Atlantic passenger-boat—fast for her day, that is—but the Government took her over as soon as she was off the stocks, and used her for carrying troops to the Crimea. They only used her as a transport for about ten years; then she was sold out of the Service and converted into a cargo steamer, to go tramping round for another twenty. They were a bit distrustful of steam in those days and always built their vessels as full-rigged ships, so's they could sail if anything went wrong with the machinery, as it frequently did. When other, newer ships came along, and the owners found that she couldn't compete against 'em except at a loss, they had the machinery ripped out of her and used her as a sailing-ship pure and simple. She's changed hands a many times since then, and now she's come to the breaking-yard. But she were a fine ship in her day. Would you care to have a look over her, sir?"
Accompanied by my brother-in-law, George Gough, I had visited the Thames-side yard in the hope of picking up some old, well-seasoned oak with which to try our 'prentice hands in constructing a summer-house for my garden. While looking round, we had witnessed a large three-masted ship being towed to her moorings by two straining tugs, and a chance inquiry had elicited her life-history from the yard foreman.
There was something pathetic in the progress of the doomed ship as she silently glided to her last resting-place and was made fast by many hawsers. Aged, storm-battered, neglected, she seemed like some old war-charger who, its term of usefulness past, ambles wearily into tire knacker's yard.
Accepting the foreman's invitation, we passed up the gang-plank, peering in turn into the fo'castle, lined with tiers of coffin-like bunks, the deserted galley with its rusty stove, the stripped chartroom and officers' cabins; finally regaining the deck and entering the deckhouse which was situated between the main and mizzen masts. This was a fairly large structure, measuring twelve feet by eighteen, its greatest length of course running fore and aft. Round it ran a series of cushioned lockers which could be used either as seats or berths. This was obviously a relic of the Euphrates' luxurious, passenger-carrying days; for it was paneled in carved rosewood, with numerous ports and a large, sliding double-door on either side. Although the interior fittings showed signs of rough usage, they were much less dilapidated than the other portions of the ship, and I surmised—rightly as it turned out later—that this had been set aside for the captain.
"What becomes of all this?" I asked the foreman. "Surely it could be used again?"
The man shook his head dubiously.
"Well, I dunno, sir. Maybe, maybe not. If we has a ship in good condition to break up, they can gen'rally use the standard fittings—boats, brasswork, companion-rails and hatchways—on other vessels. But with a deckhouse like this, sir, it's a thousand chances to one against it being used on shipboard."
George suddenly pinched my arm.
"Why, here's your summer house already made for you," he whispered. "We could cart it up to your place in sections and put it together in no time. It'll be a bit of a novelty to have a real ship's cabin in the middle of your lawn. You don't see carving like this every day. Look at that figure of Neptune over the clock, and those mermaids over the doorways! And you may get the whole thing for a mere song."
Being unaware of the precise monetary value which George sets upon his vocal efforts, I am unable to say if his estimate proved to be correct, but I was quite satisfied with my bargain when we quitted the office after completing the deal.
In due course the various sections were
