The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-06-01
News Snapshots
Of the Week

DOdTUeu d BTlJlSn HleTCuduIudu, III
Boston Harbor, and threw overheard
three hundred and odd chests of
tea, taxed by Great Britain. This
act famed into flame the hot en-
bers of liberty smouldering in the
hearts of the American colonists.
The fighting at sea during the
Revolutionary war was full of dar-
ing and stubborn courage, planned
and carried through with a singular
initiative and genius, quick with ad-
venture and bright with individual
achievement. One example will
show the spirit of 20 as personified
on ship board.
In the summer of 1879, the i'm
mortal Paul Jones sailed from port
in France, in command of a little
squadron, half American, half
French His flagship, the Bon
Homme Richard, was a worn out
East Indiaman, fitted with forty
guns, many of which were unservice-
able. But Jones was a man to work
with what he had, and with that
improvised fleet he cruised the
whole length of the western coast OF
ireland and circled Scotland. On
September 23d, off Marlborough
Head, he fell in with the Scraps
and the Countess of Scarborough
Alone and unaided he captured the
Scraps in one of the most desperate
fights in the annals of naval war
fare. In point of equipment the
Serapis was equal to three OF the
Bon Homme Richard, but the com.
mander of the American vessel com
PEELED her to strike her colors. His
ship was so badly shattered that he
transferred the survivors of her crew
to the Scraps, and she sank the next
morning. The captain of the Scrap.
is was knigbted by the King of Eng
land for the gallant fight he had
made When Jones heard of this
his only comment was He deserves
it, and if | fall in with him again
will make him a lord"
During the war of 1912 there
were thirteen naval engagements,
in eleven of which the American!
| were victorious. How our blood
/ tingles as we read of the heroism o
| Commodore Perry in that war, who
! on Lake Erie, when his flag
/ ship, the Lawrence" was sinking
/ transferred his pennant in an opeI
/ boat to the Niagara, and theT
/ driving through the enemy's lines
/ discharging broadside after broad
side, wrung a victory out of defea
and sent to Gen. Harrison the la
comic message, I'VE have met tn,
enemy ana they are ours" During
! this war the American privateers de
stroyed over 1900 British vessels
while losing less than 500 of thei
own ships. And it was in this wa
that Captain Lawrence in the figh
between the Shannon" and tn
chesapeake" uttered while dying
the words that have ever since beel
the motto of our sailors, Don
give up the ship"
With more powerful navy, tn
war of the rebellion might hav
been much shortened Yet our nav
did noble service during those darI
days when our country's future va
trembling in the balance. The car
ture of the rebel forts at Hilto
Head and Port Royal by Commodor
Duponts squadron, in NOyembe
81, furnished an advantageous posi
tion for operating on the souther
sea coast. In February '62, Grant
successful assaults upon Fort Henr
on the Tennessee river, and For
Donelson on the Cumberland, wer
in a great degree made possibl
through the cooperation of the rive
gun-boats under the command O
Commodore Foote.
At the beginning of the war tn
southerners seemed quicker than tn
north in putting their power on tn
sea. Early in '62 they sent out {
Norfolk, against the Union flee
which lay in Hampton Roads, a
, ironclad ram, the Merrimac, whic
for memorable twenty-four hour
| seemed likely to sweep the whol
anchorage of its transports and mel
of-war. Only the timely arrival {
/ the little Monitor" saved the fieC
p from annihllation. A new age {
naval construction began on the da
} of the dual between the Monitor
and the "Merrimao, Hencefortl
/ as the world saw, vessels of wa
must be built and clad with iron.
In April. 1862. fleet under Con
; modore Porter and Farragut force
/ its way up the Mississippi. Hug
s-ou ohatna xuara afrafnhad aaFnaa N