The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-02

fessed that such record is quite thu
thing for our naval officers. Then there
was IL Lieut.. -Comdr William T..
| Truxtun who did excellent service in
Albemarle sound and on the Atlantic
coast in the civil war, and today there is
in the service Lieut.. William Truxtun.
Preble is one of the Oldest names in
American naval history, for it was
Edward Preble who was in the Massa-
chusetts state cruiser Protection, which
in 1850 had desperate action with the
British privateer Admiral Duff. 1t was
in the Tripolitan war, however, that
Preble added luster to American naval
prowess. The name was continued in the
navy by George Henry Preble, who saw
service in the civil war and afterward
became rear-admiral. He wrote his
tory of the American flag, which every
American ought to read. The only
Preble in the navy to-day is Frank b.
Preble. acting carpenter.
1t is too bad that here is no representa-
tive of John Paul Jones in our navy.
There was j. P. Jones in the confeder-
ate navy in the civil war, but he was
careful to spell his name 81. Penn broke
JONES'"
There have been plenty of Joneses In
the navy, however, sufficient to supply
all deficiencies, and nearly all of them
were great fighters, too. Jacob Jones
captured the Frolic in one of the most
brilliant actions in naval history and
Thomas ap Catsby Jones was at one
time In Uncle Sans service, but after
ward in the confederate navy. The way
he handled the Msrrimac in Hampton
Roads on March and Q, 1862, threw a
chill over the whole North. There was a
Jones on the Union side also, Comdr. M.
P. Jones. One might thing that there
was surfeit of Joneses in the navy to-
day, but the latter day naval Joneses are
select and strictly exclusive family,
only three of chem. being in the line.
cambridge also Is a name that usually
arouses American pride, and properly SO.
1t was William cambridge who by his
ready wit saved two of Uncle SANS war
ships from capture by the French and in
consequence was cast into French
dungeon at Guadalupe. Again, at Tripoli
he was in the Inflated Philadelphia.
captured by the Turks, and was kept in
bondage Is months. But finding that
sleep in in noisome cells was not the most
comfortable way of achieving greatness,
cambridge got hold of the frigate Con-
stitution and captured the Java. That
he got entirely over the idea of serving
his country in dungeons is shown by the
fact that on his deathbed he called for
his sword and pistols, and his last words
were Board the enemyP' Bairbridge's
young brother Joseph was plucky fell
low. He was the one who, at Malta in
1903, challenged Sir Alexander Balls
secretary to duel because the latter had
said, 'tThose Yankees will never stand
the smell of POWDER The secretary got
the worst Of the argument and died.
Joseph was not fortunate in the war Of
1912, for in his first independent COM
mand. ths new Frolic, he was overtaken
by O British squadron and captured. It
is lucky that old Sir Alexander did not
know of it at the time, or he might have
reminded Joseph of the loss of his secre-
tary. The name is now represented in
the navy by Capt. William Brainbridge.
Hoff
Perhaps the most remarkable family of
naval officers is that of Selfridge. There
are to-day four generations of Selfridges
in Uncle Sans navy. The first is Rear
Admiral Thomas o. Selfridge who was
appointed in 1918. Then there is Rear
Admiral Thomas o. Selfridge, Jr., ap-
pointed in 1851. Following him are
Lieut-Comdr. James r. Selfridge and
Naval Cadet Selfridge.
Equally interesting is the Stevens
family, the first of that name being
Thomas Holdup Stevens, one of the
heroes of the battle of Lake Erie, his son,
Thomas Holdup Stevens, the late rear
admiral, having taken a creditable part
in the battle of Mobile bay. The rear
admiral's son. also named Thomas Hold
up Stevens. Is now a lieutenant-com-
mander in the navy.
More than half of Americas early
naval heroes are represented in the navy
to-day, SO that with such proportion of
the old stock in the new blood America
need feel no surprise at such deeds as that
performed by Dewey at Manila, and can
confidently look forward to even greater
Victories