The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-15
WILL OPEN CONVICT
SHIP THIS MORNING
MAYOR AND CITY AND STATE OF
FTCIAIs WILL GO ABOARD
BEFORE NOON.
HIS SINISTER STORY
LAST, OF OLD PACKETS WHICH
TRANSPORTED wRETCHES
FROM ENGLAND TO
AUSTRALIA.

/ The ancient convict ship, Success
| the only remaining vessel Of the Brit
fish fleet of transport packets that gain.
| ed the names of convict hclls," IS now
i lying in the city dock at the foot OF
Eighteenth street ard wilt lie opened
today at 1896 o'clock for the inspec-
ton of the public Mayor George
Ainslie and officials Of the city and
State will go aboard at ii 30 o'clock
this morning with newspaper men for
d private view of the wonderful old
ship. Shortly afterward the general
public Will be admitted.
The sailing packet Success. the old
est ship ahoat. is regarded as the
most remarkable vessel in the world
today In spite of 1913 years OF voy-
aging she came across the Atlantic
ocean from England last year under
her own canvass and without convoy.
insurance WAS refused her and al
though she lost her foremost in a
hard gale and had To put back once,
her commando. Captain -. IL. Smith.
sailed her int, Boston harber In ninety
days after leaving Southampton.
More Than Century old.
She was built at Moulmin, British
East India, in the year IT9G- Al
IfAtt NEN EflF N0tE III ttdhtfS EdA B'Ntib~i 2
she remains today the wonder Of the
maritime world. She is constructed
entirely of teak wood which has
proven of more merit than English
oak for ship building. OF her origi~
nal wood and branches nothing mas
been remoy ed she re.nains today
racticaliy as she came from he hands
Of her builders The convict cells,
uuthinkabie holes. the iron necklace.
whipping triangles. and other silent
relics Of the terrible barbarsty Of the
prison ship system are stiIl exhibited
as they were when the Success sailed
with 500 poor souls aboard,
Following her adventurous voyage
across the Atlantic, the Success pro-
ceetied slowly down the coast form the
New England States. stopping to be
exhibited in New York. to Norfolk,
where she has been anchored for sew
eral weeks. Last week she was
brought up from Norfolk u Richmond
by tug. the river being too narrow for
her to come under her own canvass
The vessel has been warped into a con-
venient. easily accessible berth In the
city dock al the foot of Eighteenth
street, Just one block south Of Main
street.
Turns Hundreds Away.
All day yesterday hundreds of pao-
pie came down TO the dock to view
the strange chip. One and all Were
turned away disappointed. however,
az Captain Smith decided pot TO open
the vessel for inspection until after
Mayor Ainslia comes aboard today.
After today. however. the Success will
be open to the public from 10 O'Clock
In the morning until 10 o'clock at
night every day while she is hare on
her short visit system IF electric
lights has been installed IN the old
ship and sightseeing by night is as
interesting as by day.
While they were debarred from
boarding the vessel the sightseeing
crowds found something 10 appease
their curiosity yesterday in viewing the
exterior of the Success. Her ancient
raised decks, stalwart tiinbers, and
curious blunt bow built 10 withstand
the shock of collision with icebergs
were sights never before seen in city
waters by the majority of the visitors.
Guides who are thoroughly conversant
with the story of the old convict chip
will be ABOARD the Success at all hours
TO show visitors over her and TO ex-
plain the thousand and one remark
able points about her.
On being launched in 1879, the Sic
cess entered the merchant service be-
coming an armored passenger carrying
East Indianman, flagship Sc tho fleet
In these times she carried many an In
dian pofentate with his oriental mag
ni1cence, signs of which remain about
the vessel to this day
Attacked BY Pirates
During this period Of her history
she was forced TO use her cannon to
beat off pirate ships on more than
one occasion. At another time she
sailed out from under the fire OF a
French man of war and still later was
fired upon by an English fovt through
mistake Her sides still show shot
holes.
In the year 1909 She was taken by
the English government and added 10
the feet of transports usei to carry
criminals from the British Isles across
Is, 600 miles OF sea to the Australian
penal colony. She remained in this
service until the Australian gold rush
OF 1851, when her crew deserted her
for the gold fields After that she
fell into hands OF the Australian gov
ernment and was converted into a
floating prison. in which were prac-
ticed fortunes and horrors inconceiv-
able to the modern mind. Her decks
were the scenes OF murder. death, as
sassination and execution; she was
veritable charnel ship.
In 1865 she was taken from the
transportation service ami several
years later purchased by private
citizens. She has been sunk once.