The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-18

manned on deck, going now to the taffran
for support.
And there he stood as his men shot away
the headgear OF the enemy. Her foremost
went next and then her maintopmast She
was all but helpless now, and a little later
it was at $3.50 oclOck-the mizzenmast
swayed for an instant TO the lee roll of
the ship. and then with swish and crash
over II went.
The firing ceased. A silence that was
broken only by the walls and shrieks Of
the wounded took the place of the roar
of battle. The towering cloud of smoke
thinned and foated away down. the wind
revealing the Java as a worthless hulk.
rolling to the long swell of the southern
trades.
boat-"one of the only two remain
ing'-was sent over TO the wreck and
when IL came back it was loaded with Of
hcers with gorgeous uniforms from the
beaten ship Commodore cambridge still
leaning on the rail- watched her silently
as she came wabbling over the seas, I'M
I'll his eyes fell on the commanding figure
OF man seated to face the Constitution.
Then, grasping the arm of lieutenant
who stood by his side, the commodore
pointed to the officer in the coming boat
ana said eXcitedly; THAT is the identi-
cal officer l saw in my dream"
Nor was that all, for as the commodore
recalled the whole matter the details OF
the battle as he dreamed of II correspond
ed exactly with those Of the one Just end
ed
AS the reader will remember. the officer
pointed out by Commodore cambridge was
Lieut.. Thomas Hisop. who had been APP
pointed governor Of Bombay and was
being conveyed to his post by the Java.
Something akin to this story of the lava
nght Is told of Capt. Charles Stewart
When ON the last cruise the Constitution
made in the war of 1912, but this is the
story of what may be called a waking
dream-a presentment rather than a vision
OF the sleeping brain. Ii was on Feb 10
1870 ana While the Constitution was run
ming free en- route from the coast of Spain
toward the Madeira Islands in search Of
British ships She had then been two
months and two days out of Boston ana
had done nothing but capture a couple Of
merchant ships 1t was right hard luck
in the minds of her officers and the one
topic that engrossed their minds and con-
versation was this hard luck
So il happened that as number of them
gathered an the starboard gangway at
about noon on the 18th and the usual sub
Ject was broached. Capt. Stewart over
heard what they said. Stopping beside the
group. he said in way that carried con-
Viction. II assure gentlemen, that before
the sun again rises and sets you Will be
engaged In battle with the enemy, and 1t
will not be with a single ship"
This was at noon on Feb. 49, 1915. The
next day, late in the afternoon, the Brit
lsh ships Cyane and Levant were met
Taken together they were not a fair
match for old lronsides but pluck and per-
sistence made right good substitutes for
metal in those days. and as night shut
down on tho sea at it they went at
Vu
penetration needed. The smoke soon hid
the ships from each other, but as the
Constitution forged ahead of one of the
British ships to range up beside the other.
the one behind luffed up to cross the Yam
KEGS stern. The Constitution was caught
in chancery, so to speak, and tack or
wear as he might, he was sure to catch
a raking fire that would splash his deck
with Yankee blood. But Charles Stewart
was the man for that or any emergency.
afoat and throwing the sails on main and
mizzen fiat aback, he drove the Consu-
tuition stern on until he bluffed off the ex-
ultng Englishman that was behind him
and raked him instead-raRed him with
such slaughter that surrender soon fell
lowed
People a plenty have been found to sneak
of Capt. Stewards belief in presentiments
as idle superstitions but when his ability
as sailorman was mentioned the best of
them took off their hats in honor OF this
achievement.
Another story of a sailors dream re-
lates to the death of Com. Oliver Hazard
Perry. AS will be remembered, Perry went
down among the Spanish West Indies in
1919, to suppress the piracy rampant there
He sailed with the John Adams and the
Nonsuch. while the Constellation was or
dered to follow some time later. He was
obliged, first of all, to see the authorities
of Venezuela about some depredatons
committed by their cruisers, and, accord
ingly, he went up the Oronoco 800 miles
TO Angostura. He was successful in his
mission but it was accomplished during
the heat Of the tropical summer, and the
climate was more than Perry could IN
dure. He was taken with fever on his way
down the river, and he died as his ship
was arriving at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Meantime The Constellation, Capt. A. s..
Wadsworth, was en- route TO join Perry
al Trinidad and on Aug. "a Capt. Wads-
worth had a dream that was most inn
pressive.
He seemed to be pacing the quarterback
of his ship. and looking at the sea and
sky with admiring eyes, when, with some
little stir a man came. on board at the
weather gangway. Looking in that direc-
ton he saw that 1t was Capt. Gordon, who,
as he knew, had been dead some years,
out w duSMOIll was III iO Wise hlot
or astonished at seeing him After greet
ing, Gordon said:
"Where are you bound?"
81 am going out as Perry'e captain"
replied Wadsworth, "he will hoist his flag
on board at Trinidad"
mo" said Gordon, that you must not
expect to see, for Perry now belopgs. to
my squadron. Look around and you will be
convinced"
He pointed over the side of the ship.
Capt. Wadsworth looked in the direction
indicated and saw what appeared to be a
harbor, with a town and a fort. The flags
of the ships In port and on the fort were
at half mast. Minute guns were firing.
Presently two or three boats came from
behind a man-of-war at anchor in the har-
Dor. They were filed with officers and the
crews rowed slowly and with mufIed oars
Another boat carrying band that Played
a dead march next appeared and after this
st.ll another boat that bore coffin shroud-
ed in black and bearing a naval hat and
Al