Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-03

and ut tho same timo is something
Ike Montauk Point. Long Island. in
reaching far out to sea and thus .pcr-
hitting quick emergency rail connec-
Their inland These various adyan-
tases have combined TO bring bacle
Falmouth to It's old-time shipping
glory and to crowd the harbor with
me SHIPS or all nations save those OF
the enemy.
Ono OF these newcomers. an Amcrt-
can tanker. has just gone ashore In
the outer harbor, and Is slowly going
TO pieces before the heavy surf. There
mas been no loss of life. but Falmouth
Is deeply reused, for IL scum OF Ameri-
can OIL has spread over the surface Of
tho water.
ITS one OF the worst things ever
happened TO u.s." said an old authority
OF the port. THE oil has got into
our oyster beds among the best In
England. and probably killed them
TOR good. II has also killed or all
the fish. and even the fish that are
living can't be eaten. they taste 30 OF
oil. We've had big boom from the
war. but this oil on the water has set
1t all back. It's a serious danger. too,
for at some points /, has caught on
firc and spread n sheet Of flame far
over the water"
This. however. is only ono of the
life in times of war. But the lasting
thing for Falmouth is the great i'm
pctus to shipping and the crowd OF
ships from all over the world now
heading II in and out OF the port. The
rush has been so great that the port
authorities have put on very rigid
rules against crowds Of strangers in
vading the town ut night. Only tho
master OF the merchant craft como
ashore at any time: all tho crews arc
marooncd aboard. day and night. No
small boat from the visiting ships can
be aioat after 3 o'clock in the after
noon. Any master or other person
from tho ships In town after that Ia
subject to arrest.
About tho strangest ships In this
crowded harbor are two which loom
up high on either side OF a liner az
It comes In from the trip over the At
lantic. These two enormous hulks
look like water fortrcsacs. with double
and triple nghting decks and triple
lines OF portfolios for heavy guns. Tho
British ensign is swapping from tho
peak of both these craft. and yet.
clearly. they cannot possibly be war
craft of tho present generation. as
inquiry proves. for they are two OF
the most historic ships OF Nelson's
day. one his favorite flagship. tho
FoudroTnnt, and the other the only
surviving typo OF the French ships
which fought Mt Trafalgar. In that
battle this French ship was tho Dou-
gay Trouin. but when che was cap
tured by tho English she was given
the name OF the Impiacable These
two old warriors. one British and the
other French. are in strange contrast
20 tho busy shipping. and they stand
as emblcms OF what naval power meant
~ the very outset OF British supremacy
on the seas.
Under tho escort OF the oficcr in
charge. tho Associated Press CORE
spondcnt went over both OF these old
warriors. II was hard climb up tho
slippery. moss-covercd sides OF the old
lmpla cable. formerly tho Dougy Trou-
In which fought at Trafalgar. The
heavy oak sides Of the ship arc deep
" ind"nted and eaten away, and yet
the stanch timhers are substantially
fiEurchcads. and while each rctains a
single mast. they look lonesome with
out their yardnrms of the old days
ON deck there is great sweep sixty
feet across and nearly 900 feet deep
with portfolios for the cannon at regu-
lar intervals. New decks have been
laid. but the side bulwarks are tho
old oak. apparently AS substantial as
ever.
on the lower deck there ia a second
row Of portfolios. This was the main
fighting deck, all the crew being ranged
between tho two rows of guns. until
an enemy ship was grappled, when all
the crew went above to form boarding
parties.