Evening star., 1914-08-09

beard" Teach and the swinging OF Capt
William Kidd gibbet high in chains of
Execution dock at q time beyond the
memory of living man, to the contrary.
Now. there is no gainsaying that when
Justice pulled the blindfold from one eye
long enough to catch the buccaneers
England. Rackann, Lowther. Kidd. Black
beard and another score OF the Jolly
Roger brotherhood red-handed. sending
them to look their last through hempen
collars while they danced on air, the
Lady of Scales and Bandage did pretty
thorough job.
Yet, after all of these and many Of the
lesser lawiess lights were swept from
the seas. there remained that which gal
lows tree nor kings sloop-of-war could
lay-the spirit Of piracy.
The pirate destroyers" win not go to
the now peaceful Spanish main. or sail
the stretches where once the plate ships
OF the King of Spain struck colors to
raking broadsides from low. black top
sail schooners. for the spirit Of piracy
now dwells along the shore of the sham
the Suiu and South Pacific waters. upon
non-bristling Malay prahus.
And so. the station of the two pirate
destroyers'' Of the United States Navy
will be at Shanghai. within easy striking
distance of the great Yangste river
along whose banks are thousands of set
Elements where American concessionaries.
agents Of great commercial enterprises
and missionaries spend perilous lives.
SO
Although the United States maintains
a score Of vessels on the China station
most Of them spoils Of the war with
Spain-it so happened that there were
no lieht-draft gunboats among them, and
the volume Of water necessary to float
them was so great as to make any pur-
suit up rivers and canals little less than
a farce.
So IL was that the United States finally
grew tired Of having the hght-draft pirate
craft show clean heels and get away In
safety, which exhibition on the part of
yellow outlaws soon became a Joke at
which Uncle Sam could not and would
not laugh. Therefore was the construc-
ton Of the pirate destroyers'' author
lied. :.
A long time ago the United States main
tanned among her ships in eastern waters
sail vessel-the Monocacy; and also a
screw tug Of iron-the Palos. And be-
cause Of the honorable history Of both Of
these vessels, which long ago went to the
junk heap. the two river gunboats have
been named for them.
Taking pattern after the type OF gun
boat exampled in the British Widgeon,
these two little craft were constructed at
the Mare Island navy yard. But they
were too small to stand the trip across
the Pacific. where typhoons and hurri-
canes are frequent. Therefore they were
knocked down and shipped in a big
ocean liner to Shanghai. where they were
reassambled by Naval Constructor Bor-
der, assisted by Lieut. Andrew F, Carter.
U. 8. N. A few weeks ago they were
launched and given their trial trips
Although the ''n1isquitoes" OF the China
station were too small to undertake the
transpaciflc trip. they viii be none the
less efncient against the pirate men, who
depend largely upon fighting at hands
grips In overpowering their victims, and
who will now be no longer safe in the
shallow streams which until this time
have sheltered them.
The gunhoats are 100 feet over all with
a beam of "a feet inches and displace-
ment of 100 tons Wherever her COM
mander can find two feet and a half of
water there can either of the little craft
be taken at speed Of thirteen and a half
knots.
Hull and deckhouse sheathed with spe-