The Washington times., 1914-11-01
Frigate, Famed in American His
tory, Ties Up at Navy Yard
With Ancient Cannon Grin
ming at Ports.
Every Rope of Rigging in Place,
While Sheaves of CutIasSes
Clint in Racks as in DAYS
When She Ruled Sea.
By KENDRICK SCoFIELD.

|
an anachronism. a relic Of the past. q
craft. the wonder of her kind on the
far-off day of Der birth, but now merely
| a curiosity.
The old frigate left Baltimore on
| Thursday. bobbing at the towline of the
| Standish. Head winds buffeted her all
/ the way, and she could not have made
| headway under sail. even if her COM
/ mander had wished to set her sails.
Well up the Potomac river early Satur-
day morning the towline was cast off.
| and the tug nestled up under her tow
erine bows to aid her to her anchor
age.
The tug warped her up TO the sea
| wall of the navy yard. just after Z
\ o'clock Saturday morning. Instead Of
| the old-time monkey ladder 4 mod
ern gangway was rigged from shore 10
| ship, ready for visitors who will be
permitted to inspect the old craft.
| The SAVIOR Of the open see, of spune-
swept reaches. where in the teeth of
gales great sailing ships met in day
| long conflict still hangs about the Con-
stellation. But il is by contrast rather
| than actually, for most of the signs OF
| lighting which made her famous in the
sea history of the United States have
passed away.
Cannon Still in Place.
Here and there along her heavy
stralses there are scars. the mementoes
of century-past battles, and as she
| sailed up the Potomac yesterday her
open ports, along a belt Of white which
broke the black hull, grinned bravely.
showing her twenty-eight teeth-old
fourt teen-pounder cannon.
I,, tho davS nf her Vnfftl when she
was in her lighting prime, the Constel-
Iation frigate would have entered port
not as silent sea-ghost, but as The
ocean conuueror she was. Her broad
side would have doomed, and when her
''nud-hooks' splashed home. her yards
would have brtstied with bronzed. pig
tailed seamen. redolent OF the water
wastes from which she had come. for
'.marning the YARDS was a proper fash
ion in the early navy.
But when she limped in yesterday the
iron mouths Of her batteries were si,HnL,
her yards and tops untenanted her
decks fo"saken. save for d Sc: nt ha!f
husky lighting youngsters of which The
navy is now made-under the command
of Chief Bo's'n Arthur Smith.
Her spacious main deck had been
holy stoned to immaculate whiteness.
That same main deck. in sea days
agone. had beer Uttered with rattle
shot-cut from her rigging. Her soup
pers We're scrupuiously clean-those
same ecuppers from which on many
battle dav American Iifeblood had liz
orally spOutcd in torrents.
Rigging All Shipshape
Every rope Of her rigging was in
place No loose ends trailed from be-
laying Dins in the fife rail. All WAS
coiled down shipshape and Bristol fash
ion.
Art on the main deck. where the old
quarter-gaIleries overhang her spacious
stern. the officers quarters. one-time
sheIteriug her first commander. Capt.
Thomas TruXtun. were empty.
Below or the wide clean gun-deck. 20
often grimed with powder and gore the
ancient cannon which once made the
frigate Constellation the most forrnida-
ORDERLY rows pcered through the open
ports Between the guns. fastened to
the skin OF the old ship, sheaVes OF
cutglasses glinted in their racks over
head from the great beams hung brass
lantern or two. But they were not the
lreat narine battle lanterns that gut
tered and fiickered with every recol 81
the ship. aftermath Of thunderous broad
sides. -
Nidghips on the gun-deck the handles
Of thD monster pumpF-Olteu the only
safe guard between her shot pierced hull
and the depths CT war-lashed sea
spread overhead. Forward lOomed the
bulk OF the huge old galley.
Down other hatchways lay the berth
deck. Once IT was webbed with ham |
IrOCks. one for every man IN her hard- !
bitter crew Today the hammock hooks |
were empty.
Stiu another oeck below. the empty !
cells OF the ships brig yawned uh- |
a. fnp n Ifn6tC- 7
ciplined ssilOrman.
Second Ship in Navy.
Few ships afioat today can boast the |
age and record OF the frigate COnstella- |
ton Built in Baltimore. when vet the !
United states was pittfully Young, ana |
launched there September :, 1T%7. sh" has !,
been afioa: for IL Years.
Placed side BY side with the dread
nOuGht New York. the newest ightinG ,
craft OF the navy. the old Constellation !
would present a strange contrast,
The frig2tc vas considered, n her |
day. the highest example of war ."ssci
She is J6l feet or all !
with q beam Of forty feet, and n dJnft |
Of nineteen feet. Her hull, for the mcet
part is painted black, except where "A !
broad I'!bband OF whit" spreads just !
a bovc her hilge on a line with tn" ports ,
ing shows Green with corrosipn 1ust |
above the water line. Her batteries ,
originally numbered forty-eight guns
wenty eight contemporaries. t"r.Ee |
and eight nine-pound ,
swivels Her lighting complement Lam !
bcred zoo men, and she cost This Govern !
mcrt :?14 ,GG0.
But the dreadnought EeW NoIl, is ,.@
feet long, ninety-iiVe feet III beam, and /
has a draft OF twenty-eight feet. AS !
Il gainst the eight or ten kCOts speed !
possible with the Constella ton. the New !
York steams at twenty knots. driven by ,
engines OF 5000 horsepower which alone ,
weigh many times the total weigh Of |
the Old wooden shio. One Of the guns |
Of the New York possesses sixteen times !
the energy Of the entire Arma .nent of
the Constellation. knd the :lreadnOught !
cost the Government sl2.0O0,0p0. |
Has Honorable Record.
No ship that ever bore the ;'nI.d |
States nag possesses a more honorable !
record than tho Constellation. Her ac- |
tive service began in I79S, in West In !
dian engagement Cn The island of st. |
Kits, when she fought and captured |
the LIpsurgentC. Captain Truxtun !
fought her through the engagement, ,
which lasted one hour and forty min