Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-09-04

unheard of before and carried the
name and fame of their home towr
the world over The world has made
great hero of Paul Jones, but there
were half dozen young sea captains
out OF Salem in revolutionary times
who did all that he did and more, yet
did 1t so unostentatiously and so muct
as part of the days work that the
records of it are hard to trace and fol
the most part have been lost. During
the revolution Salem sent out 15S
armed vessels carrying more thar
1000 guns. They took 445 prizes, los
ing in return 81 Of their own fleet
Jonathan Harraden, for instance
sailed from Salem In the privateei
General Pickering, IS tons, carrying
IA six-pounders and a crew OF less
than so men. Thus manned and
equipped they captured British pri
vateer OF % guns Harraden put part
of his crew on the captured vessel and
the two sailed on. of the coast OF
Spain they sighted a vessel bearing
down upon them and the captive Brit
ish captain laughed as he told Har
raden that this was the British frigate
Achilles of AZ guns.
We'll. shall not run from her.
said Harraden, stoutly; and he did
not. The big frigate soon recaptured
the prize with its short crew, but the
little Pickering laid up alongside OF
her at nightfall, when the battle
ceased for want of light. Harraden
went to bed and got a good nights
sleep. In the morning the battle be
gan again 30 near the coast that 100,
900 Spaniards made the hills black
with spectators. The disparity in size
Of the two vessels was such that an
eye witness said 1t was like a ships
long boat attacking man-o war. But
the little boat won the battle, and moi
only the big frigate but the recaptured
prize struck to the indomitable Salem
captain and his fearless Salem crew
The battle was no sooner over thar
the sea was black with the boats Of ad
miring Spaniards, who came out in
great numbers, and later took Captain
| Harraden ashore and carried him
about the city on their shoulders.
saIem's Important Foreign Trade.
1t was In November, 1875. that the
Grand Turk, belonging to Elias Derby
and commanded by Ebenezer West
cleared for Canton. China. the first
American ship to seek this round.the
world port. Seventeen months aftel
she returned, the result of her voy
age, for one thing. being cargo that
brought her owners twice more capita
than she had carried out. The Salem
merchants often sold not only the car
go but the ship itself In these far-dis
tant ports, and later the Grand Turh
was thus disposed OF in India, Derby
building another and a larger vesse
OF the same name. In 1894 Salem
owned 100 vessels Of tonnage total
ing 16,7SS tons. In 1906 this number
had increased to 81 ships. Is barks
72 brigs and SO schooners, Of which
4S we're employed in trade around the
Cape of Good Hope. In 1906 there were
73 ships, IL barks and 4S brigs, all
engaged in foreign trade. which gave
such splendid opportunity for adven
ture and such princely returns. Car
goes have been brought into Salem
port that realized 800 per cent on the
capital invested, and from 1900 to
1907. inclusive. l.542 vessels In foreign
trade arrived, paying an annual av
erage duty OF s755,l57.90, and this al
the reasonable rate OF those days.
In the story OF this Salem shipping
from 1775 to 1875, is an odyssey that
some latterday Homer may yet rinl
down the future ages. The captains
and crews Of these ships needed al
the courage and wisdom of Ulysses
nor had sea-worn Odysseus so wide
wanderings or 80 strange adventure.
as they