The Portland daily press., 1864-11-30

minutes about the time it took the Kearsage
70 demolish the British ship Alabama, Captain
Semmee,l the Drake struck, having lost her
captain, frst lieutenant and forty men. The
Rangers loss was nine.
The victory electrified Europe. The audac-
ity, the valor, the skill, and the success of Paul
Jones we're the admiration OF the world. Old
DIR. Franklin, who had planned the enterprise,
and had sent out to America, for captain to
come and execute 1t, was enchanted. In Paul
Jones subsequent troubles, he always had q
staunch friend and protector in Franklin.
A very successful man generally has enc
mics. Paul Jones experienced the truth of
this remark. Nevertheless, after much delay
and some modification, DR.. franklin succeed
ed In getting him another ship, the ever IA
nous Bon Homme Richard, thus named BY
Captain Jones In honor of the venerable edi-
tor of Poor Richards Almanac. She was
large, slow, rotten old ship, carrying forty
guns, and manned by three hundred sailors
and landsmen of all nations-Frencn, irish,
Scotch. Portuguese, Malays, Maltese, and .
sprinkling of Americans. ~ was IN TINS snip
that the indomitable Jones fought the Scraps,
new British ship of forty-four guns, one of
the stoutest vessels In the English navy. This
was perhaps the most desperate and bloody
contest that ever took place between single
ships. It wat fought on the evening of Sept.
23d, ITS, SO near the Yorkshire coast that the
battle was witnessed by thousands OF specta-
tors on the shore. Captain Jones perceiving
the superior strength of the enemy, saw that
his only chance was to come to close quar-
ters, and early In the fight got alongside and
lashed his ship to the side of the Serapis. By
this time, however, the Bon Homme Richard
had received eighteen shots below the water
line, had four feet of water in her hold, had
had four guns burst and all the Test disabled
but three, had lost a hundred men in killed
and wounded, and was on IRE. Almost any
other man would have given up, for the Sera-
pis was still uninjured. Captain Jones, how
ever, fought on with an energy and resolution
undiminished With his three guns, all aim
ed by himself, he kept laundering away at the
foe, while force ofsharp-shooters aloft swept
the decks of the Scraps with musketry.-
Such was the vigor of this 1re OF musketry
that at length no man was seen on the enemy's
deck. Then the men of the Bon Homme
formed line along the main yard, ard passed
hand grenades to the man at the end, who
dropped them down into the hold of the Sera-
pis, doing tremendous execution. For three
hours the battle ragged. The Bon HOmme
Richard was still leaking faster than the pumps
could clear her. The Scraps was on fire in
three places. The pump of the Bon Homme
Richard was shot away, and then a new dan
ger threatened her. She had gone into action
with nearly five hundred prisoners in her
steerage, and when the pump was shot away,
the officers In charge of the prisoners, suppos-
ing the ship sinking, released them. At this
moment boarding party from the Scraps
sprang up the sides of the Bon Homme Rich
ard.
This was the crisis of the battle. Captain
Jones never faltered. The boarders were
CALAMITY repulsed; the prisoners were driven
below, and the fight was renewed. At half
past ten in the evening, the British ship be-
ing on fire In many places, her captain struck
his colors. The Bon Homme Richard was so
completely knocked to pieces, that she could
not be kept aAoat. She sank the next day,
and Captain Jones went into port in the cap
tured ship, with seven hundred prisoners.
This great victory raised his fame to the
highest point. The King of France gave him
magnificent diamond-hilted sword, and Con-
gress voted him gold medal. After the war
was over, the Empress of Russia invited him
to join her navy with the rank of Rear-Ad-
miral. He accepted the post, but the jeal-
.ousies and intrigues of the Russian naval off,
GERS disgusted him to such a degree that he
resigned and returned to Paris. The last
years of his life were passed In obscurity.-
He died at Paris In 1902
Paul Jones was q short, thick set, active
man, of great streLgth and endurance. He
had keen bright eye, with look OF wild
ness In it. His voice was soft and gentle. In
his dress, and in the equipage OF his boat and
ship, he was something Of dandy. In brav-
cry and tenacity of purpose he has never been
surpassed, but in the intercourse Of private
life he was one Of the most amiable and polite
oi meD. gA aa 5a