The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-03
STEAM NAVY OF THE UNITED
STATES IS 100 YEARS Oh
Just d century Once The War Frigate, Fulton the First.
Was Launched-Event Marked Beginning Of the
Use of Steam in Marine Warfare

LIZ: were seer upon the hills
Mnicn limited the beautiful prosnect
Inc river and bay were flied p;+b
vessels OF war dressed in ALI thair 80
liely OF coIors in compliment ia the
OCCASION. In the midst of these No
tHe enormous floating mass whose
pulk and unwieldy form seemed TO
Iender her as unfit for motion as the
r batteries which were saluting
ner. Throughout the fleet re vessaIo
which occupied this part az ~ 49,
DOT We're seen gliding in every Dire
.lon several OF our larger
OF the burden Of 300 and 400 tons
Ihese, with bands Of music and
crowds OF a and joyous comnanv
were winding through passages left hy
the vessels as if they were
Iloveo by enchantment. The heart
oouiu nol nave been human that did
not snare In the general enthusiasm
expressed by the loud shouts or
multitude '0
The New York Public Library nos-
sesses an interesting letter of Fulton
written a Few day after this event
TO Gen. Jonathan Williams of Phila-
oelphla. Gen. Williams was a mem
per OF a committee in hat CITY which
was considering means toward build
ing d Siinllar boat for municipal de-
tense, but before it materialiZed the
wal closed and all the coast defense
plans at once ceased. Fulton states
tnat he has been much occunied in
moving the steam vessel from the
East River ship yards to his own
yards. where the engines were in
stalled, on the North River, and then
he adds: ~
She is pierced for thirty guns. long
thirty-two-pounders. She has twenty.
one on board. with near sixty tons Of
material, and now draws nine feet
TWO inches Of water with this weight
My two steamboats,. the Car of Nep-
tune and the Fulton, towed her
hrough the water at the rate of
three and one-half miles an hour.
There is now no room to doubt that
when finished she will run from fonr
and half to five miles an hour in still
water. The $4,000 estimates pre-
Sented to h Secretary Of the NAVY
was independent of guns, coppering.
Sails, anchors, cordage, joiner work,
ana armament in general. All COM
$235.0OO to $4,000
Unfortunately, Fulton was not des-
tined to witness the completion Of his
gunboa for her trial trips. A severe
cold, contracted early in 1915, caused
his death on February % of that
year. while in the midst of his &C
t~ivities. =.
In May, 1915, the engines were
fully installed, and on June l the war
vessel had a trip Town the bay. On
July a there was a longer trial trip
GU to sea, a run Of fifty-three miles
east of andy Hook, which was done
in eight and one-thrid hours, showing
an average speed with and against
the tide of ga miles. On September
IL. with tw~enty-Six guns on board
n drawing eleven feet, she had an
otehr trial trip, and averaged five and
one-half miles an hour. These
speeds exceeded Fulton's promise to
the Government. and the boat was
hailed as a wonderful addition to the
navy.
The war, however, was over. There
was no opportunity of testing her
aSaing the sailing frigates Of the
British Navy, and the Fulton was
finally laid up in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard as q receiving ship. Her en-
SlneS were never again used, and the
only other occasion when she attained
notice was in 1925, during the cele-
bratiOn Of the completion and open
ing of the Erie Canal. Then the Full
ton frigate had an honorable place in
the water parade, but was towed by
q large steamship.
Her end was tragic. On June 4,
1929. while at her moorings at the
L ~ ~ iSSS
from the shore, her powder magazine
exploded. blowing up the ship. killing
t~wenty-four of the crew, including
Lieut.. S. M. Breckenridge, and
wounding over sexenty. How the eX-
plosion occurred has never been
solved. A story was current that it
was the deed of a sailor who had been
fiogged on the morning Of the ex-
plosion. The version generally ac-
cepted in naval circles was that the
tragedy was due to carelesSness in
allowing the powder room to be
open.
Charles H. Haswell, who died a
few years ago M is still remembered
by many old-time New Workers,
states in his "reminiscences of old New
York hat he saw the explosion, be
ing at the time on board the steam
boat Citizen, then under construction
at the head Of Water street. and he
Immediately crossed the river to visit
the wreck. Mr.. Haswell, in 1885, re-
ceived his appointment as the first
.nr;naar in tho limited States NAVY.