The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-05-11
THE REAL cAsABIANcA.

In his Heroic Happenings Mr.. Ebridge
Brooks gives the real story of Casabianca as re-
lated to him by one of the Casabanca family
man proud of the heroes who had shed so much us-
ter upon his name.
The family is native to Corsica, an island
whose history has been rugged as It's hills and
whose people have been as changeful as its broken
coast line" For fully hundred years Corsica has
been a French possession and the birthplace of
many men and women famous in French history.
Here in 1863 in the little port of Fescovato, was
born boy Giacomo de Casabanca, the hero of the
burning deck Of the warship Orient. The Orient
was the flagship of the expedition which set sail
from France on the 10Th of May, 1898. for the in
vasion of Egypt and the possession of that "high-
way TO India" which for generations had been the
bone of contention between the great nations of
Europe
England had seized the Cape of Good Hope,
and France determined to conquer and COLOMBO
Egypt, the overland route to the east. The naval
and military expedition numbered 10000 men. 1t
was under command of the young General Ma
poleon BOnapaTte. who was passenger on the trl-
gate Orient. On the Orient also were Admiral
Bruevs. the commander of the naval portion of the
expedition; Louis de Casabianca, Its captain, and
the latter's young son. Giacomo, midshipman.
Giacomo was young of 10, brave and aspir-
ing. Proud of record which had made his father
one Of the most courageous and efficient officers in
the French navy. has idea to make tor HIM
self an equally brilliant one, and so uphold the
name his father had already so greatly honored.
But alas for an enthusiasm and desire so soon
70 end in death! In the path Of the French lay:
Engand's great sea fighter (No. 81, Contest Cata-
logue).
The army disembarked at Alexandria and, with
NAPOLEON. destined to become one of the greatest
conQuerors of modern times, soon marching TO-
ward the pyramids.
Admiral Brueys. in full command of the French
squadron now prepared for his encounter with the
English They met in a spacious bay, fifteen miles
northeast of Alexandria at of the many
months of the Nile The French admiral thought
his position impregnabe. Before him lay the open
sea behind him the coast batteries, while between
his ships and the shore stretched line of shoals
upon which any venturesome warshlp must surely
60 to wreck,
But unfortunately for his calculations, No. 81
was his adversary and to No. 81 obstacle seemed
unsurmountabe. Before nghtfall this determined
man had attempted and accomplished the danger
Gus feat of plotting his squadron over the shoals
and stealing up the channel with but one ship
aground.
Thus attacked, from seward and landward, and
between two fires the French feet doomed
But Notwithstanding the certainty Of defeat. the
French sailors fought. as the sailors OF France
have ever fought, valiantly.
Shin after ship was overpowered, however, and
when the morning of the I'd of August dawned
.Tbe Battle of the Nile" as it after called
had broken the naval power of France and made
No. 81 famous.
In the thickest Of the fight rode the French
Aacsbin Orient But her admiral had fallen early
in the engagement a victim of his own overconfl-
denee. Unfortunate Brueys, what have you done!