Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-07-21


evolutions, however, lasted through the
afternoon, and although the ships had
cleared for action at one o'clock in the
day, II was not until seven o'clock, of a
clear September evening, with a great
moon shining in the heavens, that the
two ships came to close quarters. The
Bon Homme Richard fired the first
broadside, which was promptly an
swered, and she was considerably cut
up aloft, and became more difficult to
handle. At the second broadside, her
main deck battery becoming useless,
her sole chance lay in graphing with
the Scraps; otherwise the superior
sail and battery power of the British
frigate would enable her to choose her
distance and destroy the Bon Homme
Richard at her leisure. In trying to lay
the Bon Homme Richard alongside the
Scraps, the two ships came foul, and
Paul Jones, with the assistance of
Stacy, his sailing master, himself
locked the Scraps bowsprit to the Bon
Homme Richards missen mast, shout
ing, at the same moment: Now, my
brave lads, we have her"
The fight, which had ragged furiously,
became hotter. The Bon Homme Rich
ards tops were fully manned, and Paul
Jones had himself taught his topmen
how to fire. They now poured a de-
structive musketry fire upon the Sera-
pis' spar deck, driving the men below;
bnt the lower deck batteries of the
Scraps riddled the hull of the Bon
Homme Richard until the shot passed
completely through from one side to
the other, finding nothing to strike.
The ship, by that time, was leaking
furiously, and was on fire. I'm many
places. Over 100 prisoners in the hold
made dash for the ladders, but Rich
ard Dale, who seems to have been every
where at once in this remarkable fight,
ran below, and at the point of his pistol,
forced them to return, and actually put
them to work at the pumps, thereby
saving the ship. Had the prisoners
dreamed of the vessels conditions, they
could have stepped through the shat
tered parts into the Scraps. One man
did this, and told the Scraps people OF
the condition of the American frigate,
but in the confusion he was either not
noticed or not believed. Three petty
officers on the Bon Homme, thinking
the ship was sinking, ran on deck, cry
ing for quarter, and one of them. as has
been related, was knocked down by
Paul Jones. which effectually silenced
the others. The two ships just then
drifted into a position, when neither
could fire an effective, shot. and were
both enveloped in blanket of smoke
A sudden silence fell, broken by a
voice on the Scraps, shouting out of the
blackness: Have you struck" To
which Paul Jones returned the immor-
tai reply: ave have not yet begun to
fight"
The smoke drifting off, the action
was again renewed with the greatest
fury. The three nine Founders on the
Bon Homme Richard were well worked.
and pounded the Scraps main mast
vigorously, while the American sharp
shooters cleared the spar deck and the
tops of the Scraps, Capt. Pearson alone
bravely remaining on his quarter deck.
At this moment-abouth half past nine
the Alliance, which had been lying off
inactive and out of gunshot, APP
preached, and the Americans consid-
cred the battle won. The Alliance,
however, sailed around the combat
ants. and poured two tremendous
broadsides into the consort, killing and
wounding many men, after which she
disappeared and was no more seen.
The two ships were now in a singular
position. One, the Scraps. was beaten
above, while the other. the Bon Homme
Richard, was beaten below. Each had
caught fire from the other,
but the Bon HomIe Richard was burn
ing and leaking steadily in a dozen
places. The American topmen had
then. climbed into the Scraps tops. as
the two ships lay fast locked together,
and one man. William Robinson by
name, taking a bucket of hand grenades
crawled out to the end of the main
ward of the Bon Homme Richard. which |
Law directly over the main hatch of the |
Scraps, and coolly fastening his bucket
to the shutblock, began throwing his
rrenades down the hatchway. The |
first one rolled down the hatch. and
striking a row of cartridges. left en-
posed by the carelessness of the pow
der bows. frightful explosion took
place. IT seemed as if the inside Of the
sbip was torn out. but the discharge
was more destructive to the men than
% the ship. A vast number of officers
sailors and marines were killed and
and the rest were completely
lemoralized. and at half-past ten
o'clock, Capt. Pearson. the last mar
eft on the Scraps deck, with his own
hands lowered the colors. The Scraps
rad lost about 100 men killed and nearly
IS many wounded. while the Bon HON.
ne Richard had ~ killed and 40 wound
d. The enormous number killed on
10Th ships makes it one of the bloodiesi
ca fights in history. The desperate
IlfQhQrn !