Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 77, 17 December 1893 — On Board the Illinois. [ARTICLE]

On Board the Illinois.

Thr following is from the '*Ad ventures of Unele Jeremiah at the Fair“ (Laird <fc Lee>: “Now for the battleship," said Unele Jeremiah’s son, Johnnv. “that’s what I wuut to see.” As they eame on board the brick ship, the first words they heard were qnite naniieal. “It’s eight bells.” "Aye. aye, sir!” The bos’un climed up and tapped out eight strokes on the big brass bell. About twenty }ieople with laneh baskets and eamp chairs rau after him and watched the performance. “What’s that for?’ asked a young woman. “That tells the time of day,' answered ber escort. “But it is after 12 o eloek by ray watch and he struck it only eight tiraes.” “Mell, they—ah—they have a system of their own. It’s very complicated.” “Look at that crooked thing there, said one of the visitors, pointing to#the air-tube leading to the stoker. “Is that their f« ghorn I’ve heerd about?’' “They don’t need uo foghorns on a warship. 1 jedgo it’s a bhoot-in’-iron of some kind or other, may be a gattlin’ gun what jest blows the shot out. You see it s pointin’ out like at an enemy.” Au elderly woman stepped up to the Lieutenant and said: “I’d like mighty well to see some of the gattiing guns.” “Yes, ma’am, you will find tbera at the foretop.” “How’s tbat?’’ “At the turret in the foretop.” “Doyou mean up in the little ronnd eupola?” “Uupola, great heavens,” murmured the officerunder his breath Then he called a marine and had him show the woman to tbe fore top. * * * It is the experi. enee of a lifetime for a naval officer who has cruised in the Mediterranean and rocked over the high waves bf tho Sonth Atlantic to be placed in commaud of a brick battleship, whieh rests peacefully alongside a Iittle pier and is boarded by hundred of reckless sight-seers every daj. The conning towers «re of sheetiron and some of tbe formidable guns are simply painted wood: It is said tbat if anytbing larger than a six-inch gun shonld be fired frqm the deck of the mimie battlesbip the recoi! won!d upset the masonry and jo!t the whole structure into a shapeleas mass. Below the wat-r line the IIlinois is a hollow mockery. bnt the two decks, Ihe tnrret3 and the beavjbattery are made so realistic that any one who had not seen the brick laid and tbe plating pnt on raigfat snppose it waa a real war vessel that had stranded well in toward the beach. As a matter of fact, aboot one-third of the visitors are deceived. whieh fact may be vooched for by asy ose of the mannea parading the deck.

A man who lookeil »5 though he ► read the newspap«?rs, c»lle<i a > sergeant of -mariues **Cap” aud remarkeil that it w»s a verj* ves8el. ‘Yes, indeed, sir,” replied th« sergeant. “She’ll be here all summef, will she?“ ‘’Oh, yes." ”Did this bo»t ti' e part iu the review at New Yorkr* “No, sir; this battlesbip iv strock fast here. It is « aheil of brick, bniit np fnmi a ston« foandation, aud is iutended te i-epresent a moilel batt!eship. ”Yoa don t te!l me. Made of l»rick, eh?” l’nele Jereniiah listening to the talk, sbared the j coantry man’s disgust.