Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1904-07-15
No. I6
@~e~--

Thus II occurs that obsolete war vessels.
which, perhaps. cost the nation G 500.-
900, or even f750000, have, from time
to time. to be sold for Is, 900 or e 20 900.
when as war vessels they would probably
realize twice or thrice as much II sold
to a foreign country which did not mind
having navy somewhat out OF date.
But sold--as In nearly every case they
sre-for breaking up. they simply fetch
the price OF old metal. from which is
to be deducted the cost OF shipwreckers'
labor. this being an important factor,
since 1t stands to reason a man OF war
cannot be disintegrated with . can
opener.
Taken out of commission, the con-
demned warship lies moored until the
admiralty sells her either by auction or
private treaty. She is stripped OF guns
and stores. and generally OF certain por-
tions of her fittings. which are often up
! TO date and seryiceable. Then she passes
,, into the hands of her purchasers. gen
orally British firm who have a special
plant for dealing with ironclads. She 10
towed to the most convenient place and
her destruction begins. She II ripped
to pieces. from quarterback to keel,
Her engines decks. steering gear, wood.
work--everything Ia taken from her
until the mere steel shell remains, and
the final blows are generally dealt with
dynamite to break up her plates As Oft
en- as ten or IL months are occupied In
breaking UP a battleship
Then what becomes Of herr You may
be sitting In chair the wood OF which
was once part OF battleship; before
CRATE made out OF a cruisers plate, for
her plates are sold for resmelting, and
they turn up unsupported In thousand
homes. are made into stoves. railway
lines. park railings. fire irons. traction
engines, etc II only steel could speak,
there's many humble-looking firs CRATE
which could toll OF stirring deeds.
There is not much wood about tho
warships which fall into the ship break
ers' hands nowadays, but what there IL
commands ready market for variety
OF purposes, as It is understood to be the
best. toughest and most seasoned OF ks
kind ordinarily obtainable. At the same
time large portions OF ships timber
are good only as fuel and as such 1t ~
sold; but 1t Is aways reckoned to be the
finest fuel wood money can buy, Thu
better stun is bought for barge build
Ing. flooring. etc. to be worked up by
carpenters and cabinet makers. Ships
timber is considered particularly good
for employment in damp places.
Every ounce Of the wrecked vessel 10
disposed OF to some purpose, yet even
then, owing to the expensive trouble OF
breaking her up, her purchasers some
times And she has only just repaid the
cost to which they have been put. and
that albeit she cost them only flftieth
or sixtieth part OF what she cost the ma
tion no more perhaps than 20 years be-
fore.
Twenty years is about the time which
changes a new war vessel into an obso-
lete ship such as II would be foolish to
send into action. But occasionally ships
become obsolete and meet their inglori-
Gus doom very much sooner In one
case, indeed. battleship became OBJ
solete while she lay In the building
stocks, and she was actually broken up
without being shifted from the place
where her keel was laid. Another ves-
sci. the Hood. was broken up without
ever riding salt water" having been
built In the Medway and only being
to go farther above for the
purpose Of being disintegrated, A third
war vessel, OF a smaller type. became
obsolete while waiting for her boilers to
be put In. and she never lived to breathe
steam.
Not every obsolete war vessel meets
he melancholy fate of being broken
ip, however. On rare occasions con-
iemned ships on being taken out Of the
Effective list are used for the storage
II powder. etc, or as training ships.
hough ironclads are not very well
ldapted to such uses. Vessels OF small
ypes are sometimes. too. rigged up for
pecial purposes wherever government
'ffice would otherwise have to purchase
new ship at much greater outlay.
Tut the ultimate end OF every ship Of war
ot sunk at sea Is to be bartered for al
nost fftieth part OF her cost. broken
y. and scattered over the land to be
onverted to a thousand different uses.