The age-herald., 1898-05-08
SaIamls Bealns the LonQ Roll, and

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 Although naval warfare had been prac- invasion of Greece. and although history records how one Erythras In very early times made himself master of the Red sea and monopolzed its commerce to the ex- clusion of the Egyptian, not to speak of the semi-mythical exploits of Jason and others. it is with the expedition of the great Persian king that the history of naval warfare, properly speaking, begins. The worlds record of great naval battles opens with Salamis. I
 The engagement took place in October, 4S0 B. C., in the narrow strait that sep arates the Island of Salamis from the Attic mainland. The Grecian fleet consisted of sSO small war galleys, the largest of which was of but fifty oars and carried only eigh- teen fighting men. The Persian fleet was probably more than twice as large. and powerfully manned. The vessels composing it were considerably higher than the Greek galleys, but they were proportionately less active All the vessels were open boats without decks. The situation was fraught with peril for the Greeks xerxes had so disposed his fleet that If the Greeks were defeated In the first contact their destruc- ton was certain. A portion of his fleet bridged over the sea from Phalerum, on the mainland. almost to the island of Thalamis effectually closing the eastern entrance to the Straits; a second portion was drawn up along the Attic coast to the foot of the rocky promontory of Egaleos, where the throne from which Xerxes proposed to view 1o fad. md rd portion had been sent around the island to cut off the Greek vessels should they att tempt to escape by the western mouth of the Strait. Yet the situation had this ad- vantage for the Greeks in the narrow strait the Perslans were unable to display their whole force.
 The Greek galleys had been lying on the beach of Salamis. On the morning of the goth they set out in single line of battle with the full impetus of wind and oars to meet the enemy. The Persian galleys ad- vanced in triple line and received the at- tack with such undaunted vigor that the Greeks faTtered and their galleys backed water almost to the beach of Salamis. Sud- denly an Athenian galley darted forth from the Greek line and rammed one of the enemy's vessels. The two boats became entangled, and the Athenian captain soon found himself surrounded by the Persian ships and unable to retreat. But the Greeks rushed to the rescue. Their whole line bore down once more upon the Per slans and the fight became general. The men-at-arms boarded the Persian vessels, overpowering the Persian spearmen and staying the rowers. The sea round about was soon covered with broken oars and wreckage, to which the Persians, few of whom could swim. clung in desperation. Knowing that they were under the eye of Xerxes, the Persians fought fiercely, but the sluggishness of their vessels and the confusion due to plurality of command CTS, completely disconcerted them. Under the well-directed efforts of the Greeks, who E were under one supreme commander, the first row of the Persian line broke. The crippled galleys backed water or veered. Meanwhile, the second and third rows were pushing to the front, and when these were the defeated first row the whole Persian line was thrown into one inextricable tam gle. The Greeks. by skilful manoeuvring broke up this confused mass into groups. which they surrounded. burning and sink ing the galleys. Those of the Persian gal leys that escaped the Athenians fled panic stricken toward Phalerum. but were met on the way by the Egintan fleet. which destroyed many of them, By afternoon the sea where the battle was fought could not be seen for the wreckage. Two hundred Persian vessels had been sunk and their crews either cut down or drowned. The Greeks lost forty galleys. the crews of which were mostly saved. The Greek fleet retired to Salamis for the night, expecting to renew the battle on the next day, but when the morning of the Fist dawned the Persian fleet had disappeared.
 It was more than 200 years after this that the Romans. during the first Punic war, turned their attention to naval affairs Many improvements had been introduced into naval warfare in the meantime, though the general method of sea fighting was the same as at the time of Salamis. Carthage was the great marine power of the west ern Mediterranean, while the Romans had not so much as the beginnings of a navy. In the War for Sicily" however. the struggle had gone so far that the Romans, their land forces having taken possession of the island, could do nothing more against Carthage unless they attacked her on her own element, the sea- They at once began, therefore, the construction of a fleet A Carthaginian war galley which had by chance stranded on their shores, served them as a model. While the galleys were building a sufficient number of men were trained to man them. Benches were erect ed on land and rowers taught to use the car before they had even been on the sea. In short time the Romans had equipped fleet of 120 war galleys and 10000 rowers and soldiers. But they were lacking in skill and experience. and were beaten in their first engagemnt. The Roman com mander, the Consul Gajus Duilius, at once exerted himself to find some way of neu- tralizing the superiority of the Cartha- ginians in naval tactics. This he effected by the invention of the "corvus." sort of bridge suspended over the bow of the ves- sells, which could be let down upon the en- emy's ships