Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-19

At laSu tne constellation came
abreast the after ports of the French
man, and Truxton, throwing her off q
little so that all his broadside would
bear in n diagonal direction, loudly
shouted the order to fire.
The telling broadside was delivered,
| and the battle was on in earnest. To
those aloft the crash of the long eight.
eens into the enemy at every othel
| downward roll of the Constt Nation
show ed how well the American gunners
| had learned to shoot, while the shor.
| bark of the caunonades and the shrieks
in the brief pauses from the decks of the
Frenchman told of the terrible effects
| of the fire among the enemy. The
guns of the Frenchman were well
served and rapidly fred, but they
were aiming on the upward roll oI
the sea, and their shots went high.
Several balls from the smaller pieces
had lodged in the foremast and the
mainmast, and one had struck just
below the futtock band of the maintop
| where Jarvis was, and sent the splin.
ters flying up and about him. Yard.
| arm to yardarm they sailed for three
long, bloody hours, until the firing OF
the Frenchman gradually slackened.
The Americans had suffered less on
the decks than aloft, and Jarvis top.
men were employed most of the tins
IN splicing and re-reeving gear. The
discharge of the CONSULTATIONS guns
did not diminish for moment, and 50
fast was the firing that many of the
guns became overheated, and the men
had to crawl out OF the exposed
ports to draw up buckets of water to
cool them.
At about midnight Truxton man.
aged to draw ahead of his adversary
in the smoke, and, taking a raking
position, sent in such broadside
that the Frenchman was silenced
completely. Jarvis and the men in
the maintop had little time to use
their muskets. Several long shots
struck the mast, and almost every
shroud and backstay had been car.
ried away. AS the Constellation bore
down upon her adversary to deal her
the death-blow, the mast began to
sway frightfully. There was cry
from the men at Jarvis side, and
the marines and topmen began drop
ping through the ,lubbers hole,
swinging themselves down the sides
of the swaying mast by whatever
gears they could lay their hands to.
Jarvis did not move. One of the
older seaman took him by the shoul-
der and urged him to go below. The
mast was going, he said, and it meant
certain death to stay aloft.
Little Jarvis smiled at him. "This
is my post of duty" he replied, "and
am going to stay here until ordered
below" At this moment terrific
cracking was heard and the old man.
ofwar's man went over the edge of
the top. All of the strain was on one
or two of the shrouds. and just as he
reached the deck, with tremendous
crash the great mast went over the
side. Jarvis had kept his promise to
stay by his mast whether it was up
or down.
The Frenchman, not so badly in
jured alOft, took advantage of the con.
dition of the Constellation, and slowly
making sail before the wreck was
cleared away, faded into the night L t
was afterward discovered that she was
the Vengeance, of fifty two guns. She
succeeded in reaching Curacao in a
sinking condition. When the news OF
the fight reached home, Congress gave
Truxton medal and sword, and
prize-money to the officers and crew.
For little Jarvis, the midshipman
who preferred to die at his post, Con-
gress passed a special resolution prais-
ing him warmly. History does not
show an instance of nobler self-sacri.
flee, and no such honor as this spec
cial act of Congress was received by a
boy before or since. Saturday Ever
ing Post.