Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-17

ish frigate Scraps at that time is one OF
the most renowned on record, and Jones
won his victory by sheer pluck, powers of
command and good seamanship No doubt
in the eyes of the conservative ruler of the
kings '.navee" and those who sympathized
with him the Yankeeized Briton had some
ways that were peculiar, not to say unor'
thOdox.
For instance, after he had parted com.
pany with the sloop Ranger, with which
he swept the English waters in IT'S, Old
Fogyism would have held that he should
find an easy bottomed chair and sit down
until "orders" reached him to 90 to work
again. But Jones was built on different
pattern, and one day while amusing him
self with "Poor Richard Almanac" he hit
upon the motto, "If you want athing done,
go and do it, and started at once to get
the thing nearest his heart-a new vessel
with which to pummel British pride. He
went to Paris, where money and friends
were at the command of the American
cause, and in a short time he had under
his orders an old Indiaman, refitted,
ship -of-war, a merchantmen, brig and
cutter. The Indiaman had American Off
GERS and crew; in fact, the crew was a
motley one. The other vessels were
manned and Differed by Frenchmen.
Jones christened his vessel Poor Richard
in recognition of the incident that took
him to Paris, and this became in French
the Bon Homme Richard. He was made
commander-in-chiefo of the fleet so far as
paper authority could guarantee his
rights, but he found out afterward that
French jealousy could and did evade the
spirit of the written provisions under which
the armament sailed.
Among other original things for naval
officer. Jones overhauled the Richard after
she was delivered to him ready for sea,
Her heaviest guns were 12-pounders, and
she was a single decked ship with but
twenty-eight ports for her twenty-eight
l2s Jones had eight 0-pounders mounted
on the open deck, and also cut twelve ports
below for six lS-pounders to be fought on
either side. These of course could be used
only in a favorable sea. The usual arma
mept for first class vessels at that time wa
1Spounders, and the valiant captain pro
posed to fight anything afloat that bore thu
British flag, hence his anxiety to have
some heavy guns.
After some weeks Of adventure and thu
beating up Of many startling projects tina
were thwarted by the elements-one o
which was to descend upon Ieith, the sea
port Of Edinburgh, and demand ransom
of 600, 600, Jones met a fleet on the 23d o
September, off Flamboro head, on the cas-
coast of England, under convoy of tw
meD-o'war.
The moment this fleet appeared in sigh
the brave commander knew what was be-
fore him, for he had previous knowledge Q
the vessels and their strength. His ow
feet had been reduced to three vessels-th
Richard. the man-o'-war Alliance and tn
merchantmen Pallas. Signals were a
once set upon the Richard for n chase. Tn
Alliance was the fastest vessel and she
ahead, her captain saying to the captain
the Pallas that if one of the stranger
proved to be a fifty gun vessel they 9TH
Americans) had nothing to do but ru
away. As soon as the Alliance had a goo
view of the Englishmen she hauled up an
stood for land. The Pallas, misunderstood
ing a movement of the Richard, did q
same. The Richard alone moved on u
enemy, which proved to be the Scraps