USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. III > Part 30
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had already been procured he declared that they were useless, and that it would be necessary to alter them radically or construct new ones.
After a few weeks of hopeless attempts to utilize the machinery in operation, he went to work on the construction of Arkwright type machines, beginning the work behind closed doors in the shop of Sylvanus Brown, who made the wood patterns under Slater's direction. When the patterns were finished David Wilkin- son forged the iron work and turned the rollers and spindles. Notwithstanding this efficient and enthusiastic help, the original machinery was constructed prin- cipally by Slater's own hands. Because of many delays his creation was not in full operation until December 20, 1790, eleven months after his arrival in America. The new mill equipment then consisted of three cards, drawing and roving frames, and two spinning frames, one of 24 and the other of 48 spindles. The motive power was obtained from an old fulling mill water wheel that had a habit of freezing up when it was most needed in the early days of experimentation. In the original mill and with this machinery, Slater and his partners carried on the manufacture for twenty months, and had produced so much yarn that local weavers could not consume it and no market could be found for several thousand pounds.
When the business was demonstrated to be a success, it was decided to erect a factory where all spinning and allied operations could be carried on under one roof. Accordingly, early in 1793, a build- ing was erected on the west bank of the river near the Falls in Pawtucket; the first machinery was moved there, addi- tional units were built and production soon started.
This famous old mill, much of the original structure remaining, stands today as a monument to Samuel Slater, his backers, business associates and employ- ees who combined to revolutionize cotton manufacture in America. Slater rapidly extended his interests and acquired addi- tional mills in Rhode Island and else- where. His success stimulated other men throughout the country to engage in cotton spinning. Mills were started,
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especially after the beginning of the cen- tury on every stream in Southern New England. In 1812, within a radius of thirty miles from Providence, Rhode Island boasted of thirty-three mills with eighty-six thousand spindles. Thus, we see that Rhode Island played a most important role in two phases of the cotton industry - one, through Mrs. Nathanael
Greene's kindness and encouragement extended to Eli Whitney and her ingenu- ity displayed in helping to perfect the cotton-gin, and the other, Samuel Slater's invaluable achievements in Pawtucket made possible by Moses Brown's financial sponsorship, and by the inventive genius and clever craftsmanship of Rhode Island artisans.
THE SLAVE SHIP "COMMERCE"
D URING the years 1804 to 1807, the official records of the Charleston, South Carolina, custom house showed that slave ships entering that port from Africa included one from Connecticut; one from Boston; two from Norfolk; four from Baltimore; sixty-one from Charleston, and fifty-nine from Rhode Island. Of sixty-one ships then hailing from northern ports, Rhode Island had sent out all but two. Briefly, this was the way slave trad- ing was carried on in Rhode Island. Owners of large distilleries, principally in Bristol and Newport, also owned many vessels. From Cuba, a cargo of molasses was procured, and quickly converted into New England rum. From the Narra- gansett Bay distilleries the huge rum casks went straight to the hold of a schooner or sloop moored at a nearby wharf. A store of cheap knick-knacks, highly prized by African natives, was also placed on board, and the vessel was cleared for the coast of Africa. The voyage was usually a long one, for the vessels were built to carry freight and not to make fast time. The stay upon the coast was tedious and dan- gerous. One by one the hogsheads of rum were bartered for captives brought to the ship by the chiefs of inland tribes. Then the captain would sail for Cuba, or some island in the West Indies, where he was always sure of a ready market for his human cargo. Then he would load with molasses for Bristol, or Newport, and the triangular voyage would be completed.
On Thursday, October 17, 1799, the year of George Washington's death, the schooner "Commerce," Captain John Willard Russell, master, sailed from
Bristol, Rhode Island, to secure slaves from Africa and sell them to ready buyers in the West Indies. After a stop in Boston to complete the cargo needed for profitable slave bartering, the "Commerce" was on her way by the first of November, running before a fresh breeze in a heavy sea - nearly every man more or less seasick. From then on, the ocean crossing was without any incident of note, except on November 25, when the ship crossed the Tropic of Cancer and three hands on board had to submit to the usual hazing ceremonies of shaving, ducking, etc. Cape Verde was sighted about December 1, and then the course was laid to the centers of slave trading along the African coast.
The chief source of supply for the hungry slave markets in America was then found along the Atlantic coast of Africa between Cape Verde at the north, and Benguela, or Cape St. Martha, at the south. Nowhere along that stretch of coastline was there a good bay or inlet to offer harbor protection for ships. The coastline there has been described as low, although hills and mountains could be seen in the distance, generally flooded with a low haze. The rivers coming down from the interior wound about through un- counted channels in low delta lands, cov- ered with masses of mangrove and palm trees, and the whole area was infested with poisonous and vicious reptiles. River currents battled with pounding surf, leaving the low, tawny beaches strewn with yellowish sand of the sea, and the black slimy mud washed down from the uplands.
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The "Commerce" went aground near Bunyan's Point in that vicinity, but was floated at high tide. She finally came to anchor off the town called Gillfrei, on the north side of the Gambia River, nearly opposite James Island. If one cares to check this geographical reference, look for Cape Verde on the map; this appears to be the easternmost point of the entire African Coast. The mouth of the Gambia River is just below Cape Verde, and the islands having the same name are just opposite, approximately 1500 miles south of the Azore Islands. Captain Russell then awaited the arrival of an official called in the log, the Alcade, who had to be seen before any slave trading could be carried on. In the meantime, the Bristol skipper went ashore and did a little sight- seeing. He found the country very pleas- ant, abounding with rice, yams, corn, pumpkins, plantains, and a variety of tropical fruit. A later trip to Albreda, a nearby town, impressed the captain with its luxurious beauty. Everywhere were beautiful gardens, filled with limes, sweet potatoes and great quantities of onions; even more of the latter than he had seen growing in Bristol, as he remarked in his log.
On Monday, December 9, the long awaited Alcade arrived and evidently all business negotiations were completed, since the trading of cargo for human beings started the following day. After trading was completed at Gillfrei, at the mouth of the river, the "Commerce" started on a long cruise up the Gambia River, stopping here and there to lighten the load of rum, and to increase the cargo of men, women and children who were stowed away for a long frightful journey, and, in the end, for the dismal, tragic, hopeless existence of human bondage.
Life on board a slave ship, many miles in from the coast on a crooked African river, was not so pleasant - swarms of mosquitoes descended upon the wandering Rhode-Islanders, causing great annoyance and pain. At night these giant insects joined their music with the chorus of screaming birds - while the hoarse croak of alligators, the howling of jungle beasts, and the roar of a lonesome lion, all helped to dispel any illusions our ancestors might
have had about nights under a tropical moon.
On Christmas Day, 1799, Captain Rus- sell of Bristol dined with the only white man then living on the Gambia River, a Captain Tye, an Englishman. The master of another ship on the river at the time, a Captain Grandison, was also invited to this holiday feast. The Bristol mariner noted in his log that "he spent the day and evening pleasantly, casting, however, many an anxious thought to my native country and the friends whom this festival will bring together."
After the turn of the year, came the descent of the river, and this portion of the voyage was most disheartening be- cause of a frightful epidemic that disabled all of the men, including the shipmaster. Heroic measures, bleeding and the admin- istration of emetics were vividly described in the record of this expedition, and, at one time, only one man was able to come on deck. Fifty slaves were already chained below for the voyage that was never to come. At last, on Wednesday, January 15th, the "Commerce" came out of the river, and the anchor was dropped into the sea. More slaves were to come aboard and plans were made to sail within twenty days. But on January 28, a French priva- teer hailing from Goree, a settlement on a rocky island a mile southeast of Cape Verde, approached the anchored "Com- merce," and sixteen men armed with muskets came aboard and took posses- sion.
Captain Russell and his crew were too ill to offer any resistance. He was forced to go to Goree and there await the pleas- ure of the French in respect to the ship and its cargo. After days of weary wait- ing, word came from French headquarters at Senegal that the Bristol ship was con- demned. She was put up at auction and sold for $1140. Then, nothing remained for Captain Russell to do but to get away as soon as possible - but how, or when, he knew not.
Before he was able to find passage on some returning ship, a British fleet cap- tured the island where he had been held prisoner for seventy days, - a prisoner on a barren rock, robbed of his property; his health ruined; his spirit broken. How-
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ever, the new rulers of the former French settlement assisted him in his plight and did all possible to help the Bristol skipper find a means of getting home. Passage was finally secured on the Schooner "Greyhound," of Charleston, Captain McCall, bound for Havana, with a cargo of about 180 slaves. Nassau was reached on May 17, and the next day, the Captain and one member of his crew, James Law- ton, who remained with him, took passage on a small schooner bound for New London. A stop was made at Havana, and there he found Captain Manchester of Bristol who had just arrived from the slave coast. From him he learned that the "Fair Eliza," Captain Littlefield, was ready to sail for Bristol. The following is quoted directly from the record of this adventurous and unprofitable journey :
"Sunday, June 8th, 1800 - at 6 P.M. made the lighthouse on Montauk Point (the east end of Long Island), light winds all night. Next day at 11 A.M. were abreast of Newport lighthouse - light breeze at S. W. Ran in at 4.00 P.M.
landed at Bristol - put up at the house of Mr. Aaron Brown, found my friends well and apparently glad to see me."
As this account was being written under an ancient roof in the town of Bristol, just a few yards from the water's edge, where many a slaver once waited for the huge hogsheads of rum that represented so much value in terms of human flesh, the author wondered just how our ancestors, whose claims to piety and admissions of faith distinguished their writings and their correspondence, justified their participa- tion in a traffic that civilization certainly had outlawed a long time before. It appears hopeless to try and analyze why men and nations have turned to inhuman acts and beastly practices in the course of what is often termed the march of prog- ress. If history can reveal to us the errors of our predecessors, and, if we apply those lessons learned from the past to our every day experiences, it may be that looking back may help make the present and future brighter, at least more understandable.
A MAN OF ACTION
TI THE name of a Rhode Island sailor stands pre-eminent among those im- mortalized on the pages of American history. Oliver Hazard Perry was born August 23, 1785, in Perryville, South Kingstown, just a short distance south of Wakefield, and the house there that is today referred to as his birthplace was constructed by him in later life from lumber and materials taken from the original Perry homestead. He was the son of Christopher Raymond and Sarah Alexander Perry, and, on his father's side his first ancestor in this country was Ed- ward Perry, a Quaker preacher who came from England and settled in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Two sons, Samuel and Benjamin, settled in South Kingstown, and Oliver was a descendant of the latter. It is interesting to note in tracing the ancestry of Oliver Hazard Perry that Nathanael Greene, the equally illustrious
Rhode Island soldier, was also a descend- ant of Edward Perry. The graven images of Perry and Greene surmount pedestals on either side of the south entrance to the State Capitol, but few realize that Rhode Island's greatest sailor and Rhode Island's greatest soldier were descended from a common ancestor. It is also re- markable to observe that these two great heroes of battles on land and on sea should have derived a direct strain of descent from the same source, a peaceful and peace-loving Quaker, Edward Perry.
After receiving an excellent training in the best schools of Newport, Oliver began his naval career as a midshipman on board the "General Green," a ship com- manded by his own father, Captain Chris- topher R. Perry. His father had received a long fighting experience during the War for Independence and was, therefore, well- qualified to instruct his son in the arts of
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war. Later, in 1801, a small American squadron was ordered to the Mediterra- nean to protect our commerce from plun- dering by Tripolitan pirates, and young Perry was ordered to serve under a Cap- tain Campbell who commanded one of three frigates in the squadron. This duty kept him in active fighting service until 1805 when, as a reward for valor and ability, he was promoted to an active lieutenancy.
Oliver Hazard Perry rose rapidly in the service of his country. In 1807 Congress passed a law establishing an embargo as the only means calculated to save our com- merce from seizure by British and French vessels. As one measure to enforce that law, the youthful Rhode Island sailor was placed in command of a flotilla of seven- teen gunboats at Newport. There he re- mained until he was placed in command of the "Revenge," a naval schooner. In this command, he was attached to the squadron of his uncle, Commodore Rogers, at New London. Congressional action in the form of an embargo did not have the desired results, and, when other measures failed to induce the British to cease hos- tilities, war was declared in 1812. Pre- vious to this, Perry had become weary of the life of an inactive sailor. In addition, the American Navy was an unpopular service, and considerable public hostility was displayed toward the arm of the nation's protecting forces that was des- tined to sustain its integrity and uphold its honor among the other nations of the world. Many times Perry was on the point of quitting the Navy, but, on every occasion, when he was about to retire in disgust from a profession that held forth no flattering inducements or hopes to cheer an aspirant for honest fame, circum- stances prevailed that caused him to abandon this intention.
Soon after the beginning of the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry was pro- moted to the rank of Master Commandant in command of a flotilla of gunboats stationed in New York. He soon became disgusted with the inactivity of this as- signment and he applied to the Navy De- partment for permission to join the forces of Commodore Chauncey who was then directing American naval preparations on
Lake Erie. This request was granted and he repaired to the station assigned to him. So warmly attached to him were the sea- men who had heretofore served under him that they unanimously applied for permis- sion to accompany him to the scene of action, and it was the service of these loyal subordinates that laid the founda- tions of his future renown. On his arrival at Great Lakes he was ordered to proceed to Lake Erie, to assume command of the fleet that was stationed there; and it was at this juncture that the fruitful energies of his mind developed themselves and were put into active operation.
The fleet on Lake Erie consisted of a few vessels, small and scarcely seaworthy, while the fleet of the enemy was large, well-manned, and ably commanded by that venerable and experienced British naval hero, Commodore Barclay. Com- modore Perry readily saw that his equip- ment was inadequate for a contest with his antagonist, and he determined to aug- ment his forces in order to meet the enemy on equal ground. Throwing aside the duties of officer and sailor, he assumed the character of a master ship-builder and soon succeeded in possessing a fleet of vessels adequate to meet all future emer- gencies. The familiar details of Perry's triumphant victory over the veteran Bar- clay are not to be included in this account, for they should be known to every Ameri- can. However, it is sufficient to say, that on September 10, 1813, Commodore Oliver Perry, the gallant son of Rhode Island, met the enemy - he conquered - and he triumphed. A victory more signal and complete was never won - and al- though the forces engaged were compara- tively few, when compared with those that clashed at Trafalgar, and at Cape St. Vincent, the defeat at the Battle of Lake Erie spread a panic throughout Eng- land, for the British realized that they had men to contend with, men who knew not how to quail, and who fought for victory or for death.
Commodore Perry knew that he had done his duty, but he modestly attributed his victory to causes other than his own gallantry and nautical forecast. The fol- lowing letter, written by him to the Navy Department immediately after the close
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THE PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS MAINTAINS SAFE DEPOSIT FACILITIES AT THE EMPIRE-ABORN BRANCH, WHERE ALL SIZES OF BOXES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MAIN BANKING FLOOR.
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of the battle clearly indicates his positive unselfishness:
- United States' brig Niagara, off the Western Sister, head of Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813. ] -
Sir: - It has pleased the Almighty, to give to the arms of the United States, a signal victory over their enemies on this Lake. The British squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop, have this moment surrendered to the force under my command, after a short conflict.
I have the honor to be, very respect- fully, your obedient servant,
O. H. Perry.
Hon. William Jones, Secretary of the U. S. Navy j -
The news of this victory produced general rejoicing throughout the country, and great celebrations were held in all the large cities. Perry was advanced to the rank of Captain and Congress adopted resolutions tendering the nation's grati- tude to him and through him to the officers, seamen and marines attached to the squadron under his command.
In the summer of 1819, the year when the Providence Institution for Savings was founded, Captain Perry was ordered on an expedition to Angostura, the capital
of the Venezuelan Republic. He was re- ceived there with much attention, and after he had completed the duties of his mission he proceeded down the Orinoco River on his way to Port Spain, where his ship was stationed. On this shore journey he fell ill from yellow fever and died shortly after he arrived on board his ship, the "John Adams." He was buried at Port Spain, where the combined military and civil authorities paid reverent tribute to the youthful hero who had met an un- timely death. In 1826, the United States sloop of war "Lexington," commanded by Captain Shubrick, brought the remains of the gallant hero of Lake Erie to Newport, and a final interment was made in that city on Monday, December 4, when the entire state paused in its activities to participate in the solemn rites for an immortal son.
At the unveiling of the statue erected to his memory in Newport in 1886, the Hon. William P. Sheffield said in an address: "Oliver Hazard Perry needs no monument of bronze or tablet to com- memorate his name or to illustrate his glory. History has taken these into its keeping and will preserve them for pos- terity, while genius in battle and heroic valor and unfaltering energy in the per- formance of high duty receives the homage of the American people."
GREAT GALES
T THE author finds himself more and more impressed by the theory that history repeats itself, that things have happened before - that all we believe to be new, unheard of, unprecedented, has heretofore been known to humans of other ages, of other eras. If this world is the stage- setting for repeat performances of human experience, then indulgence in historical retrospect must be valuable, essential to the present, indispensable as to the future. Knowing history, understanding history, surely must be safe guideposts for the paths ahead, that is, if you accept this theory that there is nothing new under the sun; and it takes but little study,
nothing more than a little observation, to convince the average person that the general theory of looking backward to prophesy what is to come, has its basis upon truth.
We are particularly concerned with Rhode Island history, with the lives of men and women who have lived upon this soil. We are especially interested in the social and political development of our own State; how what we do and have, came to be what it is today, and, thereby limiting our research and story-telling to a comparatively small area of the earth's surface, we may fail to reveal many con- vincing evidences of history repeating
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itself. But, the theory stands, neverthe- less, in respect to the whole world, and here and there we have found ourselves confronted with the amazing revelation of a flashback to something important, significant, that happened before, genera- tions ago, right here in Rhode Island.
Continuing with this thought, it may be noteworthy to announce that Wilfred J. Funk has published an interesting book entitled "So You Think It's New." In his two-hundred page, illustrated volume, Mr. Funk has very cleverly attempted to dispel all faith in the "progress" of the twentieth century, and he has done so by telling us that "hot-dog stands were com- mon 1900 years ago, that permanent waves and face-lifting operations were obtainable in all ancient Mediterranean countries," that "Rome, under the Caesars, had apartment houses twelve stories high," that "in the depression of 333 A.D., money was so debased in Egypt that a $500.00 home required a $1,000,000 mortgage for security."
In Mr. Funk's book we learn that one grand old king of Babylon had his own New Deal with a complicated system of codes for business; and we also learn that unbreakable glass was invented during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, 34 A.D., and that glass eyes were worn by the sightless at least two thousand years be- fore the Christian era. Hundreds of other startling instances of what the Ancients knew about what we believe to be up-to- date are described in this well-written, and amazing, honest attempt to debunk this generation of ours, but Mr. Funk does not explore far into the evolution of human relationships. If he had, un- doubtedly he would have discovered the causes and effects of much that is trou- bling the world today. He could have told us about long-forgotten dictators, about their hopes, plans, demands, dis- appointments, victories and defeats. He could have told us about civilizations that became too complex, too civilized, so to speak, for them to enjoy life, peace and contentment. This writer, like many others with the facts of history at hand, could have easily put down countless philosophies, theories, convictions, sys- tems and methods of the present, and
beside them placed exact counterparts, or parallels, known once to humans who happened to live sometime before we put in our appearance. With much of the world at this writing in turmoil, turn to your old school history textbooks and find the causes - look a little deeper and you will find the results - not the end of the world by any means, - just the same old story.
The Great Hurricane of 1938 has already become as much a mile-post of history as have the Great Gale of 1815 and the Blizzard of '88. Storms like battles and birthdays, often become such high points of time - important events are often placed in their proper chronological order by reference to them as happening before or after some particularly disastrous gale, an earthquake, a tidal wave, or a cyclone. Luckily for Rhode Island, thus far, vol- canic eruptions, earth upheavals and the like are unknown experiences, therefore, in this locality, spectacular carnivals of wind, rain and snow have occasionally served as turning points in the passing of decades. The recent tragic visitation of unbridled waters and death-dealing winds has given Rhode Island another mile- post of time - Rhode Islanders saw his- tory made, but was it an unheard-of ex- perience, had something like unto it hap- pened to people on these shores before?
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