Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28

| The frigate Constitution, the most
| famous ship in American history, Is
again in the limelight. The Navy
| Department says that the old ship
is rapidly rotting, and that unless
funds for extensive repairs are forth
coming, Old Ironsides will soon be
thing of the past.
| For some years the frigate has been
lying in the Charles town navy yard,
and has been pointed out as one or
| the sights of Boston. Each year
| thousands of visitors go aboard to
| see for themselves the vessel which
showed proud British warships that
America would, and could, contest
Britain's claim to dominion over the
high seas. Old lronsides was not
the only American ship which played
an important part in the war of 1912,
but, without this particular star of
| the Navy, the war of 1872 and Amer
| ica's subsequent history might have
been quite different. From the time
the frigate was built in 1897 her rec
ord was a succession OF naval VIC
| tories and triumphal cruises.
But the vessels claim to Ameri-
| cas- interest does not rest on her
fighting history alone. The Constitu-
! ton is distinguished because almost
! from the beginning of her career she
/ was held up by the people as a
symbol of American pluck and
! achievement
! Her victory over the British frigate,
the Guerrero, In the beginning of the
war of 1912, occurred just at the
critical time when the American peo-
pie were discouraged over British
victories in land battles. The Brit
ish themselves admitted that for
America to win the first battle at sea
| would give this country great con-
| fidence in its power. And so 1t did.
| The Constitution went on to other
victories.
| Years after, when the Civil War
| broke out, and Old 1ronsides was
| being used as a. training ship at
| Annapolis, haste was made to tow
| the frigate back North. This was
done because of the rumor that the
| Maryland Confederates were going
to make special efforts to capture
the ship It was said that seeing
the Confederate flag flying on Old
Ironsides would have powerful in
f1uence in strengthening the morale
! of the Southern forces.
Destruction Once Proposed.
{ A century, plus almost 80 years, is
a long lifetime for ship. The Con-
/. stitution would have been hack ed
1 y
Jones' locker in 1928, if the sugges-
ton of a Secretary of the Navy and
his consulting board had been fol-
flowed. At that time the frigate had
fought the Barbary pirates, and had
seen hard war service. She was on
a Mediterranean cruise when she sud-
denly went out of commission and
experts Said that the cost of repairs
would be more than the original
cost of building the ship.
But the proposed destruction OF
| Old Ironsides was mentioned by
chance in a newspaper, and Oliver
Wendell Holmes Immediately wrote
his stirring poem, beginning, AYE
tear her tattered ensign down" and
had it printed in the Boston Adver-
tiser. Public resentment at the idea
of sinking the shin rose so high tina,
Congress provided the necessary ap-
preparation.
After that the Constitution hao
many other adventures. She made
a trip around the world between 1874
and 1S4S, and in the 495 days at sea
she travelled 52,279 miles, or an aver
age of 106 miles a day. She was the
flagship of Admiral George Dewey
later of Manila Bay fame, between
1867 and 1870, In 1878 she made 8
trip to F'rancevto carry goods sent by
Americans to, the universal exposi-
ton at Paris Four years later Ole
Ironsides went permanently out Of
commission, but she had served the
tcountry for half a century after TIN
naval board ,of 1928 read her death war
rant.
From time to time since Holmes
poem was written the old bark ha,
been in urgent need of repairs. an,
patriotic sentiment has always de
manded that she be patched up an,
preserved