The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-02-05
HELPED TO SAVE CALIFORNIA.



Frigatc Congress-
The death at Monterey, Cal, o.
Thomas Bralee removes one OF the two
survivors Of the group Of men who
raised the first United States flag over
California in 1916. The only survivor
now is William Hill, Of Honesdale, Par
who. at rs, is still as hale and hearty
as a man OF so, says a recent corre-
spondence of the Chicago Inter Ocean.
At the age Of II Hill ran away from
his home in Honesdale, and shipped
on New Bedford whaler. After
two years cruise the ship. homeward
bound, touched at Honolulu. There
Hill and others left it.
Hill shipped on merchant vessel
bound for India, and year later was
back at Honolulu There, while
ashore, he heard that war had been
declared between the United States and
Mexico.
An American man-ofIwar about that
time cast anchor off Diamond Head.
It proved to be the Cayenne, command
ed by Capt. Mervine. Hill and two 9TH
ers left the merchant ship, went
aboard the man-of-war, and enlisted
in the navy for three years, or during
the war.
ssThe Cayenne sailed for Monterey,
and arrived in the harbor on July 8,
1885," says the veteran Hill in narrat-
ing the incidents. ''The frigate
Savannah commanded by Commodore
Sloat, was there. The commodore was
waiting for a larger force. 1t did not
come, and the next day we went ashore
and hoisted the American flag over
Monterey.
"The proclamation of possession
was read in English and Spanish. II
we had been 4S hours later the United
States would have had to fight Eng
land, or give up all claims to California,
for while the excitement over the oc-
cupying of Monterey by our forces
was at its height, on July 9, British
line-of-battle-ship appeared in the OH
ing.
sEhe was a formidable-looking ves-
sci, and no mistake. She carried more
guns, and bigger ones, than our three
ships combined. Nevertheless, our
decks were cleared for action in short
order. Every man was at his post,
| and every gun was ready to be fired
| on the word. The great British ship
sailed straight for the harbor, looking
hostile enough, but as she entered it
| she tackled, and her band struck up
| Yankee Doodle.'
sThere was no mistaking the mean
| ing of that, and the band on our flag
shin responded with God Save the
| Queen The British vessel was under
| command of Commodore Seymour. He
| entered boat and was rowed to the
| Savannah, where he paid his respects
| to Commodore Sloat.
| "T see the American flag is flying
| on shore, said he. 1T it were not, l
| should have Immediately raised the
| British flag there and taken posses
| sion OF California in the name OF her
majesty the queen
| "The people OF California wanted
English protection, rather than ours,
and if our little feet hadn't got there
lust as it did, they would have had 1t.
| Two or three days later Commodore
| Stockton joined our feet with his frig-
| ate Congress. Twas transferred to the
| Congress. and remained with her until
| the war was over, helping protect the
| California coast. All through the
| war British battleships hovered about
| the coast, as well as the Mexican coast,
| for some reason or other, but they
| never came as near taking hand in
the game as Seymour did at Monterey.
"At the close of the war the Con-
gress was ordered to San Francisco,
where Commodore Stockton was de-
tached and sent with rs men overland
to the east. The Congress, under
command of Capt. Avealet, had orders
to sail to Norfolk, Va, around Cape
Horn.
'While rounding the Horn we were
struck by a tremendous typhoon. The
Congress was thrown on her beam ends
and drifted to lee at the rate of 16
knots an hour. At the height of that
terrible gale we sighted a ship to
windward, her rigging filled with men
evidently calling for help, but we
could give them none. We never knew
what ship it was, but she went down
with all on board.
"The Congress weathered the storm,
and we arrived at Norfolk safe and
sound and the crew was discharged.
1 was the youngest member OF the
crew by five years, and that am the
last survivor of it / have no doubt"
John BulI's Idea of Humor.
A solicitor went out shooting