The National tribune., 1898-05-12

| tered ready for boarding; a few being sen,
into the main and foretops; while what
| remained of the French marines were
formed on the Richards high poop-deck
whence their muSketry commanded the
! forecastle and waist of the Scraps so com
wholly untenable.
At this moment Pearson hailed to in
CURE of Jones if he had struck. This
| was natural enough, as firing had totally
ceased from the Richards main battery
her ensign gaff had been shot away, the
| flag was trailing in the water over the
stern, and her upper decks presented a
! scene of great confusion.
Jones himself in his official report to
DR.. Franklin, says:
THE English Commodore now hailed to
/ ask if demanded quarter, and answered
| the hail with the most determined mega
! tive
Pierre Gerard who was Jones's Orderly
| OF the day, and of course was with him all
the time, says in his Memoirs de Combat:
| "Ence moment erie lie Captain anglais
! avez vOuS amene vOtre pavilion? anGucl
ferocement a repOndu lie commodore Jones:
! Non, je vais a L instant commencer lie
| combat
| AS Jones answered Pearson in English
the above is, of course Pierre Gerard S
translation of il into French
Nathaniel Tanning says:
The English commander now hailed,
to ask If we had surrcndcrcd; to which
our commander replied, No; I've just be-
! gun to fight
Capt Pearson in his official report, made
after he was exchanged, says:
II did not hear the answer distinctly,
but one of my Midshipmen did, and told
me what it was; the reply of a man des-
perate enough to sink with his ship along
side"
L.. r{D h.
fore the cOurt-martial which tried him for
losing his ship, says he heard this reply
but for the moment persisted in thinking it
were bravadO, etc.
A DESPERATE MANUVER.
To any seaman it will be at once ap-
parent that JoneS'S manuver of wearing
around the bows of his enemy was {; most
daring and desperate resort. If he failed
To CROSS he would be no better of than be-
fore. If he crossed too far the Scraps
would in her turn cross his stern and rake
him; and not only that, but she would also
gain the weather gage on the opposite tack
from the Richard, whose comparatively
dull sailing and slow handling would pre-
vent her from ever rccaining her advantage.
The Scraps would then have chosen her
position, when her heavy hammerinC must
have sunk or rather have finished the
sinking of the Richard inside of an hour.
ms was the sort OF Il chance Jones lad
taken, 10 To one against him, but he had
beaten the odds, got the one chance in 10,
and he took a new lease Of battle.
While all this was happening on the
deck of the Richard some OF the Americans
who had gene INFO the niaintcp after aban-
donipg their gums in he main deck battery,
passed up the tucket Of hand erenades
and Acting Gunner Henry Gardrer, Of
Nantucisct-one bol'er then his fellow
braves-iay cut Cn the main yard to the
earring fer the purpose Ct dropping them
down the rain hat cllwoy OF the Scraps,
which the chard's yardarm nearly over
hung. After several attempts he succeeded
in getting a iei3:ed grenade dewn through
the hatc.ICs to the lower gun-deck of the
Scraps, wien instantly a frightful ex-
plCSi0E occurred.
he pGwcer division Of the English ship
had done their duty too well, bringing up
frCI lie magazines faster than
they were EceGcd. ard the surplus was
strung along the deck in wake Of the guns:
some Of the cartridges having been broken
open by tramplng or careless handling, so
that loose powder stTewej the deck. Henry
Gardncr's hand grenade fred this train,
blowing up the whole row of cartridges
from end to end of the deck, killing and