Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-01

the maneuvers by which he won the battle
Of Lake Erie From helpless, shot
ridded wreck in which for two hours
and a half he had fought Homeric
fight, he took his flag through hail OK
fire to another ship and then, in seven
minutes of furious fighting. turned defeat
into victory. He was only tWenty-elght
wears old when he won undying fame. and
was only thirty-four when he died or
yellow fever on the Orinoco river. but he
ranks we'll up near the head of the list
Of the nations great commodores Inc
story of his life in the seven months ne
was in &C mmand on Lake Erie is an In
SEPARATION ia the youth of America Rack
ed by disease and left almost to his own
devices through official neglect, he built
his ships from the virgin forest, triumph
ed over nature by lifting them over the
bar that suddenly formed and held them
captive, took them into battle and then.
when the day seemed lost. snatched vic
tory from disaster as never sea fighter
did before The blood of a warrior true
pulsed in the veins of Oliver Perry.
Ardent, dauntleSs and fired with cour-
are that knew no such word as fail. he
was as generous as he was brave. 1t was
not through fault of his that his flag
ship, the Lawrence, was turned into a
shambles and had to strike her colors when
squadron. through the queer conduct of
his second in command. practically took
no part in the battle until Perry aban-
dened the Lawrence and hoisted his flag
on the Niagara, yet he sought to shield
the man at fault. Not until this officer
had the effrontery to claim the victory
as his did Perry call him to account.
Perry was born in South Kingston. r.
l., August 23. 1885. He had natural
love for the sea. for his father command
ed one of Americas war vessels In the
revolutionary war. He was a midship-
man when he was thirteen and a lieu
tenant when he was twenty-one. He
served under Preble in the Tripolitan
war, but when the war of 1872 opened
he was in official disfavor- year be-
fore the schooner Revenge which ne
commanded was wrecked in a fog on
Watch Hill, r. /. He asked for another
command, but was refused Again ana
again he applied, but each time he got
the same response. He was not to blame
for the loss of the Revenge and court
of inquiry had given verdict to that
effect, but the naval authorities seemed
to have poor opinion OF him. beheVins
it was useless to continue his appeals 10
Washington, he offered his services TO
Commodore Chauncey, who was in COM
mand on the lakes and whose headquar-
tiers were at Sdcketl
cey was a sfow-goiHg. commonplace man,
who played game with the British COM
mander on Lake Ontario that might be
likened TO checkers. The British would
make demonstration against some point
on the American side and then Chauncey
would return the compliment by sailing
over and firing few shots at Kingston
OF some other Canadian port. 1t being
the British move next. a visit to the
American side would follow. There was
little real fighting.
Chauncey sent Perry to Lake Erie. The
British had small fleet that controlled
the lake. Not only that. but, through the
surrender of Gen. Hull. Detroit and all
the Michigan territory were in the pos
session of the English. and the American
posts In northern Ohio Indiana and Hi
nois were being attacked Unless mas
terry of Lake Erie was wrested from the
British the Americans not only would
have a difficult time recovering Detroit,
but the whole northern frontier would be
in constant danger.
wear for the building of five vessels at
Pressure d'Isie erie, Pa.), two of them
briggs of 800 tons and the other three
schooners of much smaller size. The keels
of the briggs had been laid and some
work done on the schooners, but when
Perry got there that was all ne had TO
start with. There was not even a soldier
or a musket to protect the shells of the
vessels the ways. Fifty carpenters