The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-09-28

ing into the wind as white-sailed vessels skip
along over the blue waves Of the Atlantic.
Time was when the art of carving ships figure
heads gave employment to many skilled work
men, In Boston alone there were no less than
six firms engaged almost exclusively in supplying
such emblems. That was in the old days of the
great windjammers, when the swift Yankee clip
per ships were the greyhounds Of the ocean. In
those days deliberately carved and gaiy painted
figures Of angels and cherubs, beautiful women
in flowing robes, generals in uniform, Indians in
feathered war-bonnets and fringed garb, stern
statesmen, kings and queens and gods and god
desses were set beneath the bowsprits
blems Of tradition that had endured since first
men went down TO the sea in ships.
But when steam and steel replaced wind and
wood, they took away much of the romance Of
the old seafarng days and with it the traditional
fgurehead. Today they are go tempora o
mores!") "landlubbers" In that you are more
likely to find them in museums or set up on ped
estals on private estates In public parks than
you TO find them in their proper place at the
bow Of a sea-going vessel. They are also "col-
lectors items" In that they represent examples
of so-called american primitives" or American
folk art" sharing that distinction with such
things cigar store Indians and cast iron deer
and dogs for lawn ornaments. incidentally,
when those artisans who carved ships figure
heads were thrown out Of work at the end of
ing wooden Indians for the traditional sign Of
the tobacco store and this helped keep their art
alive for many years.) AS collectors items they
frequently have value attached to them greater
than their makers ever could have dreamed they
would have and as relics some of them have
had more romantic histories than ever they had
while they were voyagng on the waters of the
world.
One of the most romantic is that of the figure
of Andrew Jackson which once adorned the bow
Of the q. S. S. Constitution, the frigate affec-
tionately known to all Americans "Old Iron
Sides" and il was just hundred years ago, in
1884, that this fgurehead the center Of a
bitter political row. "Old Ironsides" had no less
than six different fgureheads during her long
and honorable career, but the Jackson figure
had by far the most interesting history.
Built In 1877, the Constitution bore first a bust
of Hercules, IMPLYING the strength of union and
the power Of the new nation and carved by the
Skillings brothers of Boston, renowned makers of
ships fgureheads But when, under the COM
mand of Commodore Richard Preble, "Old Iron
sides" sailed into the harbor of Tripon to at
tempt the conquest Of the Barbary pirates, the
figure of Hercules suffered severely from the
effect Of hostile shots and 1t was replaced by
figure of Neptune, said to have been taken from
the wreck of vessel in the Mediterranean
On December %, 1872, the Constitution, then
commanded by Captain cambridge, had its des-
perate battle with the British frigate the Java
One of the traditions of the sea was that when
a ship about to be captured or sunk, the
fgurehead should be blindfolded so that II should
not witness the disaster. During the Constitu-
tion-Java duel, "Old Ironsides' wheel was shot
away and the ship wallowed In the rough sea-
apparently out Of control A young powder boy,
thinking she about to sink, snatched his
scarf from his neck and started to climb out on
the bowsprit TO blindfold Neptune But before
he could reach his objective jury wheel was
rugged up and "Old Ironsides" proceeded to win
another Of her amazing victories, although Nep-
tune was seriously damaged by the British
gunnery that IL was replaced by another figure
head short time later.
During the second administration OF Andrew
Jackson, the Constitution was sent to the
Charles Town navy yard near Boston to be re-
built and reconditioned. At that time the dis
pute over the United States bank was at its
height and when the solid men of Boston" heard
that Jackson had signed the order for removing
its deposits TO state banks, they were furious
Their anger was increased when they learned
that L. S. Beecher, famous Boston carver had
been commissioned to make full-length statue
of Jackson as a fgurehead for "Old Ironsides"
figure but he refused and feeling became so
intense that his half-carved block of wood was
removed to the navy yard where he finished his
work under the protection Of a guard of marines
The Wings raised terrific uproar over the
matter, saying that no living man save perhaps
James Madison, the father Of the United States
Constitution, should be accorded the honor Of