Evening star., 1926-11-14

-
States Coast Guard. AS he
came to a halt at the string piece of
the wharf he quiZzically fixed his
gaze upon a blur of smoke and sail
| that was fast disappearing through
| the Golden Gate. There was an al
! most imperceptible shrug of his shoul-
| ders and a grimace filtered over his
| face, as one Of pair of tiny, ragged
| and dirty dock rats" feet dangling
over the edge of the wharf. piped:
| Yer too late, mister"
| He was indeed too late that time.
! for the retirement orders he carried
| in his pocket were powerless then to
stay the departure North OF the an.
| cient Coast Guard cutter Bear, on its
annual patrol OF the Arctic Seas.
| Once more the prlma donna of the
| fleet, a vessel unique among the hun
| dreds Of her companions, was off on
farewell tour"
And my old man say" asserted the
second urchin, that when / grow up
| en- get a job on the OF Bear for
she sure will still be runnin then, he
say"
That was last year and now, alas,
| this Youngsters dream of sailing to-
ward the Pole on the veteran Bear
| will never turn to reality, for actually
and positively the romance-inCrusted
cutter now has made her last northern
patrol.
Next Summer her job and even her
| name will have been appropriated
by modern steel cutter, which even
now Is we'll under construction at a
Newport News shipyard. Some June
morning Of 1927 the old Bear will
watch, with perhaps pardonable dis
da!n, as the cub takes over her job.
VIII this upstart, the shelved prima
donna will want to know, withstand
for half a century the crushing buf-
feting of Arctic ice that the old
wooden Bear detled for so years?
The old Bear has been making an
nual farewell tours to the frozen
Alaskan coast for so many years that
her history in this respect rivals that
of the most indefatigable of drama or
opera idols, but it's all over now. I'm
der orders from Washington. her de-
Ginning years will be spent as a training
ship for coast guardsmen, and upon
this assignment she will still prove n
worthy vessel. for her seasoned. picked
oak keel. heavy ribs and hull seem
| good for many years yet, particularly
in less destructive waters than those
to which she has so long been. sub
jected.
The Coast Guard says the Bear Is
the oldest ship Of SIMILAR burden that
still is riding the waves under the
stars and Stripes with all the material
Of which she was originally built re-
manning part Of her. The keels Of
others may have been laid at an ear
| lier date, but such vessels have been
so rebuilt and repaired that hardly a
square foot OF original wood remains.
1t Is to be doubted If ever there has
been Il more complete excmpliflcntion
of the Coast Guards motto, "Senpcr
Paratus" C'Always Res,dy'). than that
revealed by tho long nud gallant aerv.
| ice OF the Bear. And an amazing
| range Of service 1t has been. for the
official functions OF the cutter have
been only starting point In add
! ton to her primary duty Of patrol to
enforce customs laws. the Bear has
performed services OF infinite variety
and incalculable value to shipping and
| other interests, rescuing lost cxplOr-
| ers and the crews OF shipwreckcd ves
! sells. 1t has on innumerable occa-
! stons extended assistance to vessels In
1 distress and marooned mariners. Con
| stantly ii has boarded and examined
| fishing craft found on the banks, sup
| plying medical and other aid to the
| crews. 1t has provided transporta.
ton and sustenance to destitute per-
sons wherever found In it's voyages.
carried the United States mails and
In general helped Federal and other
officials in the performance of their
duties. The skipper of the Bear
often was called upon to offlciate at
marriages in the Land of the Midnight
! Sun, and often, too, he has conducted
burialS Of victims of the .pitilesS icy
wastes. For the expedition Of justice.
one officer of the Bear was made a
, United States commissioner and an
other a United States marshal, that
justice might be dispensed In minor
infractions Of the law ION the spot"
and without the delay long trans
portation would necessitate.
This sturdy old Bear was launched
at Grenock, Scotland, in 1874. and
with her sister ship, the Thetis. also
originally intended for the sealing in.
dustry, was soon thereafter acquired
by this country for NoIther1A patrol