The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-03-23
NAVY WAS BUSY
IN EARLY PART
OF The CENTURY

The downfall Of Spanish power in
America was swiftly followed by the
outcroppings Of system Of piracy in
American waters, spreading from Por-
to Rico south to the estuaries of the
rivers in the new state of BuenOs
Aires. For a time armed merchant
men, on account of the small size of
the pirate craft, were fairly safe, but
by 1921 the situation had become so
serious that it demanded action by the
American government, says the
Springfield Republican. Ten vessels,
armed schooners and gunboats, were
detailed for West Indian service in
the fall of that year, and in 1922 this
squadron was augmented by the Ma
cedonian, 38 guns, the Congress, Sc
guns, and several other of the best
fighting ships Of the navy under the
command of Captain James Biddle. In
1923 the command passed to Captain
David Porter. Midshipman David
Glasgow Farragut received his first
taste Of fire in these t'peculiarly haz-
ardous and eXhaustfng campaigns
against ruthlessness at our very doors
The principal incident of these opera
tons was the capture of the port and
fort Of F'oxardo on the island of Porto
Rico in October, 1924, the alcade of
the town having refused to deliver
supplies plundered by the pirates from
the American consulate at st. Thomas.
Throughout these years numerous en-
gagements, many of them extremely
bloody, occurred both at sea and on
land, between the pirates and Amer
lean naval forces. The navy patrolled
the West Indian waters against pi-
rates until we'll along in the Jackson
administration.
It was also in Jackson's time that
the armed forces Of the United
States registered theirS effective pro-
test against lawlessness on the Pa
cific. Since the day in 1874 when
the fiEeat ship Empress of India had
first carried the stars and stripes in
to Canton harbor, American vessels In
the far eastern trade had found their
~ and 16-gun batteries sufficient pro-
lection against the pirates who
swarmed the sultry coasts of the In
dian ocean But on February 7,
1881, the ship Friendship Of Salem
while taking on a cargo of pepper at
Oualia Battoo on the northwestern
coast of Sumatra was captured In
surprise attack by her Moorish steve
dores, and most Of the crew murder
ed.
The next day, with the assistance
Of some armed merchantmen lying
nearby, those of the crew who es-
capped recovered the Friendship. New
ertheless, Andrew Jackson was no sort
of a person to let such an outrage
against American rights go unpunish\
ed. The 44-gun frigate Potomac,
Captain John Downes, waiting in New
York harbor to take Minister Martin
Van Buren, to London, was hastily de-
tailed for service in East Indian wa
tiers. She arrived off Qua.lia Battoo
in February, 1882, just a year after
the Friendship massacre, and at once
dispatched a landing party tor attack
the town. The battle lasted from
dawn until early evening when the ru-
lers of the city under a flag of truce.
came on board the Potomac's deck
and humbly begged Captain Downes
for peace on any terms IF only
the big guns-the PotOmac's new 81
poundersEwould cease their lightning
and thunder" All the stockades had
fallen on shore. One hundred Malays
Law dead, and 200 wounded. The
Americans had lost two killed and IL
wounded The Ma1ays gave their
pledges to be good and for the fu-
ture, with the aid Of the merchant
mems big 12-pounders, kept them.