Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-30


sixty men of the village under Capt. Eos
ter and the ship carpenters and other
mechanics engaged on the vessels under
Capt Dobbins
On the Sd of May. 1913 Sailing Master
Taylor of the navy regular, " tn several
officers and hundred men, arrived at
Erie. most of them from Newport, K. J.,
and Chesapeake bay. Commodore Perry
leaving TAYLOR in charge, went to Pitts
burg on horseback to obtain construction
material and supplies for equipping, arm
ing and provisioning his little squadron
Capt. Dobbins went to Buffalo and Sack
etts Harbor on a similar errand. Early
in May the Porcupine, the Tigress and
the Ariel were launched. The Lawrence
and Niagara followed them into the wa
ter on the oath of the same month.
The Lawren and Niagara were built
and rugged precisely alike Their frames
were of green oak and their decks Were
Of green pine. According to the present
rules of mea surement they were 26O tons
burden; they were pierced for twenty
guns and had accomm odations for H.
officers and men. The other vessels were
very much smaller, ranging from g. to
TOO tons-about the SIZE of ordinary fish
ing boats of the present day. The COM
bined feet of nine vessels measured less
than thousand tons. The rest of the
fitted out for the servi by Capt. Eek
ford. One of them, the Caledonia, OF
eighty-five tons, had been taken from the
enemy.
Interest Was Intense.
Although Erie was In such an isolated
position. the entire country was fully in
formed of what was going on there, and
of course felt an intense interest In the
measures that were beng taken TO pro-
tect the lakes DIR. Parsons, surgeon OF
the fleet. wrote friend as follows:
Sunday, July Is, two respectable mis-
sionaries who were passing through Ere
were invited by the commodore on board
one of the large ships where as many
officers and men as could be spared from
all the vessels were assembled to hear
prayers that were offered up for the sue
cess of the expedition. l shall never for
that we might subdue the hostile fleet
and thereby wrest from savage hands the
tomahawk and scalpng knife that had
been so crueHy 1w elded against the de.
fenseless settlers on the frontiers, and
that in the event of tory mercy and
kindness might be shown to the van
pushed
The little fleet having been completed
about the middle of July, Commodore
perry's troubles eliminated, and he
learned by a distressing experience the
disadvantage of not being omnipotent.
The Secretary of the Navy and other
authorities at Washington, the members
OF Congress. the newspapers, and all the
military critics were lambast!ng him for
Incidence and indifference to the perils
of the hour. Gen. William Henry Harri-
son, in command of the land forces, sent
him indignant representations for his de-
Iay of which the r itish were taking
serious advantage by building more ships
OF NaiH A
same time poor Perry was blazing with
Indignation and grooming with despair
because Commodore Chauncey, at Sacke;ts
Harbor, and the military authorities at
Pittsburg would not send him men. pro-
visions or even munitions of war. He did
not have a sufficient number of expert
enced seamen to hoist the sails on his
ships, or enough soldiers to man his guns.
Yet, stung by unjust and ignorant critic
ism, he determined to start out with his
little fleet and do the best he could.
The eliminating calamity occurred
when he tried to sail out of the bay and
found there was only six feet Of water on
the bar BY unloading their guns AID
supplies on the beach, he managed to
cramp the smaller vessels over, but the
Lawrence and Niagara each drew nine
feet of water Yankee ingenuity. how
ever, triumphed. Perry unloaded both
of the ships, dumped their guns on the
beach, and then a device known to sea-
scows, each fifty feet long, ten feet wide
and eight feet deep were filled with water.
dashed on either side OF the Lawrence and
also secured by long timbers extending
through the port holes on either side OF
the ship and resting on the deck of the
scows. When the water was pumped out
the scows rose like buoys. with sufficient
lifting power to raise the Lawrence more
than hree feet, and she was carried over
the bar in that way into the open lake.
>l.o Niao SYsaI m a G "a N a n
ner. This exploit occupied four days OF
exhausting labor and intense anxiety lest
the British squadron. which was known
to be in the vicinity. should appear and
attack the little feet in its helplessness
In the meantime. however, the patrio lie
British Inhabitants of Port Dover. on the
Canad an side of the lake, were uncon-
sciously serving as the instrument OF
Providence In protecting the American
fleet by offering hosp. atty to captain
and his officers. Otherwise the battle Of
Lake Erie would never have been fought.
Prizes Brought to Erie.
AS related in a previous letter, the VIC
torious fleet and its captured prizes We're
brought to Erie Immediately after the
battle of September 10, 1913. and the lat
ter were appraised at S2S5,G00 by Henry
Eckford naval constructor. under orders
from Washington According to the reg
ulations of that period the entire amour,
was divided among the officers and men,
and Commodore Chauncey, although he
had no part in the battle. was awarded
S12.7 $50 as his share commander-in5
chief. Commodore Perry and Capt. l. ;
lott each drew s1.14o and Congress after
ward added $1,000 TO Perry's allo ment.
Each OF the other officers received s., 30;
each midshipman. sS11: each petty officer.
SAT-, and each sailor. gunner and marine,
500.
The Lawrence. Detroit, which was the
flagship of Capt. Barclay, and the Queen
Charlotte were in such a condition that
they were sunk in NJ sery bay, just in
side Of tfe channel. which was SO named
nv Lieut. Holdup, one of the American