The San Francisco call., 1904-08-21
MEN analMAdIERS IN
THE FOREsZ ne WORLD
MOxfTI

Brooklyn Navy Yard. Even since
coming to the yard a month ago she
has managed to strengthen her reputa-
tion for bad luck. The carpenters In
charge Of the repair work discovered
a few mornings since that, by the
warping Of the props which support
her in an upright position, she had
come within an ace of topping over.
Such an accident probably would have
ended her long career as a ship, for
her old timbers, patched and repatched
for the past hundred years, could hard
ly have resisted such shock.
If ever a ship was made the special
plaything of mischance. the Constella-
tion is that ship. Even now. with her
gun-ports, from which once protruded
the black muzzles Of her long eight
eens," converted into windows, she has
a peculiarly sinister and irresponsible
appearance. From the day on which
she was launched. September z. 1871,
her history has been mainly one OF
mishaps. She was always well fought
and her flag never came down to an
antagonist. But, as If to make her un-
luckiness all the more unbearable.
some little trick OF fate always made
/ her victories valueless, or turned them
against her.
/ In the war with France, in 1893. she
managed to administer drubbings to
/ two French ships at different times.
/ but in each case a chance shot rendered
/ her unmanageable; in one instance her
antagonist was enabled to escape, while
4 in the other storm almost swamped
/ her before she could make port. In
/ the war with TripoH she was lured un-
der short battery by fleet of Moor
! ish feluccas, and treated to such a
battering with red-hot balls before she
could get away that she was ordered
back to the United States for repairs.
/ Finally in the war of 1872, while all
her sister ships were winning glory on
/ the high seas, she was blockaded by
an English fleet in Hampton Roads.
and was unable to get out while the
war lasted.
The first fight Of the now ancient
! frigate was with a French ship. LIN
surgente, in the early part of 1893. The
| Constellation carried twenty-eight
''eighteens" as dangerous as the
modern 6-pounder. and good at a range
Of half a mile-and twenty eight 81
/ pound carronades, which was the usual
/ complement Of a thirty eight-gun frig-
ate at that time. In armament the
/ French ship was rated about the same,
but she carried 400 men to the Con-
stellation's 302 The American ship
: was commanded by Commodore Trux-
ton. and in half an hour the French
man pulled down his flag. A prize crew
was sent aboard from the Constella-
/ ton, but in the midst Of the transfer
| it was discovered that the Constella-
ton had received a stray shot in her
rudder gearing which left her about as
manageable as a log Of wood. The
ships were separated and the Constel-
lation's crew had all they could do to
keep her from being swamped. On
/ board the French frigate, the little
American prize crew was in a preca-
rious condition. Only a few men had
gone aboard the prize when the storm
came up, and the French crew was
large and inclined to be rebellious. The
Americans ordered their captives be-
low. closed the matches, and. armed to
the teeth. paraded the deck and dared
| any Of the Frenchmen to show them
selves. After three sleepless days and
nights they managed to make port, TO
be rejoined by the Constellation two
days later-New York Evening Post.