Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-10-04
THE LYNCHBURG VIRGINIAN.
LyNCuBURG. OCTOBER 4, 1919.
FORD, TOWNLEY Il CO.,

be fDIcn shocked al The luca OF Ldpl. tdTDeUueT
demanding salvage of the French brig which he
extrica,ed from a perilous situation on the rocks
near Vera Cruz-deeming it a violation Of the
rules of international courtesy, and derogatory TO
the character of the United States Navy, to re-
ceive compensation for services Of this character.
We see the Union contrasts. invidiously the con-
duct of Capt. Carpenter with that of the French
officer who exerted himself, near the same spot,
so nobly and success lily, to save the lives Of the
crew of the u. S. brig SomeIs. The cases are
not parallel. The lives Of the crew Of the Euge-
ME were not in danger-ho stress is laid upon sa-
wing thcm-nO credit claimed for it. Had the
crew been in peril, no one can doubt, from the
gallantry and humanity which are characteristic
Of the officers and seamen OF our Navy, that the
most heroic exeriions would have been made for
their rescue, without a thought of compensation.
But we acknowledge no claim Of the French
underwriters upon the gratuitous exposure to dam
ger and the laborious exertions of Capt. Carpen-
der and his men, for the saving of mere property.
If the same services had been rendered to the
Eugene by a merchant vessel, no one would
have questioned the right of the party coming to
the rescue to demand salvage and we cannot per-
ceive, in the fact Of the Iris being a man-of-war,
the slightest circumstance changing the nature
of the case. The Union joins in the aspersion
which Mr.. PousSin throws upon our Navy, with
out stopping to enquire Whit is the practice in
other services. An acquainta ice with the decis-
ions OF the English Courts would have taught it
that salvage claimed by, and awarded to, vessels
OF war, was a matter of every day recurrence
Cases are frequent in our own Courts. When
Capt. Gedney fell in with the Amistad, he claim
ed salvage and it was allowed, and who ever
thought to asperse his motives, or to SANDER the
service, of which he is an ornament, on account
of his thus aching :
But a recent case is exactly in point. We copy
the statement from the Philadelphia North Amer
lean. What would be thought -four Government
were to demand of the British ministry that the
Governor of Gibraltar and Capt Powell should be
ensured, and that these ''strange doctrines
should be disavowed.
"In May last, the American ship Hercules, Capt. Mad
igan, was, during very thick weather, driven on a sand
bank. called Cabrila Point. "a few mil west of Gibraltar,
Capt. M. sent a fishing boat into Gibraltar. with a letter
to the American Consul, asking that relief should BIO af,
iorded him. The Consul, on receipt Of The letter, sent
out the English war steamer Janus, Capt. Powell. to
her assistance, and that vessel, by a single tug, succeed
ed in dra ing the Hercules into deep water. On arriv-
ing at Gibraltar. the II. was examined and found to have
sustained no damage whatever. To the great surprise
of Capt. NJ. the English Commander made a demand
Tor salvage TO the amount Of one-fourth to one third Of
the vessel and cargo, which, not deeILing it just, he re-
fused 10 pay.
A long and somewhat angry correspondence passed
- 'hb hNtIHo VI iDIdl itlu tWC ountT IiIlItS
concerned, and Capt. NJ. was given to understand that
he attempted 10 leave the port without paying the sum
demanded, he should he fired into and sunk. 1t was add
ed, In defence of the claim, that the British government
had enjoined on its officers. everywhere, to demand and
enforce the payment of salvage.
Seeing how matters stood, Capt. Nj. made the best
terms possible, and, in consideration Of the trifling diff
Guilty experienced in getting the Hercules of and bringing
her into Gibraltar, succeeded in compromising the claim
by paying The sum of $3.50 sterling. lie sal ed from Gil
brallar without having any repairs made, and none were
equipped"
This is not all. Capt. Stringham, US. Navy,
IN a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, dated
25th ult., says that, in 1880, while commanding
U. S. sloop-of-war Peacock, a British bark got
ashore near Vera Cruz. Boats were Immediately
sent to r relief from the Peacock, The British
Brig of wal, Fairy and 1.-THE French Corvette, Ceres.
Their e%xertions to get her off the reef were una
vailing, and they directed their attention to sa-
wing the goods. The Peacock's boats saved goods
to the amount Of 500, OOO-the English brig's
to the amount of $23. 600, and lie French corve-
ties TO the value of S19,00C-on all of which
salvage was awarded by the Court, at Vera Cruz,
at the rate of 33 l-3 per cent.
The N. Y. Mirror has a long list Of British
men-of-war, to which salvage was allowed. The
Brig Active, Of Baltimore, was rescued, in the
River Plata, by a French man-of-war, and carried
into Monte Video. Salvage was claimed and
awarded to the amount of one third.
BY the strict law Of salvage, the salvers have q
right to carry the vessel into port, there to libe
her. Usually,a Communication is effected, and, fol-
a given sum, the vessel is permitted to proceed
on her voyage. Capt. Carpenter treated the Eu.
genie with unwonted forbearance, and her Cap.
tain has proved himself, as the N. Y. Tribune
well says, an ungrateful puppy.