The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-03-27
EVENTS IN
HISTORY.
BY Prof. Ambrose S. Ottey.


ship Ranger, on WHICH he hoisted
for the first time that it was dis
played on board a man-of-war, the
new national flag, Congress having
resolved ON June 14th as follow:
"That the flag Of the United States
shall be thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white: that the Union be
thirteen stars, white in blue field,
representing a new constellation. y
1t thus fell to the lot Of Paul Jones
to display for the first time on board a
veSscl-of-war both the colonial and
the national flags. The colonial flag
was first hoistcd by Jones on board
of the war-ship, Alfred, in 1775.
Abraham Whipple was the command
er of the first two-armcd YES sells. He
captured the British sloop, Rose.
This was the first sea-tight of the
revolution. In 1874 he commanded
the first vessel which unfurled the
American flag in the river Thames.
Commodor Hopkins had charge Of
the first attack made by the Amcri-
can navy on February 17th, 1776.
The fight took place at New Proyi.
dencc in the Bahamas.
Captain Murray retained a COM
mission longer than any other officer
who served in the U. S. navy during
the Revolution.
Commodore David d. Porter was
born in Chester. June s, 1913. He
was a son of Com. David Porter and
belonged to Il family which through
five generations have served the
country on the ocean. The latter
had four sons all of whom we're Off.
GERS in either the Z. S. army or navy
The first, David Dixon Porter,
served siXty-two years IN the U. S.
navy and attained higher rank in it
than any other officer, excepting only
David G. Farragut. The latter was
an admiral.
The Spanish government had re-
fused to permit any u. S, vessel to
enter that port. Havana was the
place. David Dixon Porter ran his
vessel directly under the shotted guns
of Moro Castlc and when ordered to
halt replied that he carried the U. S.
flag and mail and by the Eternal he
should enter theIharbor Of Havana
and he did.
Justus II. Rathborn was the found
er OF the Knights Of Pythias. The
ritual of the order was read by him
to several gentlemen ON Monday Feb
luarv IL, 1864, in Washington. The
first lodge was formed on Friday
night, February 10, 1864, in Wash
ington.
William Scarborough, with several
others, had built the first ocean
steamship, the Savannah in 1878 and
in 1919 it crossed the Atlantic. 1t
was built at ElizabethtOwn, n. j.,
by David 4 Wall under contract with
Pickett & Crockett Of New York.
The vessel bore President Monroe
from Charlestown, S. {. to savannah
In making the trip to Europe it took
twCntv-two days Her cEginea were
used only fourteen of the twenty-five
days, using her sails eight days to
save fuel. 1t was wonder in Eu-
rope, the sensation of the day, and
was visited by multitudes, including
royalty and nobility. Scudding along
with bare poles it excited great be-
wlldcrmcnt AT Cape Claus the ad-
miral in charge sent aid thinking the
ship to be on fire. She was suspected
of being intended for Napoleon's es-
cape from st. Helena.
The colossal bronze statue Of Will
liam Penn, that surmounts the pub
Tic building in Philadelphia, IS thirty
six feet high and weighs thirty tons.
1t was designed by Alexander Caul-
der.
James Pollock, governor of Penn
sylvania in lS55-5S, in May was ap.
pointed by President Lincoln, direct
or of the L. S. mint at Philadelphia
which he held until October !, 1866,
when he resigned. BY his efforts
with the approval Of the secretary of
the treasury the motto SIN God we
trust" was placed on the national
coins.
While John w. Greary was gov
ernor of Pennsylvania, he sent mil
itary force to Willamsport in COM
mand of General Merrill to qucll a
serious disturbance of the peace in
that city. AS there was no blood
shed it became known as the "Saw.
dust war -
Henry Burden was the inventor Of
the machine for making hOrSeShoes.
Hc could by one operation make II
perfect shoe. The heated bar cut.
bends and forges into completed
shape with one movement at the rate
of sixty minute, or 5000 shoes per
hour During the Civil war lSGl,-G5
the Burden Works supplied all the
horscshocs used in the Federal ar
mics.
The first steamboat was owned by
Robert Livingston and Fulton. 1t
was built in France upon the Seine,
but being badly planned, the weight
of the machinery broke through the
framework Of the vessel and sank her
to the bottom of the river. In
few weeks however she was rebuilt
and the engine replaced in her. The
next boat, the Clermont, was built
by Bolton s. Watt in 1907 and was
placed on the Hudson river on the
10th of September. The Clermont's
running power was twenty-five hours
or at the rate of five miles an hour.
This boat was named after Mr.. Liv-
ingston's mansion.
= In 1861 John Elliot published the
New Testament in the Indian Ian,
guage and few weeks afterward the
whole Bible. This work which is a
small octave in size is printed in a
language which has not only long ago
been extinct but which cannot be
read by any person now living. But
few copies OF this book are known to
be in existence and it has been sold
l,s frl,