interest is attached 10 the old sats
az 1ork-st,. which was used the entrance to tne
Navy YARD until the Sands-st. gate was nnished .
Few years ago. The timbers with which the AoIA-
ST gate was constructed at first used IN DuiiI
ing the mansion which stands the elevation A.
the west side OF the Navy Yard and when hls
beeh the home or every cOmmandaDt since W ~
time or Captain Isaac Chauncey. in iSS Al Tto
uIne or the partial destruction of this buiGinS y.
1911 some or the scorched live oak tlm0erS w
removed and after lying around the yard lot
dozen years We're utilized for building tns &c
fence which ran round the government propelys
near the FOOT OF Sands-st When the fencS -
removed many OF the old timbers were used u To
construction of the gate at York-st