Imperial Valley press., 1913-07-15
TO COMMEMORATE VICTORY
OF PERRY ON LAKE ERIE
(By Congressman Clyde n. Tavenner. }


WASHINGTON, July 15.-On Sep
tember 10 on the little Lake Erie is
land of Put in Bay, Ohio there will be
held the significant celebration i'll con-
nection with the construction of the
magnificent memorial which is to
commemorate the conclusion of CEN
tury Of peace between the United
States and Great Britain and the battle
Of Lake Erie. won by the American
commodore, Oliver Hazard Perry, on
September 10. 1913.
The memorial will be one of the
most magnificent from an architectural
standpoint in the whole world. II is
said that no nation of Europe has ever
honored a military hero with mOnu-
mcnt of such mpreSSiveness. Ten
states and the federal government
have contributed to erect this splendid
monument to one who was little more
than boy and to see battle which,
in these days of drcadnauSlIts, sub
marines and mines. seems hardly more
exciting than a skirmish between row.
boats in pond.
Nevertheless. the battle fought be-
tween the tiny ships of Perry and the
Tiny ships of the British commander
was, in its effect upon the destiny of
this nation, one of the most important
in our history. Except for it and the
land successes Of General William
Henry Harrison in the war of 1912. the
western boundary Of the United States
today would probably be the Misss-
sippi river, while the northern bound
ary might be the Ohio. with the chain
Of the Great Lakes entirely within the
Dominion Of Canada.
The theater of war in 1912 shifted to
the Great Lakes when Captain Dobbins
OF Erie, Pa. Yankee mariner of the
lakes, travelled through the wilderness
to Washington to tell President Madi-
son of the complete supremacy of the
British on the northern frontier, and
the danger to the unprotected settler
OF Indian massacres. CAPTAIN Dobbins
told his story at the presidents cabinet
meeting, and as a result was sent back
to Erie with $4,000 and commissioned
to begin the construction of a navy.
Today $4,000 would hardly repair
bent plate on a battleship. In 1913 it
was sufficient to guarantee the con-
structiOn Of a flOtilla.
While the wOrkmen under CAPTAIN
Dobbins were hewing the oak and
chestnut from the primeval forest for
the construction Of five ships (tne
largest Of them no feet long-about
the size Of big modern tughoats) Com
modore Perry. aged p, who was in
command of flotilla of gunboats at
Newport, r. L., journeyed to Washing
ton and asked to be transferred to
Lake Erie. He was accordingly as
signed to take command of the fleet
being built at Erie.
The young commodore, taking with
him his little brother, a lad of 10. and
a command of 200 men. set out on an
arduous winter journey to Lake Erie.
When he arrived he found his boats
nearly ready for launching. To outfit
them with guns and ammunition meant
hard overland journeys to Pittsburg
and Buffalo, dragging back the equip
ment on rude cars. The fleet was
launched in the early summer of 1913.
The battle which followed is known
TO every schOolboy. After days of
ANXIOUS waiting the sails Of the enemy
were at last seen on The horizon.
Perry unfurled his battle flag with the
inspired motto, Don't give up the
ship" His vessel, the Lawrence. sus-
tanned the brunt Of the attack. and
llnally sunk under the young COM
mander'S feet. But he transferred his
flag to the Niagara, making the haz-
ardous' trip in an open boat, and IN
Drlef space of time the battle was won
American supremacy was established
on the Great Lakes. and the Northwest
Territory was restored to the United
States.