Evening Star Newspaper, October 11, 1925, Page 86

Dangerous, Desolate Asia Minor Fur- nishes Many Thrilling Exveriences. Steering by Compass in a Sea of Mud. Inch by Inch Over an Obstruction. Visiting the Birthplace of St. Paul Moving a River—On a Trackless Plain. When Maj. F. A. C. Forbes. Leith first suggested to his friends a motor trip from London to India, it was regarded a “wildeat scheme.” The distance had been covered several times by airplanes, but—strangely—an automobile was held to involve too m visks However, he persevered in his pian, feeling that his chances of guccess would be betier than those of many others becauge of his fce during the World War in some of the Eastern countries through which he would have to pass. Eventually he set forth London in a small, light nglish make, which wa “Felix,” ympanied by gue Redknap, who was to camera man, and Allan Wroe, diarist of the trip. After crossing the Channel, three travelers drove without seri out difficulties through France, Italy, Jugoslavia, and Bulgaria, and finally entered Asiatic Turkey, which was destined to be the start- ing point of thelr real dangers and dificulties, and it is here that the following accounts of their experi ence hegins After his war servie Forbes-Leith for a time ed the estates and comn private army noblemen of travel he was elected the Roy as car dubt ac Mon Maj. dminister inded the 2 member of 1 Geographical Society. By F. A. C. FORBE HAT we had! who motor on first.c roads, cannot fail to con sider the contrast between that comfortable experi ence and conditions to be found in a Minor offering the difficulties to surmounted by our gallant little British car. So I will give vou an extract from my diary for one day When I originally planned this trip 1 anticipated having to take ship from Saloniki, Greece, to Alexandretta Asfatie Turkey. Had we realized what the conditions were in Asia Minor, 1 » not_ think we should have tackied it by land. Here is a condensed re cord for 12 hours am.—Wake, coo fast, and pack 6:10 a.m.—Strike camp. 6:20 a.m.—Arrive landside, 05 clearing rad. 9:15 a.m.—Arrive at sharp corner of gorge just wide enoush for Felix to pass. Rock 15 inches high sticking up in center of road. We cannot shift ek, so we collect smaller rks and build road up to leyel of big rc 3 10 a.m.—Deep mud patches which try to rush with chains on, but ° anding in 12 inches of mud, we unload and get clear in 15 min utes, 10:30 a.m.—Hill with gradlent of one in five strewn with loose rocks on surface of loose stone. We wall up hill and remove biggest obstacles from path of axle. Drive up and stick at_hair-pin bend, with wheels slipping. After reversing three times and par tially unioading. we manage it, with Redknap and Wroe pushing. 11:15 a.m—On apparently irface we sink up to axles in mud, unload car, I put on chains. Wroe loses shoe in mud. We dig our axles clear and collect about two tons of rock to make hard track. Clear in an hour. Redknap purple; also the air. 12:15 p.m—Half a mile through mud patches and over plowed fields Lunch after covering 6!z miles in six hours. Clean and scrape mud off clothes. 1:30 p.m.—Another rock miles long, continually unloa pushing. a day Y . and eat break work till 9 hard going, following road cut into cliff along river bank. Half of road fallen aw and replaced by heam carrving rotten hoards. Return village and are told th is only way through. Crawl along beam with one inch to spare with torrent 30 feet below, 5:30 p.m.—Camp nearly three hours rocks. Total mileage 11 hours. beat mud day, dead more for after nd 21 in PEEE HE following morning we arrived at Bile, . which the map acribed as a Turkish town of third im- portance, but to our sreat surprise we found a complete ruin. Bilejek in | 2:45 p.m.—After two miles of fair | six-inch-wide | de- | ingle. very The effect in the dusk was beantiful and pleasing. and the sound of the bells of the leading amels is always sweet music to a 1 lover of the East We had a little oiling and greasing to do to Felix, and frer leaving Afium Karihissar, during a whole afternoon we were passing through beautiful wuntry, which was well wooded and watered. We decided to camp at the | first suitable spot we struck. We pitched camp on top of a small hill. The ground was very rough and stony, and abounded in scorplon: wantulas, and every jumpling Insect The others turned in. but the place did {Hot please me. and I felt disinclined | for sleep. and lay reading for some | time until I dozed off to the music | of howling jackals. I suddenly woke | to the noise of galloping hoofs, and a | larze deer raced through the camp | pursued by a large wild dog. Bedknap woke hock kept us awake for a while. Ap- parently the deer won the race, for the dog_returned. bringing a large crowd of friends, who sat around the camp ind kept up a terrible din for two hours. We refrained from shooting, as we had passed several ugly look- crowds on the previous afternoon. 1 could see several camp fires avonnd us, and shots might have at tracted inquisitive strangers to camp. We had ® very uncomfortable and sleepless night, and it that the question of keeping watch at night must be serfously considered. Individually these dogs are not dan. gerous. but collectively 1 have known them to attack human beings. Red- Knap was to have a very nasty experl- | ence of this a few nights later. At the | same time we were having such severe physical labor during the day that good rest was absolutely essen- tial at night. and to interrupt sleep with watches would not tend to in- | crease our hodily fitness. Wroe. I think., would sleep while | his throat was being cut. Redknap | was a fairly lizht sleeper, but luckily continual travel has blessed me with the faculty of getting sound sleep, with one eve open. We left ‘this unpleasant camp at dawn, and five hours’ driving over rocky hill country brought us to the edgze of a vast plain, where we had a beautiful view of the City of Konla, the anclent capital of the Turkish Empire, during the Selducian dynasty. It was'a fine sight, with its golden domes and minarets peeping above the poplar groves. * % k% HE eternal bad weather still dog- zed us and made our journey a continuous mudlark, as for the next few days we slowly wended our way toward the Taurus Mountains. About a day before we reached Eregli we made our camp about 400 yards from a village, and that night, after we had finished our evening meal, Red- knap wandered over to the village spring to get rid of some of the day's collection of mud. Half way there he was attacked by herd of about a dozen parfah dogs by one huge Bessarabian sheep Iearing the noise, all the lage children collected bevond dogs, and he was too fearful of shoot- ing the youngsters to risk using his pistol. Luckily there were plenty of large stones about, so he armed himself and kept his face towards the leader. They made a rush at him. but he aimed well and hit the big fellow in the chest with a plece of rock. This cooled the leader's courage a bit and the rest followed suit and waited. They made « circle around him, and very time he moved they did also. "hey gradually closed in, but he used his stones to good effect and delaved matters as long as possible. Eventu- |ally the villagers, hearing the nolse, rrived and drove the dogs off. As the wind was blowing away from the camp, we could hear nothing, and Redknap returned still unwashed, and | very shaky. We also declded to re- | main unwashed until daylight, rather | than risk being eaten. i Here, day by day, we were moving like a ship at sea on no defined track, taking our direction on the plains by compass, and wondering along the foot of the hills to find a way across. We had already passed over 120 broken bridges, and in nearly every case we had to make a detour to pass them. We gradually got resigned to this a led dog. 0. and the sudden | was obvious | THE . SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, D. €, OCTOBER 11 1925—PART 5 India by Motor Car Covers Perilous Route i "l“l) MY H()!‘R()R. WE B on an alternative track which went stralght up a hill of loose decomposed limestone at.a gradient of one in three. We got out, walked up and surveved it, and it appeared to he an impossi- ble proposition to try to climb it We consulted ou maps. but they and a view of the conditions of the surrounding country proved it to be our only route, so we had no alter- natlve but to call on dear old Felix for an extra effort. Posting the others at the ecritical points with bricks to block the wheels, I made a rush at it, hut the engine stalled on the loose surface in the first 50 vards. Another effort took us one vard forward before I stalled again We covered that 330 vards by start- ing the engine, accelerating, ferking in the clutch, and moving inches at a time. Sometimes we moved a couple of ards and every time we stopped we had to block the wheels quickly. The last 10 yards were covered in 15 jerks, and we all cheered when the move but one moved us three We had to clear the sur huge rocks before we started, and my triends pushed all the time. Once we started it was impossible to retreat, as we had a sheer drop of 200 feet on my left and a wall of rock to the right. We did the 330 vards in two and one-half hours and when we reached the top we were all exhausted, and although I w the least hard worked of the party I felt absolutely done. I revived the others with ou last drops of whisky from the emer- gency flask. and well they deserved it. We stopped about and one-half miles from Bozani Khan at the foot of the Taurus Pass and had a short chat with the station master at a village statlon. He gave us a very rude one-half miles on there was a xeries of enormous landslides which we could not_possibly pass. This depressed us considerably, but as it was the only way to India, on we pushed to see the trouble for our sely We came across several ob structions which we manipulated with some difficulty, and as our speedom eter then showed that we had come six miles since our warning, we were congratulating ourselves that were the obstacles referred to, when as we turned a corner we were stop- ped dead by a block which must have contained tens of rock and earth. The force of the slide had tuken the road with it an attempt to remove the debris would have been a month's work for a steam shovel. In the lowest part there was a climb of 16 feet to the top of the debris and at that point there were from 70 to 80 vards of huge rocks fo run over, while immediately on our r was a_drop of 25 feet into the river. I put Felix at it in an effort to climb it, but stuck, and every time I tried to move again, to my horror, we began to slide towards the precipice. Three more efforts to move up only ~aused the car to skid still nearer the cdge * ko % A TURKISH gendarme sergeant sud denly appeared, and helped us with useless advice. He consoled us by his assurance that the next time my wheels moved, I should skid into the river. We found that he had five soldiers “THE WILD DOGS MADE A RUSH AT HIM.” had contained 3,500 houses, and was aenberately burned during the recent war by the Greeks when they retreat- ed, leaving only five houses standing, but it is being rebuilt very quickly We thought that this might be an tsolated case, but for the next 50 miles all was waste, every town and vil- lage having been put to the torch. Just before we arrived at Afium Karihissar, we passed what I always feel is the absolute dividing line be- tween FEast and West, a camel cara- van. As we approached the city over a long dusty plain, it was stretched out in single file almost the hori zon and crossing our path at a gight | work, and felt quite elated if con- ditions enabled us to cover 40 miles |a day. * K k% | A KUSHLA was our objective, | and I must make mention of this | day’s Tun, which proved a record up to the present. Twenty miles from this | place the track disappeared, having | been washed away, leaving a 12-foot | drop. As jumping was not vet one of | Felix's accomplishments, we returned and made our way to the end of a small valley, where there was some sign of | passing of animal transport. The foothille At the end of the valley be- came steeper, and we suddenly came at a post about 100 yards away, SO I suggested he should fetch them to help to tow us, but he absolutely re fused. 1 then produced the ‘“open sesame” from Adnan Bey, a Turkish offictal in Constantinople, and it had a magical effect on him. He drew him- self to attentfon, saluted, ran for his men, and was profuse in his apologies for his lack of help. ‘We harnessed the soldiers to the car, and inch by inch we pulled over the obstruction, and out of danger. ‘That 60 yards took us an hour and ten minutes. We were goon out of the gorge and arrived at Bozanhi Khan, whers we came suddenly onto shock by Informing us that four and | these | of thousands of tons| and | AN TO SLIDE TOWARD THE PRECIPICE.” a magnificent view of the Taurus | Moun It was like Switzeriand, with pine forests stretching in eve direction for miles and miles, and right up to and beyond the snow-line on the moun tain tops. Waterfalls were crashing down the mountainside from a great height, and it was one of the most magnificent pieces of scenery imagi- nable. As we climbed the great pass, and gradually overlooked the plains, it improved bevond description. T 1 l ! nets, in a country free from mos-| quites, and where the bracing moun tain air was as tonic as champagne. Next day we wended our way through the Ciliclan Gates, past the | great triumphal arch built by the| Emperor Justinian, and on over the | tropical plains to the famous city of | Tarsus, the caplital of Clllcla. It was there that Antony received Cleopatr when, as Aphrodite, she sailed up the River Svdnus in magnificent luxury. It was also the birthplace of St. Paul, | who recelved most of his education here. : After the decline of the Roman and | Byzantine power, during which it was | one of the greatest commercial centers of those empires, it came into the hands of the Turks and fell into decay Fven now, in its squalid state of semi- ruin, it 1 still an fmportant center of commerce for wool, cotton and hides. * o ow ok E forded a river near one broken bridge successfully, but when with- in six miles of Toprah Kale, where we intended to camp, we were held up by another break over a swift stream. We explored it well, and put Felix at 1€ at the most favorable-looking place, but although our front wheels just stuck in the loose gravel of the river bed. Felix breakwater, and in 10 minutes the whole under water part of the car was a concrete mass of sand and| gravel. Wros went off to find bullocks to pull us out, and Redknap and 1 clear ed the car of baggage, and tried to clear away the silt, but as fast as we | shoveled it sway more came. We then walted, and, having a book of trout files with me, we improvised rods from bamboos growing by the and with the aid of cotton thread from our mending outfit we | caught six useful trout for tea. Wroe returned in three hours with a peasant and a pair of huge buffa loes, #and aithough they were strong enough to pull anvthing, they could not move us, and only broke their voke In trying. To clear underneath | the car was impossil in the rush- ing water, 80, as we could not move | the car, our only alternative was to We crossed the range at an altitude | great German engineering and motor | move the river. of 9.000 feet, and hegan scent to the Plain of Tarsus. the long de At 5.000 l feet we camped on the remains of a! transportation depot. It was a pleas- ant apot, well watered and timbered and we had a good sleep without ou Cutting branches of trees, and col- lecting huge turfs, we set to work and { built a ramp round the car, and then | bled for touched the far bank, the rear wheels | immediately acted as a| | we hunted for u v dug « new channel through the bank for'the stream. As soon as the water left Ielix dry, we cleared the axle and wheels and ufter three and one-half hours’ hard labor, which skinned our hands and feet, the car came out with the help of the oxen and we arrived at Toprah Kule station, where we slept ow came the dangerous part. Next morning we crawled through 22 miles of trackless bushy plain and hill, a distance that took us six and one-haif hours, and how we escaped destruc. tion during that time I don’t know Hung up on tree roots, twisted in all shapes in dry water courses, I trem our ear's frame a hundred times that day before we arrived at Deirtyol, at the Turkish customs house, where formalities last only a few minutes.. This place is pronounced “dirty ol and lives up to fts name. It was hers that the worst Armenian massacres took place in 1910, when thousands were slaughtered Following directfons, we moved off across the Plain of Issus, where Alex ander the Great fought and beat Darius, King of Persia. We followed a footpath for miles over rocks and ruts, until & huge rockv guily 150 vards across and about 40 feet deep brought us to a full stop. For three hours in the burning sun av across that gully and finally in despair 1 turned back to Defrtyol, intending as a last resort to take to the railway line, when we | spotted a faint track which led us in the direction of the se: Manv times we lost it, had to w about t find 1t; anxiously we followed it right on to the beach, where, to our jov, we found & cart track. In 10 miniites we reached Py e act tier where the beautiful old ruins of a Re man casdle gave us a pleasurable halt hour’s photography and a good rest Thank God! we were rough Asia Minor. Ours was the first car to oros it and I venture to prophesy also the last for a long time to come! (Copsright. 10 Always True. Teacher—George, what is the qiffe {ence hetween capital and lahor? George—Capital is what you lend {and labor is what it takes to get it Ihack BY WILLIAM S. ODLIN, HE Amerfcan Navy this month observes its sesquicentennial, for it was 130 vears ago next Tuesday, on October 13, 17 that the first definite step w taken toward providing sea power in the struggle for Ameri n ence. On that momentous day the Continental Congress appointed a special naval committee, the original members being John Adams, las Deane and John Langdon The cause of this first move toward creation of a naval establishment that was destined to take first rank among the navies of the modern world, was tidings that two British transpo had sailed from England bound for Quebec with milltary supplies that would prove of highest value to the hard-pressed Colonial forces. The special committee was therefore em powered to fit out two swift, armed iling vessels to cruise easxtward and attempt to intercept the reported storeship: The organization of the land forces | of the rebellion against George II1 { had so occupied Congress that nothing more had been done toward providing al strength, but once embarked | upon the venture, expense and effort were not stinted. On October 27, 1773, the anniversary of which i= designated hy the Navy League as Navy day, In honor of this anniversary and the late President Roosevelt’s birthday, the naval com- mittee recommended the construction of 13 men o' war, of armament rang- ing from 24 to 32 guns each. Congre: ordered these completed by 1776, at a total cost of something over $850,000. Congress and the people were not content, however, to delay matters until these ships were ready, and be- fore the end of 1775 the nucleus of the vy of the Revolution had been gathered. It was composed not of vessels built for war purposes but such merchant craft as could hastily be acquired. Thus the Alfred became the first American warship. The origin of the Alfred remains somewhat obscure, but it seems estab- lished that she was the Black Prince, an Indiaman, recently arrived at Philadelphia. She was a small vessel but well built, and, taken over by the Continentals, she was armed with twenty 91pounders, with a few guns placed on her quarterdeck and fore. astle. She was renamed the Alfred, curiously enough in honor of Alfred the Great, commonly regarded as the founder of the British navy, with representatives of which she was destined soon to come to grips. Other ships acquired about this time were the Columbus, Lexington. Re- prisal, Cabot, Andrea Doria, H: den, Providence, Independence, Sa- chem, Hornet, Fly, Wasp and Mos- quito With the creation of a floating establishment arranged, Congre: turned its attention to selecting per- sonnel. Esek Hopkins of Providence, described as a “most experienced and venerable. sea captain,” was selected commander-in-chief at the munificent remuneration of $125 a month. Other officers were selected at the same time, their pay ranging from $60 a month for captains of ships of 20 guns down to $8 a_month for seamen. Among these officers was Lieut. John Paul Jones, whose exploits later on in the Revolution were to win him undying fame. This sesqui-centenniul vear also in- cludes the 150thanniversary of the birth of the Marine Corps, for on Novem- ber 9, 1775, Congress resolved: “That two battalions of marines be raised, to be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the Colo- nies, and to be considered as a part of the Continental Army before Boston; particular care to be taken that no persons be appointed but such as are good seamen or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve with advantage at sea when required.” The far-seeing wisdom of the policy laid down in those dark early days has been amply demonstrated by American marines in every conflict down to the present time. * % kX HE colonists’ first naval effort in the Revolution was soon attempt- ed. One morning early in January. 1776, Capt. Hopkins stepped into his barge at the foot of Walnut street, Philadelphia, and amid a thunderous salute of artillery and cheers of the populace made his way through the ice-filled river to his flagship, the Alfred. When the commander-in-chief had gained the deck of the Alfred, Lieut. John Paul Jones holsted a yel- low silk flag, bearing the device of a pine tree and a rattlesnake, and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me,” the first flag run up on an American man-o'- war. There was also hofsted a grand union jack. It had the British jack where the fleld of stars now shines in the American flag and 13 Atripes, which some have xaid represented the 13 Colonies. A more likely explana- tion is that this flag was one carried by the Alfred when she was still the Black Prince, that having heen the house flag of the India Company The squadron, composed of the Al- independ. | April. | fred, Columbus, Andrea Doria. Cabot Providence, Hornet, Wasp and Fly, finally got to sea and sailed toward the town of New Providence, where mili tary supplies were known 1o be stored. Troops were landed under cover of the fleet’s guns and the fort was stormed under the leadership of Capt. Nicholas of the marines. | kins sailed away with nearly 80 can | non and 15 barrels of gunpowder he also carried off Gov. Brown several prominent cit On April 4. while the end of Long Island, Hopkins tured two small but | vessels, the Hawke and {and soon after ran afoul | that_subsequently was found the 20-gun British ship Glasgow. In a brief but sharp battle the Ameri- cans lost 10 killed and 14 wounded, but the Glasgow escaped, although when she put into port observers noted that she showed signs of having heen “treated fn a very rough manner.” The Glasgow’s escape was not at- tributed to lack of spirit or courage on the part of the Americans, but rather to want of experienced officers, or- ganization and discipline. It led however, to the eventual dismissal of Capt. Hopkins from the Navy, and the merger of his rank of commander- in-chief in the presidency, when that | office was created. | "An exploit early in the Revolution | demonstrated the temper of American | seamen and gave promise of the glo- rious record that was to be written by them In every war. Under commanc of Capt. John Barry the 16.gun brig Lexington, in April, 1776, after a spir ited one-hour action, forced the sur- render of an armed tender, the Ed ward. A few months later the Lex- | ington. then commanded by Capt. Wil liam Hallock and laden with m | stores, was captured by the trigate Pearl. A prize crew placed aboard the Lexington with or | ders to follow the Pearl. When night | came on, dark and stormy, the Ameri- can prisoners fell upon their British captors, recovered possesion of the vessel, and triumphantly sailed her into Baltimore with the prize crew as prisoners. This marked the heginning of great activity by the Amerfcans in captur- ing enemy craft. Cruising between the Delaware and Penobscot, Capt. Nicholas Biddle, of the Andrea Doria within four months seized not less | than 10 vessels, all save one of which were brought safely into port, two of | the prizes being transports carrving | 400 soldiers. When Riddle put inta |port he had placed so many men ahoard prizes that he had only five of his own crew aboard the Andrea Dorfa. In succeeding weeks the Cabot, Capt. Elisha Hinman, and the Columbus, Capt. Abraham Whipple, secured seven and four war prizes, re- spectively. When the Declaration of Indepen- of east fleet cap- armed British the Bolton ship to be n Navy to Celebrate Its 150th Anni Hop- | s as hostages. | | | | | PATRIOTI | . COLONIAL GIRLS PRESENTI Wl'fll FL “;,M AJ?E ‘FROLM THEIR PETTICOATS. | Jones was urged t | ordinary commander | | JOHN PAUL JOM dence and convoving troops from | Rhode Island to New York, Jones had | frequently been chased, and many times was under fire. In each in- stance, however, he escaped by skill- ful seimunship ‘on Sej tember 1, while off Bermuda Jones made out five sails. He selected as his quarry one that he suppo: be a large merchantman, and w closing in when he discovered what 1 seemed to promise a | prize was really a capable British 2% | gun frigate, the Solebay. The Provi- | dence, no match for the enemy. at | tempted to escape. but the English- man at the end of four hours’ pursuit brought her within musket shot and capture seemed inevitable. Jones resolved upon an extraordi rary expedient. Edging away until he had brought the frizate astern he suddenly put about dead before the THE FIRST AMERICAN WARSHIP, THE U. S. S. ALFRED. dence was signed 87 British men- of-war, mounting over 2,000 guni were operating off the American coast. The American Navy at the same mo- ment consisted of 25 cruisers, mount- Ing 422 guns, but only six of these | vessels had been built for war pur- | poses, the others being converted mer- chantmen. It was in September, 1776. that John Paul Jones first strikingly displayed those qualities of courage and skill that were to make him the outstanding naval hero of the Rev lution. While comJnamllnz the Provi- wind with every stitch of canvas set. alow and aloft. This maneuver was 80 unexpected and daring that, although the Lrig was forced to pass within pistol shot, the Englishman did not sufficlently recover from the confusion of the moment to fire until the Providence was out of range. For thus saving to the American Navy a much-needed ship and subse- quent costal exploits, netting 15 Drizes, Capt. Jones was placed in com- mand of the Alfred, in which he eon- | | ping. But it was in carrying the war | to the enemy in his own waters that Jones established his enduring repu tation. When England determined to cocrer ctory American colonists her people little dreamed that she wis in viting a menace to the very doors of the “tight little isle.”” But American naval enterprise in European waters from the appearance of the first Amerfcan war vessel, the Reprisal. to the exploits of John Paul Jones, wi unexampled in daring and success. During 1777 the al war was prosecuted with vigor wherever Brit ish ships were found, a total of 476 {of them beinz captured. and toward the end of that vear Jones began the |first_of his more famous cruises, in the 18-gun ship Ranger. His effective | operations in the Irish Sea culminated {in the colorful vardarm-to-yardarm | encounter with the 20zun British | man-o’-war Drake. resulted in the cap | ture of the latter after an hour's hat tle and the name of Paul Jones he coming a synonym of terror through the British coasts, where he hecame the object of hatred and slander. | "At the end of 1778 the had lost several cruisers. and ax Con gress had been unable to replace them vy was reduced 1o 14 war ve sels with & total of 332 guns, oppu | to a British force of 89 vessels. carr ing over 2.500 gu But British com merce had suffered the loss of some 560 ships, involving a money damage estimated in the llouse of Lords ut about two million pounds. In the meantime, Jones having turned to Brest. ter his successful cruise in the Ranger. the Kin of France turned ove: ship, Duc de Duras. In honor of Ben jamin Franklin, whose homely maxims in Poor Richard's Almanac had bheen | of so great inspiration to him. Jones renamed the vessel the Bophomme Richard. In this vessel, defiant of the most severe handicaps. Jones made hie most extraordinary cruise against the enemy with resuits that have sent his name ringing down through the vears as the symbol of jn domitable courage and resourceful- ness. i 1 | employment « ing, under the | sparks hotter | with the din: Metalic uranium | ture of air and firedamp. Scientists have discovered that this mixture must remain @ certain length of time contact with the u ium before niting. The phenor n lavs in its delay to take fire: this de of 10 seconds at the temperature of 650 de- grees, diminishes in proportion as the | temperature increa for a delav of only one second the temperature must | he jncreased 1o 1000 degrees. | The temperature of the sparks from | uranium 1= then above 1,000 degrees | Sparks forced from iron whether by | an ordinary steel and flint or by the | stroke of a miner’s tool will not ignite the mixture of air and firedamp. | " sparks from uranium will readilv ignite cotton wicks saturated with al- | conol or gasoline. It was decided that this etal could he utilized for mak- | ing very simple lighters, by placing | a piece of urnanium in a movable sup- port pr spring against a steel surface covered with points ar ranged in such a way that the sparks produced would be projected into the as jet or on the wick to be lighted: This very ingenious idea. which was not applled because of the high price - nfum, was later realized he- use of the utilization of the sub- stance cerfum. Some vears ago Prof. Auer attract- ed attention to cerfum by a patent | concerntng an alloy of cerique metals with_iron: by this alloy small pyro- | phorie sticks under slight shocks will emit very hot sparks. { A new alloy, the Kunheim alloy, is composed of cerique metals with the ! addition of iron and magnesia. It ignites more readily than the pre- ceding alloy, and may be utilized for lighting gas jets, while the Auer metal is especially adapted to pocket ok K ok ¥ 'O begin with, the Bonhomme Rich- ard had not been built for war but was an antiquated India merchant- man. Carrying inadequate armament and an illassorted crew (with, h ever, American officers predominating). the vessel started August 14, 1779, from L'Orient, at the head of a small squadron. While makjng an al- most complete circult of the British sels and on September 23 was Flambourg Head when a large of enemy ships was discerned. da..o fying himself that only two were men-o’-war, the American commander gave chase and, as darkness descend- ed, there began an encounter that is an epic in all naval history—the bat- tle of the Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis. This action of three and a half hours, during most of which the v | sels were locked in a death embrace, | remains unsurpassed for the endur- ance diaplayed by both sides. At the first broadside, two of the Bonhomme Richard’'s 18-pounders burst, Kkilling oft Americans | re- | to him the 40-zun | Isles, Jones captured 17 British ves-| versary and 30 minutes after the hat shots helow the water line | fill the hold. Her decks 1 gore, and at the height of the ter the Bri know if the Am: upon Jones delivered his ply, “I have not vet he The Bonhonimie on fire and y but the American ship fough when one of 1 flee ance. drew near raked extraordinary deed was preted as meaning that the had seized the Alliance and b it against its own flag. but was indisputable enc Peter Landix, French comm the Alliance, whose hatred had previously cropped tually ordered the attack summary punishment the general helief 1} tally unbalanced The situation Richard became ~ opened ad begur sh commander b and t. had Fe escaped Iy throug was men of the Bonhomme surrender, and an would have bee ut Jones refused to accept def his dominating will he convinced RBritish prisoner that their own lives as well depende on helping keep the ship afloat, thus freel American crew work the On the to sistance mander. hands 44.gun W despe justified n so doing, raged. The Serapis = n ced that re. wpeless, the Rritish con Pearson, with his own down the flag of the S0 badly damaged s the Bonhomme Rie E however that pr nd crew had harel heen tr; to the Serapis whe the American- flagship plunged to t bottom. Th loss of men the tagonists wis almost identica ship had 49 killed. The Bonhomme Richard's wounded totaled 67 and the Serapis In 1 nsferred e and Amer Jones was loaded with h 3 0 one knew better than Jones tha an ignominious death wounld capture. for the rage and humi of England at the decisive defeat of one of her best frigates by a man she insisted on calling “pirate” kng bounds he fortunes of war by the close had reduced the American Na total of six warships vera ler t betore Yorktown fell reputa tion of Am 1 in naval war time. ation 1 to @ lace world age and sk e was established fo he total of Continental ve lost during the Revolution was °4, carrying an of guns But the dam tish power and prestige on the was far greater. The loss of British war ves sels was 102, earrying suns. About 800 vessels of all k were captured Amesican cruisers and (Coyright. 1 s Lo and the ican cou hizh seas A the Rritish privateers. Light-Producing Allo LLOXG hefore the modern process of tions fire using chemic was kindled by | which This materials al prepax flintstones, sparks inflammable the by concussion emit method hting has been restored by other metals i retion of an those steel will g shock obtained and flint. ite a mix ses | tinued his forays agalnst British ship- most of the men that worked them, lighters.