The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-07-28
SERVICE WITH JEFFERSON DAVIS
PORTRAIT NOT SOLD WITH
BATTLESHlP.
THIRD VESSEL OF NAME
LIKELY TO RECEIVE 1T
Subscribers Pleased When They Find
Out From Navy Department What
Became of the ption
On Pieces Caused Fight In Senate.

Washington, July 2S.-Residents of
Mississippi are making inquiry at the
Navy Department as to the eventual
fate of the silver service they pre-
sented, several years ago, to the battle
ship Mississippi. The Mississippi. with
the battleship Idaho, was recently sold
by the United States government to
the kingdom of Greece
The answer to the residents of the |
state of Mississippi is that when your |
Uncle Samuel" offers bargains in bat |
tleships, he does not throw in as spe-
cial inducements the solid silver serv-
ices presented to the vessels by the
people of the states whose names
these ships bear. The service which
has reposed on the Mississippi will
not be used by Greek officers.
Whereat there is more than ordinary
rejoicing in Mississippi, in view of the
| fact that the people of that state had
hard time in getting their offering ac-
cepted in the first place. 1t bears a
portrait of Jefferson Davis, the head
of the Confederacy.
1t is stated as more than probable
that the Mississippi silver service,
which is being returned to the custody
of the Navy Department, will be placed
upon the third Mississippi of the Unit
ed States Navy. The ship to be built
to take the place of the battleship sold
will be the third in the navy to bear
the name Mississippi. The Idaho to
be built will be the second in the navy
to bear that name.
Congress authorized at this session,
in all, three new battleships. The Sec
retary of the Navy has designated the
names of Idaho and Mississippi for
two of them --..~
Considerable fun is gotten out of
the fact that the silver services on
most of the ships of the navy are built
up around enormous punch bowls, as
Secretary Daniels has abolished punch
and all other alcoholic drinks on the
i ships. The question is asked: OF what
use now are the silver services con-
tanning punch bowls and punch glasses
to the ships of the navy. One ribald
person has suggested that these enorm-
Gus bowls be filled with pickles and
used as pickle dishes at big formal
dinners. No immediate acceptance
of the suggestion has been heard.
Method of Naming Warships.
The practice of states presenting
silver services to their namesakes be
gan about 1898, when the acts relating
to the naming of vessels of war went
into effect. 1t was provided that first
class ships should be named after
states, second-class after rivers and
third-class after cities.
About that time great arguments
) arose in the different states. Each
state struggling to tag its name on a
r new vessel. Dissensions arose in vari
: Gus states as to the character of the
: engraving on the silver services. Cam
b. paigns to obtain subscriptions for sill
( yer services were not always marked
s by entire harmony.
+ Down in Mississippi the silver serv
ice fund got into politics as a live
issue. The people Of North Dakots
!. have not yet paid for their silver serv
3 ice, and it has not been presented
t Cities whose proud names are carrie,
over the seven seas by ships that bea
them have experienced similar dis
r agreement.
Rivers from which ships of the nav,
e get their names are of course, immun
0 to such discord. The first Mississippi
K launched at the Philadelphia nav,
+ yard, May 5, 1S41, was named for tn
mississippi river, "The Father Of ws
ters" gave her nothing but grave, fo
: she was abandoned and blown up q
e Fort Hudson in 1853.
s When the second Mississippi--jus
Continued on Page Four.)