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Show BONAPARTE IS INTERVIEWED. Considers His Suggestion About Frigate Fri-gate Altogether Practical. BALTIMORE. Dec. 9. Secretary of tho Navy Charles J. Bonaparte. In an interview inter-view today touching the old frigate Constitution. Con-stitution. Is quoted by the American as saving that all of his correspondents; on this gubjel do not know the true history of the frigate !! said that his idea in recommending the bienking up of the Constitution was purely a practical one. with a view to saving the expense of keeping the agd hulk, now keel-deep In the mud at the Charleston navy yard, near Boston. Recalls an Incident. "In 1882," said ine Secretary, "when the cadets In training for the navy were transferred from Annapolis to Newport, R. L, because of the war. I. then 11 years of age, with my parents, visited the frigate- Constitution, then at Newport. I lenielllher (1 1 s 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 ill"' tll-M r .) n I . I 1 1 d . r of the vessel pointing out to us a piece of timber which h gala had been part of the famous Constitution. That was some years ago. and you can figure about how much of the original hulk Is left "The Indignation of the New Engenders, Engend-ers, prlclpally. and others generally. Is tin warranted In view of the statement of fact which I have made and which can be substantiated. Th- memories that cling about the original frigate, ns I stated in my report, can be perpetuated In the building of an armored cruiser, with the name ano as much of the equipment equip-ment and timbers iv' possible from the old Constitution. 1 simply look at the practical practi-cal side of the case and suggest that wo build a cruiser to memorialize the original origin-al ship, as was done on tho reconstruction reconstruc-tion of the present Constitution." Borrowed Holmes's Suggestion. Secretary Bonaparte said that he had receiv, d sral letters appealing to him not to have the old hulk used as a target tar-get for the ships of the North Atlantic squadron. He said that the part of his report which evoked these letters was misunderstood, as he only followed out a suggestion made In tho well-known poem by illv. r Wendell Holmes |