Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
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fKahI TharN Abroad flor Bar1mP

/ praying that some survivor might
| come out of the monstrous blackness,
| but none returned. then or ever.
| SOmers, sighted long before he
reached the desired spot, found him
self surrounded by enemy craft. Sur
| render meant handing over the valu-
! able store of powder and bombs-new
p, prisoners for the dungeons-and with
out hesitation he lighted the fuses,
blowing himself and his men to eternity
| together with the Tripoltan gunboats
that swarmed for the capture
| Yet Somers and his men did not die
in vain. The Bashaw. already stunned
! by DeCatur's daring, was moved to a
passionate desire for peace by this new
! evidence of American courage, and, in
| time, a treaty was signed.
Y 4 i
I NEWS Of the exploits, carried up
and down the Barbary Coast,
moved the corsairs to humility, and
when Tunis, Morocco and Algiers fol-
lowed the Bashaws intelligent ex-
ample it was in pride and glory that
our ships returned to port.
Ehort-lived glory, Ephemeral pride!
With the faulty that Hamilton saw in
him and hated, jefferson dismantled
the Navy and turned our unprotected
commerce over to the ravages of war
ring France and England. Each for
babe neutral nations to trade with the
other under threat of seizure and con-
! fiscation, and Jefferson's only answer
/ l., ,Sy,rv oh
port and surrenderinS an export bust
ness of $3.50 900, 900 a year.
jefferson. casting off unhappy bur
dens with undisguised relief, was sue
ceeded by Madison. even more timor-
Gus, but by 1872 the mounting rage OF
the country forced him to draw the
| sword
The hearts of Inundated sailormen,
| however, rose only to sink again, for
the American Navy, with which they
were expected to wage war against
the great sea power of the world, con-
sisted of five frigates, three briggs,
| three sloops and four schooners
Decatur. with his usual clear-eyed
courage, pointed out the impossibility
of fighting as a squadron, and carried
! his idea that each ship should take to
! the sea singly, dealing such blows as
| they might until capture or destruc-
| ton. Sailing the sea lanes in the
| United States, he rounded Madeira in
| October, to find himself confronted by
| the Macedonian, finest of all British
| frigates.
| Not in vain had Decatur trained
! his men through the weary months;
| their seamanship daZed the English,
| and their unerrinG gunnery turned
/ the Macedonian into a shambles.
No less splendid was brave Isaac
| Hulrs capture of the Guerrero, and
! slowly every American port filled with
| prizes. some compensation for many
| shamful defeats on land. Massing
her sqladrons. however, England
! barred the harbor mouths. penning
| the free lances hard and fast, and
when Decatur did break loose, disaster
| attended. Slipping out of New York
on the President in a night of snow
and storm, a pilots blunder put the
| ship on a bar off Sandy Hook.
Aside from injuries sustained, the
delay proved costly, for dawn revealed
| four of the British blockading squad
ron, and flight was the one recourse.
All day the chase continued. but by
! late afternoon only the frigate Endy-
mion was in sight, and Decatur swift
| ~ turned his battered ship to give
| battle.
At s o'clock the Endymion confessed
! defeat, drawing off from action. but
| the dismasted wallowing President
was in scarce better condition. Dark
ness was the one hope. but a full
moon scattered the clouds. and soon
| the belated British ships came hurry
| ing up. forming a ring of double,
shOtted guns.
Seeing the futility of further resist
ance-a crippled vessel and half of his
officers and gunners killed-Decatur
signaled surrender Even while they
fought, peace had been signed in Lon
don.
Decatur's war career. however was
not doomed to end on such note.
| The Barbary pirates, instigated by
! England who assured them that
America was no longer to be feared.