The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1904-06-18

private treaty. She is stripped of g,,nr
and stores. and generally Of certain por-
lions Of her fittings, which are often I'D
to date and serviceable. Then she passes
into the hands of her purchasers, gen.
orally a British firm who have a special
plant for dealing with ironclads. She is
towed to the most convenient place and
her destruction begins. She IL ripped
to pieces. from quarterback to keel.
Her engines, decks, steering gear, wood
work-everythiug is taken from her
until the mere steel shell remains, and
tho final blows are generally dealt with
dynamite to break up her plates. AS Oft
On a. ten or IL months are occupied In
breaking up a battleship.
Then what becomes of her? You may
be sitting in chair the wood of which
was once part Of battleship; beforea
crate made out Of a cruisers plate, for
her plates are sold for resmelting, and
they turn up unsupported In a thousand
homes, are made into stoves, railway
lines. park ratings. IRE irons. traction
engines, etc. II only steel could speak.
there's many humble-lookiug IRE crate
which could tell of stirring deeds.
There u not much wood about the
warships which fall into the ship break
err hands nowadays, but what there is
commands ready market for variety
Of purposes. az it IL understood to be- the
best, toughest and most seasoned Of It's
kind ordinarily obtainable. At the same
time large portions Of a ships timber
are good only az fuel and as such it is
sold: but it is avays reckoned to be the
finest fuel wood money can buy. The
better stuff 10 bought for barge build
Ing. flooring. etc., to be worked up by
carpenters and cabinet makers. Ships
timber 10 considered particularly good
for employment In damp places.
Every ounce Of the wrecked vessel is
disposed OF to some purpose, yet even
then, owing to tile expensive trouble of
breaking her up, her purchasers some
times ind she has only just repaid the
cost to which they have been put, and
that albeit she cost them only a flftieth
or sixtieth part Of what she cost the ma
ton no more perhaps than 20 years be-
fore.
Twenty years n about the time which
changes q new war vessel into an obso-
lete ship such an 1t would be foolish to
send into action. But occasionally ships
become obsolete and meet their inglori-
ous doom very much sooner. In one
case. indeed. q 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 and only being
launched to 60 farther above for the
purpose OF being disintegrated. A third
war vessel, Of 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 chips.
though ironclads are not very well
adapted to such uses. Vessels Of small
types are sometimes. too. rugged up for
special purposes wherever government
ONCE would otherwise have to purchase
a new ship at q much greater outlay.
But the ultimate end Of every ship Of wal
not sunk at sea Is to be bartered for al
most flftieth part Of her cost. broA en-
up. and scattered over the laid to be
converted to a thousand different uses.
Ori9iual.,