Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-30
Got Many Woodchoppers.

When Capt Dobb!ns returned to Erie
with two shipwrights he employed all the
woodchoppers and carpenters he could
find. They were very scarce, because
Erie was then nero hamlet in the Wild
erness. He sent them out into the woods,
where they cut green timber, which was
hauled down to the foot of Cascade creek.
small stream. which fell perpendicularly
over ledge of slate about fifteen 1eet,
and is about a mile from the pubic iEare
in Erie. There they laid the keels of two
vessels 40 feet long, IL feet beam and
. feet in the hold. These We're the Law
renee, Commodore Perry's flagship, and
the Niagara. At the mouth Of Lees run.
between Peach and Sassafras streets, the
keels of the Porcupine, the Tigress and
the Ariel were laid of the same material
green oak and chestnut timber, cut in the
woods that still clothed the bluff along
the southern shore of the bay. The rec
ords of the Navy Department at Wash
ington contain letter from Capt. Dob
bins, dated December 10 1912, in which
he reported that the gunboats were on
the stocks and would be ready for serv-
dee as soon as the ice was out of the iaaes.
The tracks of the Erie and P ttsburg
railroad now come down that ravine, and
the docks of that company, for the ship
ment of coal to the upper lakes and the
receipt Of iron ore from the Mausaba
range, now occupy the site of the ship
yard. What are known as the Scott
docks occupy the place where the little
ships were built, and the late Capt. John
s. Richards, one of the foremost citizens
and most public spirited business men of
Erie, was in charge Of them for mere
than tn rty years as member of the
firm of William L. Scott g. Co. Capt.
Richards was the son of the late John
S. Richards. a WEIGH shipwright. who
came out to assist and the tools used In
building the Lawrence and the Niagara
were owned by him and were distributed
among the members of his family at his
death only few years ago.
Commodore Perry arrived in Ere
Commodore Chauncey to take command
of the little feet. Chauncey was COM
mander-in-chief of the naval forces
upon the lakes. with headquarters at
Sackett's Harbor. y. Y, and had him
self visited Erie to inspect the vessels
during the winter. He was highly graft
fed with the progress that had been made
and SO reported TO the authorities at
Wa shington, Who en- his recomme ndat ton,
selected young Perry. then only twenty
six years old. to take command Of tn $
important undertaking.
An Extreme Outpost.
1t must be remembered that Erie was
at that time one of the extreme outposts
of the United States frontier. and could
be reached only by journey Of two or
three weeks on horseback via the Poto-
mac. Cumberland and Ohio rivers, by
way of Fort Duquesne, which now is
Pittsburg. The latter was more i'm
portant post with larger garrison, and
was a dis. ribut ng point of suppl es to
the several military detachments guard
ing the western frontier.
Commodore Perry, recognizing the eX-
posture of the situation, erected a block
house on the bluff to protect the ship
yard and nailed cross pieces to the flag
staff, so that it might serve as a lookout
to see what was going on outside the
peninsula.
Perry organized volunteer company Of