Thoughtfully curated historical journalism
Fifty-Year-Old Brig Is to Load Cargo of Lumber at Mukilteo for This Port
HULL IS EVERLASTING
In Spite of Age and Shipwreck Her Ancient Timbers Still Hang Together
The brig Tanner is going to celebrate her jubilee by making another voyage from the north to this port. At least half a dozen times has this time-worn craft been wrecked, and as often has her obituary been written. She has been sailing the seas since 1855, when she was launched from a shipyard long passed away at Smithtown, N. Y. “Arrived, brig Tanner, in distress,” Is an entry which appears with surprlsing frequency on the records of the Merchants’ Exchange. She knows all about Davy Jones’ locker from personal observation, and more than once in the “disaster” column of the marine records she has been classed as “wreck, total loss.”
PORT ANGELES (Wash.), October 28.—Efforts so far to haul off the brig Tanner, which went ashore last Saturday near Elwha river, six miles west of this city, have proved futile. The vessel so far is not damaged by the seas. Further effort will be made by tugs at high tide tomorrow. The tug captain believes the vessel can be hauled off if more tugs can be procured before the storm comes, otherwise she will prove a total loss.
The news that the old brig Tanner had gone ashore at Port Angeles and probably would prove a total loss was received yesterday in the local shipping world with considerable interest. The Tanner was about the oldest and one of the most picturesque vessels on the Pacific. In 1855, when she was launched at Smithtown, N. Y., she was as tight and saucy a brig as ever flew the stars and stripes. Forty-eight years of sea service, however, transformed the Tanner into a floating sieve in which no sailorman less brave than her skipper and owner, Captain Newhall, would have dared to venture beyond easy reach of a life-saving station.
Washington, Oct. 25.—Commodore McKean’s dispatches are received at the Navy Department. Capt. Pope of the Richmond, reports the hole made in her by the ram was two feet below the water line and five inches in circumference. At the first alarm, the crew cooly repaired to quarters, and as the ram passed abreast the Richmond, the entire port battery was discharged at her, with what effect, it was impossible to discover in the darkness. A red light was shown as a signal of danger, and the entire squadron was under way in a very few minutes, the Richmond covering the retreat. The Preble went over the bar while the Vincennes and Richmond grounded.
Two Vessels Captured After Early-Morning Battle in Long Island Sound.
NEW LONDON, Conn., October 25.—Guns aboard Coast Guard vessels blazed away yesterday in a hectic battle, fought in the darkness of early morning, with two suspected rum runners.
With five craft already to their credit as the result of previous encounters earlier in the week, the Coast Guardsmen in yesterday’s engagement riddled the liquor-laden speed boat Helen of Newport with machine-gun bullets and one-pound shells and captured a second speed boat, the Pueblos of Bridgeport, believed to be a sister ship of the Helen.
A correspondent of the Montgomery Advertiser gives the following interesting particulars of the iron-clad steamer, whose arrival at Savannah with arms and stores for the Confederate Government, has been briefly noticed in the papers. These particulars were obtained from a gentleman who was himself on board of the steamer:
She had the rig of a full rigged brig, and coming into port under sail, with a light head of steam, and her smoke stack down, her appearance, at a short distance, indicating nothing more than an ordinary brig. She has no sign of a port-hole from the outside, and the only indication on the decks that she is designed for a war vessel is the presence of four ring bolts firmly fixed in the decks. She is designed to carry four guns on deck, and, although there are no gun carriages to be seen, yet there are four ten-inch rifled cannon slung in such a way that they could be brought into action, had there been occasion, on very short notice. Her bulwarks, instead of being solid, as usual, were constructed of fancy wire netting. She had on board 18 of the above guns, the Enfield rifles as before mentioned, and large quantities of munitions of war.
He said that they kept the hatchets closed and allowed no one to go between decks; therefore, we can get no description of her arrangements internally at present. She presents a beautiful appearance externally, and when she is fully fitted for action she will, no doubt, prove an ugly customer for the enemy to cope with.
Thus we are progressing, and gaining strength, step by step, to punish the
“Slaves for pillage fighting,
Obdurate vassals fell exploit enacting.
In moody death, and ravishments delighting:
No children’s tears, nor mothers’ groans respecting”
The Athens Post, Athens, TN
Mates Won’t Sail on the Annie Smith With Steve Jackson’s Wraith Roaming Decks.
SAILOR WAS MURDERED
And Worse Still, Two Black Cats perched on the Spirit’s Form, So the Commander of the Barkentine Was Unable to Put to Sea.
New, York.—It was not exactly the fault of Capt. Frederick Foote that the Annie Smith, as trim a little barkentine as you can see in any port, did not sail the other day for Brazilian ports. Nor was it the fault of Edwin Moore, the mate negro that of Steve Jackson, a negro seaman, lately deceased. The blame really belonged to the ghost of the said Steve Jackson.
The Annie Smith, with her general cargo stowed away, her clearance papers signed, her sails ready to he set, was unable to cast off, because Captain Foote could find no mate to sail in her.
And if you speak to Captain Foote and your conscience and your constitution can weather oaths that will make your hair stand on end, you will learn that when Steve Jackson slipped his cable with a knife stuck in between his ribs, he carelessly allowed his ghost to roam at random on the Annie Smith.
San Francisco, Oct. 20—The dirigible Shenandoah arrived over San Francisco at 3:05 P. M., today and sailed over the business section for a half hour. As far as the city was concerned, she was first spoken off Point Bonita, six miles to the north, at 2:40 P. M., for an hour before the great envelope, steel grey against the sky, could be seen by thousands of eager watchers on the roofs of buildings and in the streets.
The problem which the Franklins and the Kanes, of Arctic science and discovery, have labored so long and with such heroism to solve, has had no new light thrown upon it by the voyage from which Dr. Hayes has just returned. When, in July of last year, he left our shores in the small schooner United States, having on board only sixteen persons and the usual outfit, we felt in no way sanguine that the expedition would be successful in clearing away the mystery which surrounds the North pole, and the result is, therefore, only in accordance with our anticipations. This conveys no ill compliment to its projector, whose enthusiasm, talent and perseverance are undoubted; but we formed our opinion from the weakness of the exploring force. It was an attempt, with very inadequate means, to achieve a great object. Everything about the expedition was on far too small a scale; and, being insufficient, it became a foregone conclusion that it would fail. We are still wanting in scientific data relating to the geography and meteorology of the Arctic region, and even of its navigation and zoology. We are only slightly informed; but this expedition has discovered nothing before unknown on these points, and the death of its astronomer has only added another to the long list of Arctic victims. Had the expedition been larger, and provided with a good scientific party, much might have been attained, where, for want of it, the result has been simply a blank. Dr. Hayes succeeded in making his way by dog sledges no farther north than latitude 81 degrees 35 minutes, which is a lower degree than even Hendrik Hudson reached about the year 1600. We refer to these facts simply to show the folly of fitting out Polar expeditions that, from their very diminutiveness, are unequal to the work for which they are designed.