The National tribune., 1898-03-31

II IUiry realized that the fate OF our
cause might hang Ion q few days more or
less delay in delivery. Of those dispatches
at the Court of Frahce!,t
LONG BATTLE Wf'rHsTHE ELEMENTS.
The weather was exceptionally bad for
even that bad timeoof year in the North
Atlantic but, in aspte of northeasterly
gales. Jones crowded his little ship for
every rag she would bear and literally beat
across the Atlanticidea to windward in 81
days! This terrific voyage itself was
harder than battle. Elijah Hall, Second
Lieutenant OF the Ranger, in his memorial
says:
mo such navigation had ever been
known before The Captain was in every
body's watch He was on deck to average
IL hours out of every "A, and frequently ior
a at a time.
i 1--WE first made a great reach to the
southwark and eastward to clear George S
Banks and get to windward OF Sapie
Island; then another great reach north as
close to the wind as she would lay; ~
blowing all the time from half to whole
gale and our little ship, new rugged ana
strainng, in the suds all the while.
II had sailed great deal and with
MANY Captains but had never seen any
one crowd new ship into the teeth OF IL
as Capt Jones crowded our little Ranger
She was good, Stanch little snip, me
her timber was mostly green. winch MAGE
her short-lived. She was fast and Weatn-
erly hut hard to handle in working 10
windward in heavy weather, for the reason
that she was over spared.
"She was a man-of-war- built ship sloop
of 900 tons but in the hurry OF building her
she was equipped with the masts.. spars
and sails intended for a 420-ton lndIamah
laid down at Salem about the same uhlc
whose construction was suspended on ac-
count of the blockade. This over-SparrinG
and over canvassing, while it made per
feet hound of her with the wind abaft tne
beam. also made her crank and uncertain
in windward work.
$50 it happened that, in the November
head gales we encountered for the hrSt
fortnight out the management OF her was
extremely trying, particularly as Sap'.
Jones never seemed to remember tha'
sails had more than one set OF reef-polntS.
and. intent only on getting tn France at the
earliest moment, he kept her staggering
ririt into it under single reefs III weather
where any other Captain | ever knew
ouId have laid-to under storm sails
This with new cordage and an over
SPARED ship at that, made fearful work 1or
the crew who were eat the lee-rigginG all
the time setting up the slack ard making
everything fast on that tack, getting READY
for the next reach about.
A MOMENT OF. IMMINENT DANGER.
During the SO days assage all hands
were up for Is to u hours no less than iouE
times: but. as the Captain kept the deck
with them and served grog with ms own
hands. there could be no complaint
"Witha this. there was but one monlehI
Of extreme danger This was about day
lirht on Nov H. About shutdown on the
10Th the wind had hauled To the eastward,
bIowinp fresh. and The Captain, seeing
that we had weatkeredlthe Grand hanks,
determined to maize Il great nofthlhg, III
hopes that when the wind hauled to the
norrard again weimight get good slant
dead to eastward. - -
we ran all night on man course
north by-east -half-nOrth ard about sun
rise time Put her nose mo a Dnhdihe
sDowstornl with shifting SC u2l.s. she was
almost taken aback and as 1t was Went
down beam-end almost and might nave
stayed down but the Captain, VINO kept
the deck all this night, and was much OF
the time at the wheel himself, had sta
toned men with ilatchets to cut and let
nv the braces on order; and when TINS
souaU struck. he bet go the fork and main
by cutting. so that she rirhted ana came
ND into the wind all shiverinc forward
This beyond question saved the Ranger.
The crippled sails were quickly clewed up
and the ship lay to under lib, stays and
haIf-spanker till about noon, when the
wind hauled To tiiefnorard, STEADY, ne"
braces were rove and we squared away
again for the Irish coast.
''Therc were only IL men in the Ranger
who had previously sailed with Paul Jones
in the Providence and the Alfred. Trey
had constantly bcasted of his seamansnip,
declaring he was the best and boldest
sailor in the world. After this affair every
one Of the 127 people in the ship agreed
with them
at that time Of the year the regular
eaSterly sailing course from PORTSMOUTH,
n H. To BreSt or Nantes, France. with
prevailing caSterlies and nOrtheasteTles
would have been tn stretch to the south
ward and eastward leaving Nantucket
ShoaI ON the starbcard hand. and south,ne,
if necessary. cutie as far as the l'crmudas,
and then run across To the Portuguese,
coast. creeping thence up around rms
-erre and 0rteraJ, and so through the Bay
of Biscay into the first French port.
This would have been GO or 10 day
PASSAGE; much easier and safer than the
'creat-circle beat into which Jones forced
his ship; less trying and less dangerous,
but not so quick.
He was determined however, that the
news Of BurcOyne' IS surrender should get To
France by the shortest and Quickest route:
and in this battle with The wirdS and
waves he won, as he did in all other kinds
Of battles"
To he continued