Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-05-27
Old s|oop-of-WaP is Now Lying
OFF Old Point Comfort still
in Service.
FINE VESSEL IN GOOD 0LU DAYS
Vessel is Now in the Marine Hospital
Servicc-Wil he One Of the Ex-
hibts at the .Tcr-ccntcnnial Which
viii be Held Next Year Across the
Hampton Roads.

Lying just off Scwcll's Point, lamp
ton Roads. Va. within sight Of the
men who arc III work erecting build
ings ON he site on Which the James
town exposition is TO he held next
year. lies the United States sloop-of-
war Jamestown. which was Oh May s,
1S6.. busily throwing solid Shot at II
company Of men in gray WHO were en-
sconccd behind sandworks hastily
raised on the spot whore HE workers
are erecting the exposition buildings.
says the New York Tribune
a number Of these men. their sons
and grandsons are among those who
are Preparing tn commemorate there
the landing OF the English colonists
three hundred years ago AT James
Vessel Still in Service.
The ship jamestown is still In the
service p' the govcrnmdnt, having
been stationed several years ago at
the point where she now lies anchored
for the marine hospital service as
quarantine station.
She has no; stood to sea" since
1872. She was built mt the Norfolk
on January % sailed on her maiden
voyage, bound for the African station.
and under command of II. b. Ginning
ham.
She mounted twenty guns, was of
lao tons register. G3 feet long, with
~ feet beam. Her armament was
changed in 1851. and twenty new guns
were put aboard. Fourteen of these
IL
OF them were S-inch Smoothborcs.
Aided the Starving Irish.
The first important service in which
she WAS engaged was in tho cause Of
humanity. In March. 1877, when ia
mine was raging in Ireland. she sailed
from Boston. conveying Il full cargo
of roodstuffs. the gift of America.
In July. 1858. the jamestown was at
Havana. TO resist the right of search
by the British" In October OF the
same year she was at Greytown. Mica,
rag,a. searching for filibustcrs, who.
under command OF General Walker.
sought To free Cuba
On June 10. 1861, the jamestown
was Reconnaissance nj Norfolk and
stood to sea on July - She was off
Charleston. S. G., on August D and
chased. ran ashore and burned the
bark Alvanado. She captured The
schooner Charles Aisburth on August
81, and captured, dismantled and
scuttlcd the schooner Charles Long on
September j. She put i'll at New
York city in September t. She stood
10 sea thence on December 10. capi,,r-
ing the sloop IIavclock and on May
|, 1862. captured the prize brig In
tended.
Then she came back 10 Hampton
Roads. withilI il lev miles of her ma
tive home. and threw Shot nj Scwcll's
Point Many Of these missiles have
been dug mp since the cxcavating for
the exposition buildings was begun
there.
Nursery for Admirals.
The jamestown was a nursery for
admirals. at times during her long
life many men whose names arc
known in naval history sailed i'm her.
w. 4. Trmxton commanded her in
1869, Charles V. Gridcy in 1864.
Henry Glass in 1850. a. d. Brown in
1882, Bancroft Ghcrardi in 1870. S. b.
Luce in 1883. c. J. Train in 1886. Il. +.
Lambcrtson in 1889 and c. f. Good.
rich In 1891.
Representative Harry l.. Maynard.
OF the Norfolk district, has set his
heart on having a warship built al the
Noriolk navy yard during the James
Town exposition. He has asked Con.
sIess to let Norfolk build another war
silp, tn be named the Jamestown
The Jamestown on October s. 1867
lay in the harbor of Sitlia while as
The navy records rccite. the Russian
Lag was hauled down and tho Amerf-
can flag hoistcd on the government
house"