Evening star., 1939-08-06

than "a hours, but after "a hours of
such possession, the vessel was sub
ject to total condemnation in favor
of the recapturers. This rather un-
fair law was later modified to allow
salvage by mutual agreement, fall
ing which prize courts were en-
powered to award, in their discre-
ton, not less than one-eighth nor
more than one-half the value of the
recaptured property.
Being a commodore or admiral
with ships subject to his command
was profitable business, as the law
gave him share in all captures
made by such ships. Commodore
Chauncey, who was the senior naval
officer on the Great Lakes, although
not present when the Battle of Lake
Erie was fought. nevertheless re-
ceived S12,750 as his share of S225.-
900 appropriated by Congress for dis
tribution among the victorious par
ticipants in the battle. Oliver Haz-
ard Perry received only s7,14O. 1t is
interesting to note that the distribu-
ton list of the Lake Erie money con-
tains the names and amounts al
lowed a detachment from the Army
which supplemented the insufficient
number of bluejackets under Perrys
command. An Army captain re-
ceived s2.295: a lieutenant, s1.214
and a private received a sailors
share of $2l5. AS his share in the
Lake Champlain money. Commo-
dore Macdonough got s22 300, but
he commanded in person.
For the Macedonian. which was
captured and brought into port by
the U. S. S. United States, Congress
authorized a distribution of $780,
600, but for the captures of the
Guerriere and Java, which were
burned at sea. the crew of the Con-
stitution were voted only $4,000
each. Commodore Hull, the Con-
stltution's commander when the
Guerriere was captured, estimated
that the latter had a prize value of
100000 if taken into port, but he
ordered her to be burned because he
could not spare sufficient men for
a prize crew. Doubtless this deci-
sion was a bitter disappointment
to his crew.
Cases in War of 1912.
Popular naval victories during the
War of 1872 caused Congress to be
liberal in its recognition of the
Navys efforts. The Constitutions
crew received $4,000 for taking the
Cyane, and although the Levant,
captured at the same time, was
afterward retaken by superior
British force, Congress voted the
Constitution $4,000 as consolation
prize. This latter amount was also
granted the crew of the Wasp for
the stirring victory in 1912 over the
Frolic, although both vessels were
almost Immediately captured by the
74-gun PoictierS. In 1916 Congress
appropriated $4,000 to be paid the
representatives of the crew of an
other Wasp, which had disappeared
at sea in 1914, after having cap
tured the British ships Rein Deer
and Avon. The United States
squadron which destroyed the power
OF the Algerine Corsairs was granted
the sum of 100000, and gossip al
ways held that the Decatur house
on Lafayette square was bought
from the commodore's share in this
money.
During the War Between the
States, prize money amounting to
about $12,5O0,0OO was distributed
among Navy personnel. One of the
largest amounts fell to the U. S. S.
Connecticut, which made two cap
lures, one netting her crew $3.50, 400
and the other $485 900. The U. S. S.
Magnolia was another lucky craft,
whose crew shared in the distribu-
ton of $354,000 realized from the
capture of a blockade runner out
Of Galeston. The U. S. S. Grand
Gulf, a small steamer, and the
U. S. S. Kansas, gunboat, both
took blockade runners out of Will
mington which netted their captors
over 100000 each. The crews of
the monitors Weehawaken and
Nahant, and the gunboat Cimarron,
shared in head money" of $3.50 900
for capturing the c. S. S. Atlanta.
1t. Comdr. Cushing and the IA
other members of his party were
awarded $4,000 for their daring ex-
plot in sinking the c. S. S. Abe
marie.