The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-19
Special co-,sspondsaes TO rns suu.


PARIS, Dec. 2.-Hark back TO the
day Of the old sea rovers. when ship
ran alongside ship. made fast with Crap
ping irons. and then the crew. armed to
tho teeth. swamed over the enemy's
side and rasped out the STERN command.
Surrender or dis!" Such exploits be-
long TO tho long ago? True; but one OF
the most settled habits Of history Ii to
repeat herself, and In an amasing fash
ion, and this Ia precisely what she DID
only three weeks aCc
Yes. q ship taken by . boarding crew.
One looks for surprises in these days Of
ultra modern sea warfare. but to think
that one ship should capture another
thus after the fashion OF Surcouf.
rHermite and the privateers Of old 10
not a supposition that normally belongs
TO November. 1915. One might sooner
believe that the homeric charges of
Murat's hussars and Ney's cuirassiers
would live again than that In these days.
when squadrons pound each other at a
distance of twelve miles or more. sailors
would leap from one vessel to another
and engage in hand to hand combat.
Just one thing saddened Lieut.. La
combe and his ten men. When they
leaped aboard the Turkish schooner they
had no boarding ~cutlasses all that re-
main had been locked up long age In
the glass cases Of naval museumA, and
here was the chance TO use them. Per-
haps Surcouf laughed from tho shades
and said. They forgot something"
Nevertheless. the moderns did az we'll al
they could with revolvefs and whatever
blades they found.
Fought In Fashton Of ola.
Perhaps the combat lacked some Of the
pioturesqueness Of q great sea fight Of
old, when the belligerents came so close
together that their rigging became In
tertwined and he gunners could MOI
man their pieces-when II was strategy
to ram the enemy ship. while the board
Ing parties stood ready for instant &C
tion but the encounter here ~chronicled
a v VIllustratton, was lacking In moth
ing that signifies courage or dash or adroi
manuuvre. The descendants of Lieut.
Lacombe and his boarding party Of ter
| will recount their exploits Just ~ d.
heirs to tho memories of older SCI
glories.
II came to pass that a little despatch
boat Of the FrenA Mediterranean patro
captured a large Turkish schooner. OF
which were forty-three soldiers. of whom
eleven were officers. commanded by All
med Fehmi Bey. a chief. who was TAX
ing wal supplies to the Senussi OF Trip
oil and presents for their leaders. o.
the morning OF that day, under a heav!
sky. the Nord Caper, proud In its new
promotion to the rank Of auxiliary des
patch boat. was cruising of Crete. Onl!
a few weeks before II had been a com
mon trawler Of Boulogne-squat. honest
but TO all appearance hopelessly hour
geois. Fortune had been kind n tn
Nord Caper was happy. eager to d
something to dis tnguish herself and he
commander. for ships. " every marine
knows, are quite as capable Of sentimen
a. any human being.
Ambition WA fated to be gratihed
A sail was sighted In the ofing. and o.
! closer view II was seen to belong to
large schooner. whose Ions, sweepin
line Of lateen RIG and broad expanse O
canvas plainly belonged to the Mediter
ranean and particularly to its castor
waters Such riSstng 10 known else
where. but In lees dsGrss. The schooner
whose Turkish and therefore tsostiis NJ
&ionality wa suspscted. mauifsstsd n