Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-06-09
TORPEDO BOAT NAMES.
Each One Bears the Name of an Oficer
Who Distinguished Himself
by Unusual bravery.

Could a torpedo boat have = more ap-
propriate name than the Cushing, which
commentaries the gallant union leu
tenant who destroyed the ironclad Al
bermarle at the risk of almost certain
death, and whose work was the fore
runner of that which his steel name
sake is expected To do?
The Porter bears a name that fills the
American tan with pride and recalls the
only sea fight that ever touk place be-
tween the United States and Spain. 1t
was in 1906 that Commodore David POr-
ter, then only 20 years old, fought l.
Spanish gunboats with the single ship
Enterprise aud gave them more than
they wanted. The engagement took
place Just OFF Gibraltar, and, although
the enterprise made no captures, her
plucky commander emerged from the
unequal contest with a whole skin and
an uninjured ship.
The Foote is named for the brave and
pious old admiral who first taught the
Celestials that there was nation -
this side of the world that knew how to
fight. II was in 1856, when the English
and Chinese were at war, that the Chi
nese forts fired on Foote'S ships, which
were there to protect American inter
estS.
The doughty commander demanded
an instant apology. When it was not
forthcoming he landed his men and led
them against the four forts. Their
seycn-foOt walls of granite were pro-
tected by many guns and contained
5000 Chinese soldiers, but Foote cap
tured them with 400 Americans and
lost but 40 men, against the enemy
loss of 400.
The Dupont is named for the naval
leader of the Mexican war aud the
Winslow for the commander of the IA
nous old kearsarge. The Rodgers COM
memorates one of the naval heroes of
1872. The Ericsson bears a name which
revolutionized naval warfare when its
owner built the Monitor and sent her
against the much-feared Merrimac in
Hampton Roads
Our newest torpedo boat, the ore
which was recently bought in England
and which has not yet been brought to
this side of the Atlantic, is called the
Somers. The name of Commander Rich
| ard Somers is not SO familiar ms that OF
Cushing, yet it Is connected with an ac-
ton as glorious In its courage and more
unfortunate in its outcome than that
which made Lieut.. Cushing famous.
In the year 1904, when the United
States was fighting the Barbary pirates,
Somers manned fireship loaded with
gunpowder and combustibles and sailed
her into the harbor of Tripoli at night
to destroy the enemy's ships. Before
he started on his perilous mission he
said to his little crew of volunteers:
Let no man go with me who does
not prefer death TO surrender" Not a
man of the crew drew back.
The ship and its men fioated silently
away in the darkness, and their com
rades waited long and anxiousiy for
some sign to tell of their fate. At last
the enemy's batteries on shore began ia
fire, and pickering light was seen in
the direction which the fireship had
taken. In an instant it blazed up into a
| flash that lighted the whole harbor. and
there was an explosion which rocked
the American ship mile away. Then
the darkness settled down again.
In the morning one of the enemy's
ships had disappeared and two others
were disabled, but Somers and his com.
panions were never seen again. 1t is
believed that Somers blew up the mag.
azine of his ship with his own hand and
persisted in order to accomplish his OBJ
| ject.-Boston Globe.