The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-07

that gallant ship lived up to it's name in the battle of Cape St.
 Vincent in 1797. On that occa- sion Sir John Jervis, in com mand of fifteen sail, defeated the Spanish fleet of twenty seven ships of the line. For this vic- tory Sir John was raised to tho peerage as Earl St. Vincent, and Nelson, his able lieutenant in the conflict off the Portuguese coast, was knighted and made a. rear admiral. It was from the deck of the Victory that Nelson direct ed the formation of the English fleets battleline off Cape Trafal- gar, Spain, in 1905, when he was opposed by the combined fleets of France and Spain. It was from the Victory that he sent his last
 signal, England expects every man will do his duty.' It. was to the deck of the Victory that he fell mortally wounded, and 1t was the Victory that carried the dead body of the hero to Ports
 mouth. The old ship is still sea worthy and in excellent condi- ton, although it could hardly stand a single shot fired from the guns of a super -dreadnought of to-day. England has preserv- ed several other ancient men-o'- war which are now more than a. century old, including H: M. S. InpIacable, which was built in France in 1901 and is now, fully rigged, serving as a training ship for boys at Falmouth. An other historic English ship is the Caledonia, which was launched 11O years ago. Perhaps the old est of American lighting ships are the frigate Constitution and the U. s. s. Constellation, both built in 1797, the former at Bos- ton and the latter at Baltimore.
 Another Important anniversary in nautical history attributed to- the seventh of May is the birth day of William Bainbridge, the tsFather of Naval Instruction in America who was born at Princeton. N J.. 40 years ago to-day. Bainbridge began his career as a, sailor on merchant man, became a, mate at eighteen, and in 179S was appointed lieu tenant commander in the infant navy of Uncle Sam. He served with great galIantry throughout the second war between Great Britain and the United States. and after that conflict began a kpropaganda for the establish ment of an institution for the training and education of naval officers. He esta blished school at the old Boston Navy Yard. He died in 1888, and seven years la ter a government institution based largely on his suggestions was opened in Philadelphia, and in 1S45 permanently located at Annapolis, Md.
 Another nautical anniversary of to-day goes back to 1792. when the seventh of May. Capt. Robert Gray entered the Columbia River and named the great Northwest ern stream after his vessel. It was Gray's discovery which formed the basis of the Amer ican title to what are now the States of Oregon and Washing ton.
 To many people the seventh of May is a date which recalls memories Of a terrible ocean dis mali steamer Schiller on the rocks off the Sicily isles thirty nine years ago to-day. The dis aster cost the lives of 331 peo- pie. Only forty-three were saw ed, and of those only one was a woman. A dense fog was pre- vai1ing at the time, and the Schiller was cast on a reef and pounded to pieces. Twenty-Five members of the crew escaped by swimming ashore, a distance of about a mile. Three days elapsed before the first authentic news of the disaster reached the world. One of the many Americans drowned was Joseph SchIitz, founder of the Milwaukee Brew ing Go.