The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-31

HULK OF ONE OF THE BRITISH WARS
SU
Correspondence Of The journal.
Detroit, Dec. 27.-C. NJ. Burton Is en-
gagged in diplomatic relations with the
Canadian government looking toward
the removal Of the sunkeH British war
vessels, which he discovered in the
River Thames. The ships are the shat
tered remnant Of the proud British fleet
that attempted to resist Commodore
Perry, at Put-in-Bay. What roman
tic story is concealed behind these wat
er-logged hulksl Veritable vikings
craft, they are returning after nearly
100 years beneath the waves.
Contrasted with modern war vessels,
the ships Of 1912 are but miniature and
absurd impossibilities; but their ribs
were Of the stout green-heart oak Of
the primeval forests, and the axes Of
the workmen rang merry tune in the
old-time shipyards. These ships, Eng
lands "wooden walls,' in their day
and generation were the nation 3
pride.
The battle in which the long-lost
British ships were destroyed occurred
Oct. 5, 1918. For nearly century the
ships have rested on the shifting sands
Of the Thames river bottom. Get out
your biographies and locate the River
Thames. Look, for the southeastern
corner of Lake st. Clair, on the Great
Lakes. The Thames empties there,
and the battle took place about twenty
five miles up stream.
On Hull's surrender, the northwest
had fallen into the hands of the Brit
ish. Perry retrieved the loss and sent
the British flying. Those ships that es-
capped destruction at Put-in-Bay came
up Lake Erie to Detroit and were has
tily pressed into service by General
Proctor, in command at Detroit. After
Perry's victory, Proctor realized that
safety lay in flight. He there made a
mad attempt to escape over the PENN
sula between Detroit and Lake Erie.
Proctor ordered the little fleet, four
boats and a schooner, to go up the
Thames. The battle followed; the ships
were sunk. Tecumseh, the great In
dian leader, lost his life. Proctor es-
capped, but later in modification, COM
1nitted suicide.
Such in brief, explains the way the
British ships found their graves in the
river bottom.
The Search for the Hulks.
G. NJ. Burton, a distinguished his
torian Of the northwest, in examining
some old war papers, found a plan Of
the battle. He began wondering wheth-
er the hulks might not still be pre-
served. Before that, none had ever
dreamed of raising and saving the ves-
sells. Besides, no one knew the place
Of battle.
Naturally, the whole map Of the
country has been transformed. Where
once was the wilderness and the sand
dunes, thriving towns and cities have
sprung up. .:--
Mr.. Burton, hiring a. diver and a
steam tug, slipped away on an explor-
ing tour. For several days the crew
patrolled the Thames without results.
Soundings were made at various points
but to no purpose. By means Of the
ancient chart, the exact location Of the
battle was at last found. The diver,
on coming up from below, reported the
hull Of one of the long-lost vessels lying
in deep water. Her upper works had
been burned away, Captain Quinn re-
ported, but her decks were loaded with
boxes containing cannon balls. The sec
ond war vessel was found about 200
yards further up stream. After much
difficulty, the third was located six
miles farther up stream. She had quit
ted the scene Of battle, but was over
taken and destroyed. -. ..s-,,' ~
Strange to say, she Is already ashore,
buried in promontory made by the
changing tides at a remote period dur
ing the past 100 years.. There is eight,
cen feet of sandy soil over her, and an
,oak tree has grown there, three feet in
circumference.
Mr.. Burton IS idea is that she ground
ed on a submarine hillock, which has
slowly risen from the old river bottom
! The action of the ice and other natural
disturbances caused the ship to turn
completely over.
Their Timbers Still Solid.
The ships sunk in the battle Of the
Thames are between thirty-fve and fifty
feet long. The oak timbers, despite the
lapse of time, are as sound as the day
they were hewn from the ancient forest
The ships have keel anr ribs Of rec
oak. Their stems are the roots of i'm
mense walnut trees. The relics consist
of two tons of cannon balls. The ships
were rugged with two masts. ~
So far, no cannon have been recov
cred. The probability is that they were
thrown overheard at the last moment
to save them from falling into thu
hands Of the approaching enemy.
The hero of, the great battle, tina
day, was William Henry Harrison, af
forwards president Assisting Procto,
was Tecumseh, the mighty Indian. The
battle began at dawn and ragged fierce
~. The Indians became disheartenet
and fed to a swamp about twenty mile
back in the country. They were pur
sued by Harrison s men and killed.
British historians say that the de
struction of this feet at the Thames
was great contributing cause for tn,
final loss Of Michigan. Had Harrison
been defeated on the Thames, had Gen
eral Shelby's Kentuckians turned ant
ran, the British flag would in all prob
ability be still waving over Michigan.
The destruction of the British fleet
Oct. 5, 1913, was, in it's way, as epoch
making as was Dewey's victory Of Ma
Mia bay. Two great nations were con
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