Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-05-27
He NAMED "oLD GLORY"
Life Story of Captain William Driv
err, Who Christened the Flag.

|
Captain William Driver, the man
who christened the American flag
'Old Glory" was born in Salem,
Mass, March II. 1903.
At the age of IL Driver was ap-
prenticed to a blacksmith, instead of
making plows and shoeing horses,
however, the blacksmith's wife set
him at work milking cows and doing
light chores In order that he might
surpass the other boys of the place
in personal appearance, the black
smiths wife clothed him with shirt
waist of unbleached goods, with great
rows of ruffles down the front. Driv-
er demurred, but the blacksmith's
wife insisted that the shirt must stay
| on.
| However, when Driver was going
out through the gate it was noticed
that he rolled up his sleeves; he
knew that he was in for a fight with
every boy in town. When he got
around the corner he carefully cut
away as much of the ruf1es as he
could, but he had to fight, neverthe-
less; and he came out of it all tr1-
umphant, though somewhat disfig-
ured, as might be expected of lad
that has to lick the whole crowd just
because some woman puts a ridicu-
lous costume on him. So he ran
away and went to sea.
During his first voyage at sea af-
| ter a severe storm, which caused the
! ship to spring leak, the men re-
fused to work the pumps un- ess their
| wages were raised. The old Captain
of the ship sent Driver below for his
pistols and pipe. When he brought
| them on deck the Captain cut the
boats loose, lit his pipe, sat down
and notified the crew they would
| either pump or "all hands would go
| to hell together" They returned to
the pump and saved the Ship
He sailed with this Captain for
five years, who soon afterwafd made
him mate, and from E.m he learned
many valuable and useful lessons. He
left him to become mate on an
other vessel, and soon afterwards
trading master At the age of q he
was made master of ship in 1924.
1t was about at this time that he
christened the flag "Old Glory as
he and his old Captain had seen
some stirring times under its folds
and considered no name too sacred
Tor it. He commanded different
ships from that time on until he left
the ocean and settled in Nashville,
Tenn, in 1887. He passed through
many thrilling and perilous adven-
lures after he became Captain, was
chased by a heavily armed Yankee
pirate in the Caribbean Sea for six
hours. He outsailed and dcdged him
in the dark, and saw the pirate hang
ed afterward, much to Captain Driv-
er's satisfaction.
He hal considerable experience
with Malay pirates and South Sea
cannibals, to say nothing of the ocean
storms He left Salem once in COM
pany with six other vessels. They
were caught in one of the worst shaw
and wind storms ever known on the
| New England coast. His ship alone
escaped: the other six and all on
beard were lost He stood at the
wheel for AZ hours during the storm
and saved his ship.
During this voyage he rescued IS
| IF inn
of the English ship Bounty, who had
been taken from Pitcairn Island to
Tahiti and were dying with fever. He
took them back to Pitcairn Island,
their original home, 1,40C miles out
of his course, free. He received a
very pathetic testimonial for his
kindness, dated September 5, 1881,
signed by their teacher, George H.
Noble and others.
From there he sailed completely
ands before he returned home. He
afterward made two trips around the
world, the last in 1886, in the ship
Black Warrior, was the shortest on
record for sailing vessel, the log
showing about 10000 miles in 1917
sailing days, nearly seven miles log
run per hour. fair or foul weather.
The trip including 80 days stoppage
in ports, made it altogether 26S days.
This was his last trip to sea.
His flag "Old Glory which had
been his companion for years he
packed in his camphor wood sea
chest and moved to Nashville, Tenn,
In 1917, where he died March 2, 1886.
He gave the flag to his daughter,
Mary Jane Roland, in 1873. She still
has it in her possession at Welts,
New. Its original dimension was 10
by 20 feet, blue field by 6, an an
Choir in the lower inside corner blue
field, Is stripes and at the breaking
out of the Civil War "a stars, the
number of states in the Union at
that time. He asked to have a new
star put on the flag every time a
new state was admitted, but added
had seen its day.
An effort will be made to have this
flag taken to We shington and plac-
ed in the national archives and his
toric reiics-Salt Lake Herald.
It has been ascertained that while
rome of the herrings caught in Ger
ran waters are only three years old,
others are up to IA years old.
| 1t is argued that the compulsory
adoption of the incandescent system
of electric lighting in mines will
! greatly cut down the death roll.
The proposed Henry Hudson me-
mortal bridge will be the largest
span Of concrete or stone In the
world. It will b 703 feet IN the
clear. Thsre ars soma ArEaE span1!
Ct metal ..IssMs IN 4dsxnslt skz.kts