The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-07-18

ments. Then the class of 1891 got
busy. They decided to replace the
wooden figure with an exact replica
of bronze which should not only be
memorial to all members of that
class but which should continue to be
an inspiration to all future midship-
men in the academy. The members
of the class who had charge of the
restoration were:
Rear Admiral Arthur L. Willard,
commandant Washington navy yard;
Rear Admiral Henry II. Hough. mem
Der general board, Navy department;
Rear Admiral Richard III. Leigh, chief
of the bureau of navigation, Navy de
partment; Brigadier Rufus FL. Lane.
adiutant and inspector, United States
Marine Corps headquarters. and Col
w. n. McKelyy (retired, Chevy
Chase, Washington.
They raised funds to have the work
done and received subscriptions vary
ing from So to 5000. Along with the
subscriptions usually came letters. re-
calling fond memories of midshipmen
days at Annapolis. One anonymous
subscription was sent with this mes
sage: well. l got ten dement's for
hanging light on Old Tecumseh one
dark night. so guess it's up to me to
give him ten bucks now" The bronze
which was used in the cast of the new
statute was obtained from historic
ships and from trophies of many wars
and naval demonstrations. So the
"Old Tecumseh," who was unveiled
last May at ceremony in which
Charles Francis Adams, secretary of
the navy, and Rear Admiral Samuel
Robinson. superintendent of the acad-
envy. took leading part, and who will
stand guard over the destinies of flu
ture midshipmen, is not only the
patron saint of the naval academy.
I but is also visible symbol of the
long and honorable record of service
of the United States navy.
The original "Old Tecumseh," how
ever is not the only ship fgurehead
which is preserved at the naval acad-
envy. 1t also owns one of Grecian de-
sign which once graced the British
ship Macedonian until that vessel was
captured by Stephen Decatur. while
in command of the u S. S. United
States during the War of 1912. and
one Of bust of Benjamin Franklin.
which adorned the U. S. S. Franklin.
launched in 1915. But more interest
| ing than either of these because of
| the exciting history 1t had was a fig
| urehead which once had place at
| the bow of the famous fricate Con-
! stitution the "Old Ironsides" of song
! and story.
The first figurehead on the Consti-
| tuition, when she was launched in Bos-
ton in 1877. was Hercules with his
club. This was shot away during
battle with the Barbary pirates in
| TripOli and was replaced with a figure
of Neptune. During part of the War
of 1912, "Old Ironsides" had only a
small billet head Then in 1884 when,
/ as result of the stirring poem writ
ten by Oliver Wendell Holmes, the
ship was being refitted in Boston, a
| full-length statue of Andrew Jackson
was ordered for figurehead. This
caused a great political furore, Jack
sons opponents were enraged over
| what they called the presumption of
| putting the likeness of "Old Hickory"
on the famous vessel and declared that
no. living man, with the possible ex-
ception of James Madison, the ga
! Their of the Constitution" should have
such an honor.
One dark night after the figurehead
had been placed in position a young
captain named Dewey rowed out to
the ship, boarded it, sawed off the
head of the statue just below the nose
and carried it away in a bag. His
friends hailed this feat as a great
achievement and Dewey is said to
have carried the head to Washington
with the intention of presenting it to
Jackson himself. Eventually the
figure was restored and a new head
fastened on with bolt of huge size
so that no other vandal could take
such liberties with it as Dewey had
taken. 1t is this historic fgurehead
which is now one of the most cher
ished possessions of the naval academy.
Hca by Western Newspaper union-,