The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-29

ship. the Niagara, is TO be raised from
the bottom Of Misery Bay, Pressure Isle
Peninsula The old war vessel. to which
Perry fed when his original flagship. the
Lawrence. was forced to strike her col
ors. is to take a leading part in the
centennial celebration of the battle of
Lake Erie next summer. Her hull IL In
good condition. according to experts who
have examined her, and a cofferdam is
to be built about her so that the remains
Of the vessel will be damaged as little as
possible In raising. The hulk will be
lowed ashore and brought into a dry
dock used for repairing fishing tugs.
there TO be rebuilt and made ready for
the part II is to take In the celebration.
When Barclay had surrendered to the
gallant Perry, the American feet return
ed to Erie Harbor. and the vessels, both
Perry's and the captured English gun
boats, were anchored temporarily In
Misery Bay. a small inlet leading back
into the woods that cover Presque Isle
Peninsula. The Lawrence was so badly
riddl,d that no attempt was made to pre-
serve 1t. Its splintered timbers were
converted into walking sticks and knick-
knacks, TO be disposed Of as souvenirs.
The Niagara, however, was useful for a
number of years, and finally, not know
ing a better way of disposing Of the
ancient warship, the residents of Erie
scuttied 1t In Misery Bay, where it has
remained since. covered by fifteen feet
of water.
The Perry Centennial Commission en-
gagged the services OF an expert diver In
the employ OF the Thatcher Contracting
Company, of Toledo. Ohio, and had the
hulk carefully examined. He reported
that II is well preserved and could be
raised easily.
Public-spirited citizens of Erie are en-
deayoring to have the old vessel placed
in Central Park, where II is proposed to
erect a suitable building in which to
protect 1t from the elements. One plan
is TO erect a huge aquarium in which
the vessel can be placed, with fish of
every species found in the lakes inclosed
with II.
Story of Battle.
The story Of the battle Of Lake Erie
will never grow old. How the Niagara
came to be Perry's flagship is graph
ically told by John Clark Ridpath, the
historian:
The Lawrence. Perrys flagship. began
TO suffer dreadfully under the concen-
trated fire of the enemy. First one gun
and then another was dismounted. The
masts were broken. The riggings of the
torn TO shreds. Soon she yielded no
lonser.to the wind. but lay helpless on
the water.
',On the deck death held carnival The
American sailors lay dead and dying on
every hand. During the two hours that
Perry faced his antagonist his men were
reduced to a handful. Entering the &C
ton. the Lawrence had a crew Of off,
GERS and men numbering 10S- OF these.
by o'clock in the afternoon. IS were
either dead or wounded. Still Perry held
out Others fell around him. until only
the commander and thirteen others were
left uninjured.
Meanwhile all the ships had become
engaged-but the Niagara only at long
range and ineffectlvely. Elliott. the cap
tain Of that vessel. perceiving that re-
sistance from the Lawrence had ceased,
now sailed ahead. believing that Perry
had fallen and that the command had
devolved on himself II was at this juno
ture that Perry resolved upon that IA
nous exploit which has made his name
immortal He pulled down his battle
flag. but left the Stars and Stripes still
floating Then, with his brother. Alex
ander. and four Of his remaining seamen,
he lowered himself into the boat He
flung his pennant and battle flag over
his arm and around his person. stepped
into the boat, stood upright and ordered
the men to pull for the Niagara
Transfers the Flag.
The vessel was more than a half
mile distant. 1t required the oarsmen
fully fifteen minutes to make the pas
sage. The boat had to pass in full expo
sure TO the enemy's guns. The British at
once perceived what was doing. As the