The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-09

were driven back and the water pumped
| out. The scows began to rise and the
battleships were lifted. The first time the
| lifting was not enough. The whole pro-
gramme had to be repeated. with danger
| that the enemy would appear at any mo.
ment. II happened, however. that the en-
envy was on shore, being entertained at
dinner. This, by the way. was the only
| piece of good fortune that befell Perry
Perry cruised up and down for some
days. He couldn't find the enemy. This
wait gave Lieut.. Jesse ID. Elliott and $50
men time to arrive from the Constitution
! and be taken to the Niagara in small
boats This detachment of fresh troops
added vigor to Perry's valor. This made
MIN entirely ready. With his ten wooden
| Warships he turned his course to the head
OF the lake, bound to bring back the enemy
or go to the bottom. He got as far as the
Islands opposite Sandusky and put in for
harbor. He sighed to get his eye on the
| British fleet but the British fleet was
hiding up the Canadian shore waiting for
! the completion of the ship Detroit The
| Detroit was finished early In September
| SID down the lake to join the others and
| proudly led the squadron of six vessels in
the direction of Perry's flotilla. The look
out on the Lawrence shouted the approach
OF the line at sunrise on the 10th. Capt
barclay was In command. He had the
! Detroit with nineteen guns; the Queen
! Charlotte, with seventeen; the Lady Pre-
vost with thirteen; the Hunter. with ten:
Little Belt, with one The number of
| guns was about equal. Barclay had had
! one arm shot off with Nelson at Trafalgar
Neither he nor Perry had a white flag
aboard. 1t was win or die.
Barclay opened fire at long range from
the Detroit. Perry had nothing with which
TO make reply. The air sang with flying
shells b., -fr-,
action All the canvas was stretched. \
| light breeze picked up his fleet and bore
! his crafts straight into the enemy's line
! about noon. He called for canister The
guns of the Lawrence belched from both
sides of the ship. They poured deadly fire
| into the Detroit from one side and into
the Queen Charlotte from the other Perry,
broad shouldered, clear eyed defiant. pac-
ed the deck. Not a man flinched The
squadron became logged in with smoke.
The Lawrence sailed in the very midst OF
the British squadron. Its business was 10
take care of the most formidable. A bu-
gle signal gave each of the other ships UNI
der Perry a specific target for its guns.
lie drove the Lawrence on until It was
half musket shot from the Detroit The
balls came crashing through the bulwarks
Splinters pierced the gunners and sailors.
Men fell by the dozen. Dead bodies were
brushed aside by men who waded in HUI
man blood to take their places. Officers
were red from head to foot
The Lawrence began TO culver Not a
brace nor line nor a gun on one side re-
MANNED Perry stood on the upper deck,
loading, aiming and firing his gun until
there were not enough among the living
to handle it. Eighty-three of the crew
or 1O3 had fallen He went 10 the hatch
way and drew from the surgeons, assist
ants. wounded sailors crawled on hands
and knees to grasp the ropes of the gun
tackles. The force had been annihilated
or was below, dying Perry called the
chaplain and the purser. The three fired
the last gun. The Lawrence was swept
by a broadside and reeled. The huh was
riddled, the masts gone and the bowsprit
shot away.
Berry had worn a blue Jacket all dav.
He hastily put on the coat of his rank
Slid down the side of the ship to the lee of
the storm or iron and dropped into a
small boat, with four men at the oars.
"A man with musket could have picked
him off at any point In that perous ride
in the open skiff. He was headed for the
Niagara, which was bearing down in his
direction, fresh and unframed by having
Jagged behind during the beginning of the
fight. The round shot, the grape and can.
lister stirred up the water all about him
He stood conspicuous In the front of the
He pulled off his coat and stopped tha
leak. His courage was an Inspiration The
American cheer rose above the roar of
cannon. Perry reached the Niagara and
scrambled up the ladder to the deck The
torn blue pennant he had brought from the
Lawrence was run up to the peak. He
dispatched a small boat to bring close up
all the fleet. He ordered all sails spread
and drove the Niagara farther into the
roaring caldron. He had the Lady Provost
and the Chippewa and the Detroit on the
left and the Queen Charlotte and the
Hunter on the right He gave them double
shot as ne passed. The crew of the Lady
Provost fled below in dismay. The Detroit
and Charlotte got fouled with one another
and Perry raked both of them at once
They were crippled. Perry drove the Ma
CARA within pistol range of the decks Tho
Caledonia and the little schooners plunged
into the fray at this moment, bui the day
was won. A man appeared on the British
flagship with white handkerchief tied to
boarding pike in token of surrender
The British feet was ours.
Perry sat down a moment to think. The
deck of his second flagship was strewn
with gallant dead. He drew from his
pocket an old letter. He wrote message
to Gen. Harrison on the back:
I'VE have met the enemy and they are
ours. Two ships, two briggs, one schooner
and one sloop. Yours, with very great re-
spect and esteem, o. H. Perry"
The news spread over the country as
fast as courier and horse and express could
bear IL. The people were wild with JOY.
Bells were rung. Public meetings were
held from end to end of the country and
tokens voted to the young hero. The
LAWRENCE and the Niagara are rotting in
the mud outside the Erie harbor The
Detroit was bought by hotel-keepers at
Niagara, and for a time was used for an
advertisement. Then ID was sent over
the falls in the presence of a great mob of