The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-10
EDITORIAL NOTES

| a-~~~---~ Other things being equal, the god of 1 battle is on the side of the strongest armament.
 It was so one hundred years ago | to-day, when nine vessels flying the 1 American flag put out from Putin | Bay into Lake Erie, there to engage | in naval combat with the squadron of England.
 The American fleet, commanded by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, was composed of nine ships. The Brit ish, led by Captain Robert H. Barclay, a veteran who had fought under Nell son, had six vessels. In total ton mage, the American overmatched the English as eight to seven.
 In the matter of men, the Aneri- cans had 532 and the English 450. While Perrys force was numerically superior, many of them were green Kentuckians who had never fought on the water before, while practically all of the Englishmen were experienced sailors
 In armament, most important of all. the English had sixty-three guns and the Americans ffty-four. The Anneri- cans guns were vastly superior, how ever, for Perry's broadsides threw at close range $50 pounds, against 45O of the British. At long range the Americans could throw 2S8, against 195 of the English.
 It was this superiority in arma- ment that enabled Perry to write, we have met the enemy and they are ours"
 In the early part of the battle the English gunners were much more pro- ficient than the Americans, and the deadly accuracy of the former turned the Lawrence into a sham bles. Per ry went to another vessel and con tinued the battle. Except for the dogged determination and obstinacy of Perry, the centenary of the battle of Lake Erie would be celebrated to- day on the Canadian side of the Lakes, instead of the American side. Bar clay was no less gallant, and was twice severely wounded during the engage ment.
 The battle of Lake Erie is historic and worthy of commemoration be- cause it marked the end of naval war fare on the Great Lakes and was herald of the century of peace be- tween the English-speaking peoples.
 It was the first time an entire Eng fish fleet had been captured or de- stroyed by the enemy Indeed, the naval history of the world furnished no precedent for so complete a vic tory, although the feat has since been repeated at Santiago.
 In addition to the centenary cele- bratfon on Lake Erie, Perry's mem ory will be honored to-day at New port, R. I. The gallant Commodore was a native of. Little Rhody," and the son of al naval officer. His moth- CT, an Irishwoman, of unusual attain ments, had charge of the early -educa- ton of her son, and those who knew her always spoke of the battle of Lake Erie as Mrs. Perry's victory
 To-day is the centenary of the birth of one of the most celebrated of Am erican surgeons, Frank Hastings Ham ilton. He was a native of Vermont and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania medical school. HeI was one of the founders of the Univer- sity of Buffalo's medical departme ent and of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College in New York. His books on surgery still rank as standard author ities.
 Frederic Adrian DeIano, famous in railway circles president and re- Hong Kong, China, fifty years ago to- day. Both of his parents were na- tives of Massachusetts. They return ed to the United States and most of the boyhood of the future railway president was spent in Newburg, NY.
 MT. De1ano's railroad career began in 1885, shortly after his graduation from Harvard. The Chicago, Bur lington & Quincy was his first employ | an engineering party in Colorado. Af- l ter two months in that State he went to Aurora H., where he entered the Burlington shops as an apprentice | machinist. He did not remain long