The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-17

Correspondence The St Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, April 14.-Our navy
at Key West, stripped for battle, has
been likened to a collection of bulldogs
held in leash, and straining to break
loose to get at the object of their
enmity. Cartoonists have made use of
the illustration again and again of late,
in various forms, but founded on the
same idea. The cartoonists have at
least this fact upon which to base their
sketches; that the past history of the
United States navy has been one of
glorious successes, and if Uncle Sans
jackies need any stimulant it is easily
found for them in the history of Amer
ica's navy, every page of which is
stirring story with victory won by
dauntless courage as the subject mat
Ter.
Looking at the list of men who COM
mand the magnificent ships that are
now under the American flag. we find
names that have become a household
word wherever courage is admired. For
instance, commanding the magnificent
hattleship Iowa is c. pit. # ghting Bob
Evans; ON the quarter deck OF. the first
class cruiser Brooklyn is Capt F. A
N'pfAs N'ii4tiletl-OtiS lLS bdIlSSnlD In
diana is Capt. II. C. Taylor: in COM
mand of the second-class battleship
Texas is Capt. J. W. Philip: Capt F.
=. Chadwick is the chief officer of the
flagship New York; commanding the
commerce destroyer Minneapolis is
Capt. 7. F. Jewell. Old sea dogs who
Will be in command of squadrons and
special stations are Commodore W.
Schley, Rear Admiral Sicard. in charge
of the North Atlantic station; Rear
Admiral c. s. Norton. commanding the
navy yard at Washington. and Can't.
w. T. Sampson, with the fleet at Kew
West.
Heroes of Fifty Years Hence.
Fifty years or so from now it is pos
sible that the names of these men will
he enshrined in the hearts of the Amer
lean people as are those of Paul Jones.
Stephen Decatur, Capt. Perry, Admiral
Farragut and Capt. Winslow, of Kear-
sarge fame.
OF Paul Jones' victories there are
enough and to spare. That with which
his name is most gloriously associated
is the fight between the Bon Homme
Richard and the Scraps, off Flambor-
eUgh Head, England. Jones, Scotch
man by birth, but a citizen of the
United States. commanded a motley
crew, comprising almost a score of
different nationalitieS. The shin on
which he sailed was a crazy old hulk
that had been presented to the United
States by France, by which country
she had been previously purchased from
Holland. Her guns could not be fired
without endangering the life of every
man on board. With this extraordinary
craft. Paul Jones engaged the Serapis.
on the evening of September 90, 1779.
When the fighting began the vessels
were a few hundred feet apart. For an
hour and half the Bon Hom1ne Rich
ard withstood the broadsides of the
Scraps. Not only did the English shot
crash her rm-eaten sides, until she
was little else but splintered wood, but
again and again the guns of Paul
Jones vessel burst, killing and wound
ing many of the crew. To make mai
tiers worse, besides the bursting guns.
Jones had another internal enemy in
the shape of two hundred English pris-
Oners, who were threatening to break
loose and capture the ship. With shot
and shell crashing on him from the
outside, the water pouring in and
threatening to sink him and the pris-
oners on the point of rising Jones
might have been forgiven for hauling
down his colors. He was made of diff
ferent metal, however. With threats of
sinking them with the ship he induced
the English prisoners to man the