Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21
IN NAVAL ARCHIVES
A Wealth of Historical Mat
ter Stored Away.
STORIES OF HEROISM
A RECORD EXTENDING OVER
MORE THAN A CENTURY.
Full of Life and Action of Great Value
to Students - Growing
All the Time.
STORIES OF HEROISM

With the prevalent historical novel and
the ubiquitous historiographer, 1t would
see m scarcely possible that any event In
the annals of cur country could have es-
capped publication, but there is in the Navy
Department library today a history of the
United States containing much unexploit-
ed matter and filled with incidents of the
deepest interest and import which has
rever yet appeared In print or passed
through a publishers hands. This history
is largely written b. those who have had a
hand in it's making, and consists of the
archives Of the naval war records Office.
1t begins in 1t98 VIXEN the Navy Depart
Tent was organized, and continues without
a break to the present time. 1t Is volumi-
nous but uIcommonly good reading. Far
from savoring of mustiness and dust, of
officialdom and red tape, 1t is full of Incl
dent and interest. OF human nature and
the personality of great men. Consisting
chiefly of letters sent and received by the
Navy Department, II contains accounts of
r.any stirring events written by partici-
pants or eye-witnesses. These in many in
starces have been supplemented by private
documents viii IN add UNNECESSARILY to the
historical value. Nor are they all war
records. Our navy was not Idle even when
no enemy confronted her. There were ex-
ploring expeditions and colonization enter
prises which required no little valor.
There is series of interesting letters
written in 1S06-'07 by officers stationed near
New Orleans relating to Burrs conspiracy
and an abundance of valuable data con-
corning the war of 1912. Cruises of the
Wasp and the capture of the Froic are
described by Johr Paul Jones, and letters
from Oliver Hazard Perry and Macdonough
throw much light upon the naval opera
tons on the lakes There are communion
tons from Porter Hull. cambridge, Rod
gers and others. and there is long and
entertaining description of the cruise of the
Hornet off the South American coast
Well Nigh Forgotten.
But IT is in the less notable years and
more familiar events that the chronicle be
comes most engaging-the war with Trip
oil and the events which provoked it, the
conflicts with pirates, the planting of the
Liberian colony and the capture of Illegal
slavers
In one of the earliest volumes list is
given of articles sent as propitiatory Of
fering to the Bey of Algiers from the United
States government on which are found
noted five red birds in cages, two squirrels
in houses and twelve pieces of finest indian
muslin, two of them sprigged' with gold. y
The last, it seems, were hard to find. Tor
there is a copy of a letter written by the
Secretary to friend in Baltimore asking
that he hunt in the various establishments
for this particular pattern, which, 1t was
thought would be most acceptable to his
mghneSS.'
At the same time a gift of 100 gun car
riageS was sent to the Emperor OF Moroc-
CO In return came seven Mediterranean
passes" which in due course were sent to
the commodore of our Mediterranean fleet
and distributed among his vessels. They
were no more than oddly shaped bits of
cardboard cut after a single pattern owned
by the TrIpoli pirates. which, fitting with
the original, testified to tribute paid and
gave the holder the freedom of the Tripoli-
tan waters. Peace upon this basis was
not however, lasting, and at but slightly
lot lot fine dacIara tiOn of and the
departments orders to Commodore Preble
to capture any and all vessels belonging to
the Bey of Tripoli are recorded. Then OF
special interest is a letter written, at the
dictation of the President, by the Secretary
of the Navy to Capt. Decatur commencing
his gallantry in leading the party which
destroyed at great personal risk, the Phil
adelphia which had been captured and lay
in the Bay of Algiers.
Putting Down Piracy.
Even with these eastern pirates subdued
there were still many left to menace the
commerce of the United States, and after
the war of IL was concluded the American
navy turned it's attention to the eXtermina-
ton of these highwaymen of the sea in
the neighborhood of the West Indies. Here
are chronicles of sufficiently adventurous
character to satisfy the reader of the ira
ditional dime novel. The United States
schooner Porpoise, James Ramage, captain,
on the oath of November. 1921. captured, off
the coast of Cuba, a pirate boat and rich
cargo while the crew were ashore, burned
the vessel and carried off her goods and
gave chase to the pirates individually, who,
however made good their escape. On the
other hand, United States merchant ves-
sell the good ship Orleans. on her way from
Philadelphia to New Orleans, in August OF
the previous year, was oVertaken Dy d
piratical vessel mounting fourteen guns.
formerly the U. s. ship Prometheus." and
completely sacked. The captain was taken
prisoner and detained on board the pirate
forty-eight hours under guard until the
cargo was removed or destroyed.
About this same time it appears that the
Navy Department made dts initial effort
to solve the race problem by establishing
at Liberia, Africa, an agency for the safe