The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-01
CRUISER BALTIMORE.
The Old Cruiser Is About to Be Converted into
 Mine Layer.
HAS A SPLENDID RECORD
How She Has Figured at Various
 Times in Various Places,

men have their way. The Baltimore is now lying alongside of the Cob Docks in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, out of commission. At one time she was the finest and fieetest cruiser in the navy and her retirement at this. time is well earned, for her career has been fraught with more events than that of any other ship now in the active ser- vice. She was constructed in the eighties and went into commission in December of 1889. Her lines are dis tinctly English and a mere glance at her high free board and narrow beam, tells the practiced eye that she was built -eminently for speed.
 But flew months after being put inito active service in the navy she was detailed to transport the body of John Ericson, the inventor and designer of the Monitor to Sweden. This was a signal honor to a new ship, for Fries son has rightly been considered the father of the modern steam navy of America, and it was in the American navy that steam was first successful ly applied as a marine motive power.
 When the ship lay in the harbor of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, each and every man-jack of her crew was presented with a medal by the late King oscar, to commemorate the bringing of the body of the great Swedish engineer to its last resting place under it's native sod. These med als are cherished to-day as priceless mementoes by their proud possessors.
 The Baltimore was then detailed to the European station and was cruising in Mediterranean waters when the Chilean trouble started in the latter part of 1890 While she was coaling at Vile Francis, she received orders to proceed at once to Valparaiso, Chile, and arrived there during the forepart of 1891 While in the Chilean port a number of her crew went on shore and got into trouble with the natives. A pitched battle ensued dur ing which two of her crew were kill ed and eight or nine injured This al- most precipitated a war between this country and the South American re- public The matter was afterward sdjudicated by Chile consenting to in- demnify the families of the two men killed, and to pay large sums of money to those who were injured. "A month later the Baltimore captured an American filibuster off Iquiqui, and secured large amount of prize money for her feat.
 After the trouble in Chile had been smoothed over, she was ordered north to California, whence she was sent out to the Pacific station, where she remained until the naval review In 1893. She made the long voyage around the Horn to participate In this review, which was held in the waters of Hampton Roads, where the one of Monday took place. Next she was or- dered to New York, whence in octo' ber, 1893, she was again sent to the Asiatic station. cruising until Decem- Der, 1895, in Chinese waters.
 Having received orders to return home to San Francisco in December of 1895, she left Yokohama in fair weather, but when scarcely two days out, ran into one of the worst ty- phoons ever known by mariners who sail the Pacific. She was compelled to heave-to for ten days. and her men were compelled to undergo the sad experience of seeing a merchantman and all hands go down to a watery grave, almost under their noses, and yet be unable to lend assistance. All the small boats of the cruiser were lost: her guns were loosened and be- came dangerous to everyone on board. One man was washed overheard and was lost: another was dashed up against a six-inch gun and had his skull fractured. He lay in an uncon- scious state until Honolulu was reach ed. several weeks later, where he died after having been conveyed to hos pital there.
 At one time the cruiser and all hands were reported lost. The gunboat Bennington, which happened to be at Honolulu. was sent out to look for the missing cruiser, and had to return to port without having found any trace of her The Pacific Mail steamer China came into Honolulu and reported that the Baltimore and all hands were lost. and the relatives of the men on board her were plung- ed into deep mourning. as was all the nation. Yet the ship had been saved by the good seamanship of Captain Day, then in command of her, and when she came into port severa weeks overdue, the whole nation re ioiced. From Honolulu the cruiser proceeded to San Francisco, where sht went out of commission for repairs.
 Prior to this perilous voyage home ward, she had close call during th' lChina-Japanese war. She happened t' be anchored off Port Arthur when th' Jan ships hove in sight and commenc ed to lombard the fortihcations. Sh' had to pull up anchor and hasten be yond the range of shots. She wa l also sent to the northern coast o China to rescue party of American missionaries, and when her crew wen on shore to rescue the missionaries it found eleven of them surrounde' by thousand infuriated pig-tailet Chinese fanatics. It put the entir
 host to rout, saved the missionarie
 and took them to Chefoo. This wa
 accomplished in the winter time, whel
 the cruiser had to cut her wa, thr ugh twenty miles of ice.
 After her return home she remain
 ed out of commission until the out break of the Spanish American war
 when she was fitted out and sent t
 the Philippines and became one O l Dewey's fleet At the battle of Mani
 la Bay she rendered a good accoun
 of herself She was struck four time by SnauiSin shells two pf her rreyv he