The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-07-19

BY NOAH BROOKS.

When l was . small youngster,
years ago, We boys used to Ge told
thrilling stories Of what was called
1.-THE last War;" In these later days,
we have had u war on our OWL sOil,
which was, let Us hope, the last war
that we shall ever bc engngesl in as
long ~ the American Republic lasts.
But boys Of an older generation than
this knew 1.-THE Last War" to he the
war between the United States and
Great Britain, now generally CALI i
1.-The War Of lSl:." Happily, though
the contest Was not long one,
Americans can lsx'k with pride ut the
American navy Of thst l%rioal. The
name Of BaiMLridgs, Hull, Decatur,
Porter, Perry, and many oshe, gall
liant sailors, will be remembered u,
long rs the traditions Of the United
states navey endure.
In 1913, the frigate "Es&x," COM
manslesi Ly Captain David Porter,
after committing much havoc upon
the British marine of the Atlantic
.r':,>, "f south America. ~aiissl i~'lsify
around Cape Horn into the Pacific
Dream. Porter lad ry~.'l.esl to- 4 rike
" int" ~ new iiri.l "f "ier:ii"iss
ami, ,:.rryin: in " the Pacific the tir-
.Aucri.1n H., that hul tinittl iron,
tuc n.a..-. cad uf !. n,an-'f-war. h
sw'"..asl i..wn Hlun Ike H'Iiis''
'.:.I /, ut,,sM ami villa crs. causing
tI.il,r,.:",,s ...n-icrllailOn. N";Dt!
i,...i dreamed that Yankees wOu d
dare tU ~ .ntl Il,;ln-Oi-waI 1T" this
distant .e,.. and the British friHnt' ;
wee making things very unu'nif''rt-
able i"r III. Jew American mmr..i,a',
men rn gagged in the Pacific trade.
The arrival Of the "E.<-ex' soon
ci.a',.,.i al, that. Within u year she
ua,i captured four thousand tens OF
.,iti.h shipping, and had tax III f''sr
hundred prisoners. She may Ic said
10 have. .s,st'sist.. ulOn the enemy,
as the vesse! WAS not only supplied
with every thing needed for repairs,
rigging, ammunition, clothing. and
! ruvisiUns. taken from the enemy :
capturd ships. hut the iuen were
paid with money found Oh toard Ot
one "f her prizes.
Orders were given that the E-sex''
must be destroyed, ai al hazards, bv
amy British n,an-of.wur that should
be iortunatc G enough to catch her. hut
the American frigate was fleet, ard
difficult TO catch. Finally, in Fet-
r,,ary, 1Sl4,. the frigate, accompanied
l,y y small craft called the '':ssex
Junior" cruiser made over from
one Of the prizes captured from the
British hy Porter, Gus: anchor in tile
harl,or Vi Valparaiso. Peru. The
Peruvian Government was not then
iuslelxllaicnt, Peru l'ting u province
Of spain. but Valparaiso w.s u
neutral port, although the people "1
Peru. aud the Spanish, also, were
somewhat unfricndiy 10 the An'eri.
cans. 50, when tire British n'en-Ot'
war. the ''Pl.9.De" and the 'Cllerub.' =
entered the tort, It was t.'ler:,i'ly Ger
tain that there would lc u fight
should the " Essex" dare to put out t.
sea.
The Englisnnlen had the redOubt
able Essex" and her little consor'
In y trap. For six weeks, the two
British vessels kept close watch on
the .Ap,,erirans. sailing ~ and dOwi
the coast, just outside Of the entrance
to the hariMr. Finally on the
18th of March, Captain Porter
trusting I" his ability to "utssail eithcI
of the British vassels, ami draw then
away. 80 that the ''Ess,.x Junior
might e-ca. X, set sail and drew cut .
the snch.,rsge. Im doubling = h<ad