Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-10-05

~N~NNA HA0 NdAfNdANNA hht AgiahCs "a
sloop superior to the Ranger in force
Two years later. with a squadron of
five vessels, including the Bon Homme
Richard, OF fifty guns, he captured
twenty-six vessels off the English coast
within month, and on September %,
1T19, of Marlborough, took the Sera-
pts. of fifty guns, and Countess Of Scar
borough, of twenty-five guns, after
desperate engagement. The ships Rich
ard and Scraps were dashed together
and the fight was to a finish. AS the
Richard and nearly all her crew were
obtained in France, the victory gave
Jones as much renown in that country
as In the colonies.
The war of 1912, If not so creditable
to our army, gave great glory to the
American navy, which worsted British
ships In nearly every engagement. AT
the beginning of the war the American
navy was held In great contempt, and
few British vessels were kept ON this
side of the Atlantic. British officers,
Intoxicated by their comparatively easy
victories over the French. Dutch. Por-
tuguese and Spanish, attacked Ameri-
can ships regardless of disparity in
size, and often paid the penalty OF their
conceit. In August, 1872, the American
fIigate Essex captured the British
sloop Alert; later In the same month
the frigate Constitution captured the
Guerrero: in October the sloop Wasp
captured the brig Frolic, and the fri
gate United States captured the Mace
DOMAIN. In December the Constitution
captured the frlgate Java. During this
first year of the war American prlya-
teers took no less than 800 British
prizes. On Lake Erie IN September,
1913, Commodore Perry, with fleet OF
nine vessels, carrying fifty -four guns,
captured, after fierce engagement, a
British fleet OF six vessels carrying
sixtythree guns. Earlier In the year
the American sloop Hornet captured
the British brig Peacock. The frigate
Chesapeake, however, having attacked
the British frlgate Shannon off Boston
harbor, was herself taken, notwith-
stanstanding Lawrence's dying order
to his crew, Don't give up the ship"
In 1914 this loss was made good by
Macdonough's victory In the battle of
Lake Champlain, when the whole Brit
ish squadron was captured.
There were other victories which
were balanced by defeats. The Essex,
for example, the Frolic and President
We're taken by British vessels, but the
Peacock, the Wasp, the Constitution
and Hornet effected captures of British
vessels, The war of 1912 showed that
American vessels, size for size, were
superior to the British ia discipline, In
equipment, In gunnery and in the spirit
of their crews. The civil war gave
rise TO some notable engagements, such
FOR example, as the fight IN Hampton
Roads between the Merrlmac and the
Monitor, the battle In Mobile bay and
| the combat between the Alabama and
the Kearsarge in the British channel,
| the two latter being In favor of the
Union ships. The victory of the Moni-
tor, though not decisive, is famous as
having been the first engagement be-
tween lronclads. Various European
governments had before 1862 begun to
place armOr upon warships, but the
| engagement in Hampton Roads speeded
the movement, SO that at present all
battleships and most important cruisers
now possess covering of iron or steel
to protect them from hard knocks. The
investment of England in her present
navy is some $50O,O0O,000--a mere
speculation, according to some author
tiles, as no one knows what her ships
are worth. The world, as a whole, has
some 81 ,250,0O0OOO invested in metal
lie ships Baltimore Sun