The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-29

pull rapidly back to bis friends at the en-
trance to the harbor All this had been
planned withaview'to operating in secre-
cy, without opposition.
What the brave commander determined
upon in the emergency of the sudden dis
covery no one ever knew, form the midst
of the terrific cannonadethere was a flash
that Lit the whole harbor and the war
crowned hills for a second, and a report
that swallowed up the thunders of the
hundred cannon. The magazine had ex-
ploded; what of the mission, what of the
crew of the fire shipe
There was wild alarm In the pasha's lines,
and deafening shrieks and cries. The ex-
plosion was a surprise, and the half civil
lied minions of the Turk were terrified with
alarm. The cannonade ceased instantly;
darkness followed the bright and fitful
flashes, and where a fiery pandemonium
had reigned there came blackness and
mysterious silence What would follow
these startling events?
The three friendly ships, the Argus,
Nautilus and Siren, remained for hours at
the rocky entrance to the harbor watching
and listening for the sound OF the oars that
would warn them Somers and his heroic
band had come back to tell the tale. Time
wore on and no sound. The mist and the
night had thickened and the eye could not
penetrate beyond the ships lights. The
splash of an oar, the clanking of a rowlock
would end the mystery, but these sounds
never came. The brave Decatur, whose soul
knew only GOODNESS m danger, stood ON the
deck of a waiting vessel as one petrified,
so intense was his anxiety. Somers had
been his devoted companion In every en-
gagement at Tripoli- Often some sign or
sound brought hope to the watchers, but
the delusion was vain. Night passed, a
day and another night, Not O shot was
fired. The Tripolitians were mysti6ed, the
Americans were depressed with gloom.
In few days storms drove Commodore
Preble from the coast and operations were
suspended until the spring of 1908. Then
a new squadron under Commodore Rodgers
arrived in the Mediterranean. Rodgers
had powerful force, and land force CO.
operated and entered Tripoh from the
south. The pashs now came TO terms, for
Preole, notwithstanding his failures. had
shown that the American navy could para
I'VE the commerce Of Tripoli if it could
not conquer her territory. Negotiations
took place on Commodore Rodgers flag
sup dbO PbaDc WIS 4 hO OAlOCAo
and crew Of the captAreda frigate Phila-
delphia had been lytnSin prison in Tripoi
since the loss Of their vessel, and from
them was gained knowledge Of the certain
fate of Somers and his men Of the fire ship.
The morning after the explosion thir-
teen bodies Of American seamen dr1fted
into the harbor OF Tr1poli, and the captain
of the Philadelphia was tsken from his
prison to the wharves to identify them.
They were SCARED and burned beyond
recognition, but the circumstance proved
that the Ill fated thirteen had chung to the
Intrepid and net their death In the explo-
sion. Whether that explosion was caused
by shots from the Tripohtan guns, or by
accident on board, or by the design of her
commander is not known. Had Somers car
ried out his threat and blown Der up to save
her from bORzdeFs doubtless some evidence
would have been CLEANED from the Tripod
itan authorities As IL lie their fate stands
y mystery, but the subhmi5y of daring
displayed by the men is a heritage for
American seamen forever.
GEORGE L. kLMER