The Washington times., 1911-10-14
VETERAN OF FAMED
|RONCLAD MONITOR
CLAIMED BY DEATH
George F. Cunningham,
/, Who Installed Engines in
War Craft, Stricken.

George F. Cunningham, ilaster me-
chanic, who had charge OF le installa-
ton Of engines and boilef In the old
ironclad Monitor in the O. n war, and
Installed the first torpedO tube ever
placed on a United States ship, whose
opinion was regarded as the last
word" on many questions in mechanics
at the Navy Yard, died at his home. 1106
East Capitol street this morning at 10
o'clock in his eighty-seventh year.
He had been in good health until the
hrst OF last July, since which time he
had been gradually falling, although he
had been confined to his bed but two
days. With him at the last was hts
aged wife, Mary Rebecca Cunningham.
and other members Of the family. Death
was the result OF general breakdown.
Mr.. Cunningham, who was born In
Georgetown in lS49, had been q resident
of the District all his life, and witnessed
the growth of washington from the
devastation following the raids Of the
British during the war of 1872, up to
the present time.
Closed His Education.
Financial circumstances brought his
education to n close when he was eleven
his own resources. He worked for
Georgetown merchants until he was
eighteen years old, and then learned the
trade Of millwright. Soon after he
entered the old gun foundry, now in
ruins. but well remembered by old resi-
dents Of Georgetown as ''Mason's''
foundry, located just above the present
site of the aaueduct bridge.
Altar hecoroinU a rapuo, yuoldar af
the Mason foundry he went to work at
the navy yard, which at that time was
comprised OF three buildings--the roll
ing mill. carpenter shop. and the ship
construction shop. Prior to his retire
ment from service at the navy yard.
about ten years ago. he had seen fifty-
six years of continuous service there.
After the Aqueduct bridge was COM
pleted, Mr.. Cunningham bought the en-
gines used in pumping the. water from
the cofferdams about the piers, and in
stalled a saw mill on st. Georges
Island. In the lower Potomac.
While at the navy yard Mr.. Cunning
ham had been employed on many IA
of the installation Of the power for the
Monitor, and after its famed encounter
with the Merrimac, he was the engineer
who overhauled its engines for another
tubes used In the United States navy,
on tie old revenue cutter. wasp, which
was lost off the Delaware coast in q
storm several years ago. When the old
Minnesota. was built at the navy yard,
Mr.. Cunningham installed the engines
and propellers. He also had Installed
the spinning machinery in some OF the
mills at Laurel. Md. During the Span
fish war he was one of the leading ex-
perts on ordnance buildings.
Survived BY Wife.
Besides his wife, who is eighty FIVE
years old. Mr.. Cunningham is survived
by two daughters. Mrs. John F. Free
man. whose husband was prominent in
the Washington schools. and Mrs.
Charles w. Henshaw; two sons, ]. Har-
ry, and James F. Cunningham. An aged
sister. MIS- j. H. Small, lives at the
old home in Brookland. d. c.
Funeral services have not been ar
ranged, but interment will take place
in Congressional Cemetery. The knights
Of Pythias, of which fraternity Mr.
Cunningham was a charter member in
the District, will have charge of the
ceremonies.