El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-09-21
NONE TOO SOON.
Few Hours More and California Would
Have Been British.

| Have Been British.
''From all have been able to learn,
said William Hill, of Honesdale, Pa.
in the Chicago Tribune, 81 am the
sole survivor of the United States nava
force that took possession of CAlifornis
and held. it in the interest of our gov
eminent in 1916 l had run away from
my home in Honesdale in 1S43, and
shipped on the whaling vessel Marchs
from New Bedford for three years
cruise in the Indian Ocean. We got a
full cargo OF oil in two years and sailed
bomeward. We touched at Honolulu,
and there L, in company with others OF
he crew, quit the ship. because the
captain insisted on making the long
voyage home without fresh meat on
board. The. United States consul at
jention and the Marcia sailed without
US. Ishipped at Honolulu on the
merchant vessel Ajax, and sailed to
India and back to Honolulu.
"Ole day number of US sailors
we're ashore. We were looking seward
over the coral reef toward Diamond
Head, and sighted United States man
of-war rounding the Head. We had
beard that war had broken out be-
tween our country and Mexico, and we
were all wild to have some kind of
hand in it, The man-of-war cast az Choir
outside the reef, and we gave her
three hearty cheers. She proved to
be the Cayenne, commanded by Capt.
Mervine. A boat came ashore from
the vessel in charge of an officer, who
was looking for men to enter the
United States naval service, for three
years or during the war. We were
getting from S75 to 800 a month in the
merchant service, but wages were no
nhia 10 han Wcr TWAS oOpoarne6 Wa
were eager to enlist, and when the
boat pulled off shore to return to the
vessel [ and three others jumped in
and were hurried off with them. We
signed the enlistment papers On board
ship. Capt. Mervine lost no time in
sailing. l was by far the youngest
person in the crew, being not quite 20
years old.
I'VE sailed straight for Monterey
and arrived n the harbor on July 6,
1916. The frigate Savannah, command
ed by Commodore Sloat, and the
Levant were there The
commodore was waiting for a larger
force. 1t did not come, and the next
day we went ashore and hOisted the
flag over Monterey, putting
out Fremont and his troops. The pro-
clamation of possession was read in
English and Spanish. That's the way
we took California for the United
States, and we did not take it any too
soon. If we lad bsen forty eight hours
later the United States would have
had to fight England or give up all
claim to California, for while the ex-
element over the occupying of Monte |
reg by our forces was at its height, on
July 9, Ia British line battle-of-ship !,
in the offing. She was q |
iormidable-looking vessel, 1 tell you!
She carried more guns than our three |
ships combined. Nevertheless our
order. Every man was at his post, and |
every gun ready to be fred at the |
word. The great British ship sailed |
straight for the harbor, but as she en-
,ered it she tackled and her band struck |
Up Yankee Doodle Our flag ships |
band responded with God, Save the |
Queen The British vessel was under |
,he command of Commodore Seymour. |
He entered boat and was rowed to the |
where he paid his respects |
20 Commodore Sloat.
L see the American flag Is flying |
IN shore, said he. lit were not, |
should Immediately have raised the |
British flag and taken possession of
California in the name of her majesty |
,he queen!'
1.-The people OF California wanted
English protection rather than ours,
and if our little fleet hadn't got there |
s. st and lost no time the history of
those times would read little differ
emily today.
"Two or three days after this episode
Stockton joined our fleet
with the fir gate Congress. 1 was
from the Cayenne to the
Congress- and remained in service on
her until the war was over, helping
protect the California coast. All
through the war British bat leships
lowered about the coast, as well as the
Mexican coast, for some reason or 9TH
er, but they never came as near taking
hand in the game as Seymour did at
At the close of the war the
Congress was at San Diego, and we
gave grand jubilee ball aboard her.
We decorated her with the flags of all
and the old ship looked fine.
We invited the officers and crew of
the British war frigate Grampus,
which lay close by, and many friendly
rancheros, and their
wives and daughters to join in the
and they all did so with
one was able to do thing all next
day. I've danced with women in all
parts of the world, but l never saw
any who were a match for these native
California women who danced aboard
the United States flagship Congress
that gala night
"Soon afterward the Congress was or
dered to San Francisco and placed I'M
der the command of Capt. Avealet the
Independence being made the flagship
Commodore Stockton, with seventy
five men as guard, returned to the east
overland and Capt. Avealet had orders
TO sail to Norfolk, Va, around Cape
Horn. While going round the horn
we were struck one night by tremend-
Gus typhoon The Congress was throw
on her beam ends and all hands were