St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-05-07
FATE. OF GID WARsHIPs'
Great Vessels That Have Cost For
tunes to Build Sold 40
Old Metal.

Old Metal.
What is done with those warships
which, becoming obsolete, have to be
4 disposed of at alarming sacrifices, is
one of those questions few ordinary per-
sons could answer, says London Tit-B1ts.
OF course, the most profitable way would
be to sell them to foreign countries, such
as the South American republics, and
Turkey, Spain and China might even
| be occasional customers.
But for obvious political reasons such
| 4 thing is never done; indeed, so stern
| is the governments determination not
to run the risk of cur navy's ineffective
ships falling into foreign hands that In
every case it is stipulated that they
shall be broken up in British waters.
Thus it occurs that obsolete war vessels,
which, perhaps, cost the nation 9a0O.-
600. or even e75o, 600, have, from time
to time, to be sold for 6 $4,000 orsG20, GOO,
when as warvessels they would probably
realize twice or thrice as. much II sold
to foreign country which did not mind
having navy somewhat out OF date.
But sold-as in nearly every case they
are-foT breaking up, they simply fetch
the price of old metal, from which is
to be deducted the cost of shipwrec kers'
labor, this being an important factor,
since it stands to reason q man OF war
| cannot be disintegrated with q 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-
lions OF her fittings. which are often up
to date and serviceable. Then she passes
into the hands of her purchasers, gen.
orally British firm who have a special
plant for dealing with ironclads. She is
towed to the most convenient place and
her destruction begins. She Is ripped
to pieces, from quarterback to keel.
Her engines, decks, steering gear, wood.
work-everything is taken from her
until the mere steel shell remains, and
1.-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 battleship.
Then what becomes of her? You may
be sitting in chair the wood Of which
was once part OF a battleship; before
crate made out of cruisers plate, for
her plates are sold for resmelting, and
they turn up unsupported in thousand
homes. are made into stoves, railway
lines, park ratings, fire irons, traction
engines, etc. If only steel could speak,
there's many humble-looking fire CRATE
which could tell Of stirring deeds.
There is, not much wood about the
warships which fall into the ship break
ers' hands nowadays, but what there is
commands ready market for variety
of purposes, as it is understood to be the
best, toughest and most seasoned of its
kind ordinarily obtainable AT the same
time large portions OF a ships timber
are good only as fuel and as such it is
sold; but it is Always reckoned to be the
finest fuel wood money can buy. The
better stuff 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 lie
disposed of to some purpose, yet even
then, owing to the expensive trouble OF
breaking her up, her purchasers some
times find she has only just repaid the
cost to which they have been put, and
that albeit she cost them only Iiftieth
or sixtieth part of what she cost the ma
ton 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 it 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 Midway ard only being
launched 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
the melancholy fate Of being broken
up, however On rare occasions con-
demned ships on being taken out of the
effective list are used for the storage
of powder, etc., or as training ships.
though ironclads are not very well
adapted to such uses. Vessels of small
types are sometimes, too, rugged up for
special purposes wherever government
office would otherwise have to purchase
q new ship at q much greater outlay. !
But the ultimate end of every ship of war
not sunk at sea is to be bartered for al
most fiftieth part Of hc- cost, broken
up, AID scattered over the land to ts
converted to thouIAnd different uses
The Witness Report.
Lawyer-You say there were three
men called at the house that night?
Witness-Yes.
What did you rotice about these
men,
"They were colored men,"
Are you sure they were not one and
the same man coming three times?"
II am sure they were not"
you are sure they were three differ
ent colored men?"