The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-22

ION coal fleet and destroyed fishing
vessels.
Wanted Better Navy.
Abou, this time Jones wrote severn
letters to congress, advocating inc ue
#vclnnnent OF the navy, urging the puilu-
Inc az vessels which should cruise IN
small sauadrons along the coast OF Ehs
land where shipping. was inadequa.ely
protected. and thus divert the atteh''oii
of the enemy, and cause him 70 ora"
his force from American waters but
The congress- did not act promptly IN
the suggestion Of Jones. he was not
q fayorite, and the success OF wlre-pul-
lers in getting commissions IN p te.e, |
Ia tho man who had demonstrated MS
skill and daring shows us a picture OF
conditions In the legislative BODY OF
the colonies not at all pleasing. 4
When Jones was made captain III
l77s thirteen officers were given seniori-
ty over him. Jones protested against
this manifest Injustice, but all IN van.
After long delay, Jones was assigned 70
tbe command of.the Ranger, with orders
10 cruise along the British coast. It
was on the Ranger that the Stars ana
stripes were raised for the first time
IN the history OF the navy. Jones went
10 France with his vessel, conveying sew
eral merchantmen to Quiberron BAY
where they were placed under protee-
ton OF a French fleet. Jones pore 70
GRANGE tho Official Information OF the
s,irrendersof Burgoyne, which had 10 much
10 do With causing Louis XVI to recog.
En,ze the independence sof3athe United
states. On the 18th OF February. Its.
La Motto .Picquet. the French naYai
commander at Brest saluted the Amer
lean flag flying at the mast mead OF
the Ranger by firing nine guns. me
first recognition ever given our lag by
a foreign power.
and sailed for the harbor OF Whitehaven.
whence he had sailed us an apprentice
boy nineteen years before. He spiked
tho guns OF the fort, but did not destroy
ALI the shipping In the harbor. re at
tainted 10 capture the Earl OF SelklrK,
hut failed owing to the absence OF the
nobleman from his estate some OF
Jones crew carried off a portion OF
the family plate. which Jones afterwards
purchased and restored TO the owner. a
Tow DAYS after the attempt to capture
sclk,rk the Ranger encountered tho
british vessel Drake. and although the
latter was much the heavier IN guns,
Jones closed with her, and after des-
perate engagement compelled her to
strike her colors, This was the first
signal victory achieved by an American
vessel on the seas. Jones returned 10
Brest taking the Drake win nm as
Il prize.
In Command of Squadron.
The French government then promised
Jones the command OF SQUADRON ana
he spent the better part OF year at
paris and Versailles, awaiting the full
flnent OF the royal promise. Finally,
in FEBRUARY, 1870 he was given COM
mand OF tho Duras, and the following
August he. sailed from France With
squadron of five vessels, including his
own, and was later Joined by two pr.
yateers. Jones was n great friend or
Reniamin Franklin, who was at that
time representing the colonies AZ ,ne
French court. and was familiar WIN
Poor Richards Almanack. the vehicle
employed by Franklin for the expression
of that hornely wisdom for which the
great philosopher was famous. me
name of the Duras was therefore chang
cd TO the Bonhomme Richard.
so great wa sthe jealousy OF the
French officers serving under Jones ,hat
thcw refused to obey his orders, and nc
was constantly larrassed by their In
generalization, especially that OF Captain
yandais, OF the Alliance. Three OF
the so,,ardron left Jones early IN Sep
tenber.
On tho gard OF September, off Flambor-
ough Head, Jones sighted the Baltic
fleet, under convoy of the Scraps ana
the Countess OF scarborough. There
were three other vessels In Jones squad
ron, besides the Richard, but their COM
bined armament was not so great as
that of the two British vessels, Tho
Scarborough was captured by one OF tho
other vessels OF the American-French
squadron, and the serapls bore down and
engaged the Richard.
Fought at Arms Length,
Jones's vessel carried such light arma-
ment as compared with that OF his foe
that he determined to close IN and fight
the battle at arms length. The Richard
had 81 guns on n side, mainly 12-pounders,
with three 1s-pounders aft near the
water-line. The Scraps had % guns on
q side, ten 1s-pounders, The seraps's
guns had far greater penetrating power
than the Richards It was this con-
sIdera ton which chiefly moved Jones
to fight at close range,
It was seven o'clock on beautltnl
moonlight night when the Serapls fired
the first bwadsde into the Richard
Tones attempted to run astern the sera-
,Is and rake her, but In executing the
mn nenuvre. which was anticipated BY
The Sewpis. the two vessels swung broad
sIdo 10 broadsde Jones promptly hau
Ills vessel launched to the Scraps ana
then ensued probably, the most desperate
battle In the history Of naval WnrlaFe'
SO close were the vessels tllat tne suns
could not be run out their fnii leust'l.
srhcir muzzles occasionally touched nose
of the guns Of tho enemy's vessel, Me,.
2rammng charges home had to thrust
Al, ! he iNtOrthe NOft-