The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-10
SAYINGS OF SEA HEROES.
Phrases That Have Become Part of Ameri.
can History.
New York SUM-

New York Sum-
During the 1879 years of the existence of
the nation the Commodores, Captains
and other officers of the navy have made
a magnificent contribution Of patriotic
phrases to literature. AS the terse en-
bodiment of popular sentiment in trying
situations and emergencies, they are not
surpassed by expressions of like charac-
ter in any language.
The sea lighters started In this line at
the very beginning of the Revolution, in
fact, before that tremendous struggle
with the mother country was begun.
Capt. Whipple, of Providence, r. L., for
instance, when notified in ITS by Sir
James Wallace of tie British frigate Rose
that he would be strung up at the yard
arm for having burned his Majesty's ship
Gaspee, sent the laconic reply to Sir
James:
always catch man before you hang
him.
The lion-hearted Whipple, who. in the
preceding war with France in his pri-
vateer Gamecock captured in a single
year twenty three French prizes, voiced
in that defiant answer the sentiments of
all the rebels in the colonies that catching
them was an essential preliminary to the
hanging business.
Who first raised the American flag on
ship Of war is one of the disputed ques-
tions of history. John Adams claimed
the honor for Capt. John Manly, New
Highlander. Paul Jones asserted that amy
hand first hoisted the American flag"
he was then Lieutenant on the frigate
Alfred. There were several American
flags at the time and Paul Jones does not
describe his particular one. Some his
torians think it was the pine tree and
rattlesnake flag with the motto, IAN ap.
peal to God; don't tread on me.' Others
assert that it was a flag consisting of
thirteen stripes, with the motto, ''Don't
tread on me- and rattlesnake stretched
diagonally across them.
II have not yet begun to fight" was
one of Paul Jones famous replies to a
British Captain with whom he had been
fiercely engaged for over an hour and
who desired to know if he had surren
dered. 1t was not Paul Jones who sur
rendered whsn the battle came to an end,
That was the celebrated engagement be-
tween the Scraps and the Bonhomme
Richard. The Captain OF the Scraps hav-
ing been knighted for his gallantry on
that occasion by George Ill, Panl
Jones, when he heard of the promotion,
Enthusiastically remarked:
''Neyer mind; if I meet him again I'll
make a lord of him."
The first Commodore of the young
American navy was Capt. John Barry
in the spring cf 1881 he was hailed by a
British ship on his way from Havana. To
the inquiry as to his identity, he replied:
"The United States ship Alliance,
Saucy Jack Barry, half Irishman, half
Yankee. What are you?''
"Not the value nor the command of the
whole British fleet conld tempt me fro n,
the American cause, was The reply of
Barry to Lord Hows, in 1776, when the
latter offered him Is, 600 guineas and a
commission in the English navy 20 Join
the royal cause. Equally patriotic was
the reply of the captive American sailor,
Nathan Coffin, when asked to enter the
to the yardarm, but do not ask me to be-
come traitor to my country" g
Stephen Decatur was one of the brayest
men that ever walked the quarter deck.
His famous toast at public dinner in
Norfolk. Va, in 1916, "Our country In
her intercourse with foreign nations may
she always be in the right but our coun-
never said or done anything else, have
won him place in the memory of his
countrymen The destruction by him OF
the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of
Tripoli was declared by Lord Nelson to
be "the most bold and daring act of the
age.''
Decatur was as generous as he was
brave. IT cannot" said he to Capt.
Garden, of the Macedonian, as the latter
offered to surrender his sword, "take the
sword of a man who has so bravely de-
Tended his ship, but I'll thank you for
that hat
This was in the 1912 war, and the ref
erence to the hat was reminder of a bet
between this two officers, made previous
to the breaking out of hostilities. in re-
gard to the fighting powers of their ships
AT the first fire the Macedonian lost her
mizzenmast. Hearing a sailor remSrk to
one of his mates that "they had made a
brig of her." Decatur added:
''Take good aim, my lads, at the
mainmast, and Well make sloop of
her, "a
To the hal of squadron Of Algerine
pirates, whilo cruising in the Mediter-
ranean, of 6Dove andate9". Where are
you going?) Decatur from his lone ship
answered back, "Dove mi place." (Where
l please), and they let him go. Towards
the close OF the Algerine war one of their
Captains sought for delay in order to gain
some advantage.
"Not a minute" replied Decatur, with
a threat to capture a privateer squadron If
his terms were not complied with in
stanter.