Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-10-16
4 BoY COMMANDER.


BOY COMMANDER.
Richard J. Cleveland soon became a cap
tain, and was one Of the most daring and en-.
terprising OF the hardy navigators who first
made our flag known and respected the
world over. At twenty-iour he found him
self in France, and buying little vessel on
two years credit, ne gave foreigners speci-
men of American pluck and enterprise by
undertaking a voyage to the Isle of France
by way OF the Cape OF Good Hope This YOy-
age was full of adventure and was followed
by others quite as daring and more success
iul, so that after an absence OF seven years
he returned home with $4,000 or seven
times the original capital. He had sailed
twice around the world, and encountered
perils that modern navigat0rs know nothing
OF. As one reads the chronic. @, IN his own
clear English, OF adventures with mUtlDeers
aud Malay pirates, privateers aud Oregon
savages, 1t is hard 10 realize that this il a true
description OF the ocean as it was not more
than eighty years ago.
The book is almost an autobiography, but the
son has given the details Of many adventures
that the mOdesty of the father mad prevented
him from emphasizing. Several OF these in
cidents show the daring ,lrit of the man 80
well as 10 be worthy UI special mention
here.
On the coast ui China his crew CT escaped
English convicts, shipped al Canton ia the
lack OF better material, plotted a mutiny.
The young captain got wind OF il from a few
faithful men, and when the critical moment
had arrived and the mutineers had gathered
for rush upon their officers, two cannon
were suddenly swung round 50 as to bear
upon them, aud threat Ot grape and CannIs-
ter soon brought peace On another occasion
he seized the ringieader Of mut!neers and
had him tied up TO the rigging When his
followers advanced to rescue him Cleveland
took pistol in each hand, and "meeting
them half way, leisurely laid a rope across the
deck, and threatened with instant death any
man who should dare to cross lLn 1t must
be remembered that these were the days Oi
flint locks, and man with two pistols was
not nearly as formidable as mar with one
revolver would be nowadays.
PRIvATEERs AND PIRATES.
His lie was a long series OF ups and downs
| and the fortunes that he made so rapidly he
| lost with equal ease iOT the seas were crowded
| with the men-ot-war and privateers o.
| France and England, and orders in council
| and Milan DEGREES, thrown back ani forth
| across the British channel, had made the sail
ing of the seas by Americans very danger
| Gus business His vessel was seized on one
| occasion by order OF the British Admira
| COchrane, a simple case of robbery without
| excuse or palliaiiOn. When III a South
| American port another American vessel wa;
| summoned TO surrender by a Spanish meT
| chant ship, very large and mounting eighteen
| cannon. The captain, Rowan, "uaiIed hi
| colors to the mast and told them they nigh
| tire if they pleased" They did not fire Du
| several days after the American vessel wa
| boarded by O mob Of two hundred Spanlard,
| and the crew massacred; the cargo seized by
| the authorities on shore. In those times We
| had no navy. What have We now?
From this nest OF murderers and pirate
| Cleveland escaped with difficulty but found
| the Spanish governors hostile all along tn,
coast. They actually fought a small battl,
with the commsndant Of the port OF San Dieg'
| California, disarming the guard he has
placed on board and silencing the guns o
his fort by well directed broadsides.
his last great enterprise was a voyage /,
South America in command OF large shiI
owned by John jacob AstOr and having
cargo OF great value. A consignment o
muskets which Mr.. AstOr insisted upol
sending in the vessel, gave the Spaniards al
the preteXt needed for its seizure, and droy
the desperate sailor to the planning of one O
the most daring schemes that history records
Nothing less than the seizure of a Spanisl
frigate ana the revolutionizing OF the king
dom OF Peru. This project was carefully
planned and only failed because the winC
fell and dead calm held the vessel motion
less.
Truly 1t is not wonderful that he best an,
ablest men OF the time should have iOineC
with Robert Fulton in pTOcaiming, 9TH
liberty OF the seas will be the happiness O
the earth"
Quicksilver Bob,
"rhe Lie OF Robert Fulton aud Histor
OF Steam Navigation is the title OF a ne,
book that is worthy OF more than n passin
notice, first because of local interest in tn
subject of the first half OF the title, and sec
ondly, because Of the excellence of the Who'll
book. The writer, Thomas W. Knox, ha
evidently devoted much time and labor I
II, ana the result is book that can
skinned over and found as full of intere:
as any novel, or may DO read carefully as a
accurate chronicle and commentary on th
marvellous change that steam nRYigatio
has wrought in the memory of living men.
BY way OF encouragement to boys who d
| not prosper at school a little knowledge {
Quicksilver Bob " would 20 "A great way
for bob was poor scholar, and bluntly tol
| his master one day that " his head was S
| full of original notions that there was n
room to store away the contents of dust
| books, The nickname OF "Qlcksi.Ve
Bob" was gained during the revolution
| The gun works OF Christian Isch on the cor
ner OF West King and Prince streets, wher
John f. Weaver's grocery store now stands
were pushed tn their utmost capacity in tn
manufacture of weapons, ana Bob FultOl
passed most OF his time there, designing
guns and calculating the velocity of tho bulle
and range, with an accuracy that astonishst
the workmen. He was known TO be cor
al a..Nf.