Blue Water Men a And Women - 188 Portland, Mairie, Press Herald, Saturday, July 24, 1965 5 Preble's Violent Temper At Times Broke Loose By FRED HUMISTON The Massachusetts State sloop creet, He wrote in black and white, that regardless of all the "Winthrop," after a successful President's appointments to the cruise in Maine waters, followed new frigate "Constitution," now by a victorious "cutting out" of in preparation for sea as his, Mr. the British brig "Allegiance" Higginson's responsibility, but from under the guns of the fort one officer was fit for com- at Castine, took several more mand; namely, Mr. Edward prizes. Then despite the fact that Preble, He goes on to list the she was a successful ship, she many disqualifications of the oth. was sold out of the service, for ers, and concludes, "Mr. Preble, Massachusetts had grown weary the first Lt., is a smart active of maintaining a Navy. Let the popular man, judicious & well Continental Congress do it. qualified for his station, or for Edward Preble, through no the first command." As a post= fault of his own, was on the script, Mr. Higginson thought beach, but not for long. He had the new First Lieutenant would made a reputation for himself. refuse to go in the "Constitut Moreover, his family was influ- tion," once he had made the ec= ential. So he was appointed resi- quaintance of his fellow office r dent commercial agent in Spain. The Navy agent was right! For the next 15 years his was a busy life, but not in a mili- tary sense. A voyage to the West Indies. to Bordeaux in command of a ship, a trading voyage to New Guinea as mas- ter of the brig Polly THIS VENTURE turned into a commercial failure when Preble's Puritan leanings took over; he refused to ship a re- turn cargo of slaves. Later, master of another ves- sel, he was forced by a storm into Bilbao, where it was neces- say to bribe the King's officers Chrispix Archive in order to land a cargo. The 'Constitution' Evidently Preble was back home part of the time, where on occasion the violence of his na- Although classed as a frigate, the British charged ture, so carefully guarded, ex- that the new American warship, launched at Boston ploded into action, for a public October 21, 1797, was a ship-of-the-line in disguise. document advises all men that "whereas Edward Preble in the Because her timbers and planks proved exceptionally city of Cumberland in the month resistant to shot in battle, she gained the nickname, of March dealt James Lamb a "Old Ironsides." The painting is by Marshall Johnson. violent blow on the head with a gun, the said Preble has given This was becoming regular well, and to the six captains on the said Lamb $245 and received procedure, and it didn't set well the list, lieutenants were added, a quit-claim." No wonder that with Americans in general and and Preble was one. Edward Preble grew more and President Adams in particular. Mr. Stephen Higginson of Bos- more cold in his attitude toward So he went before the Congress ton, local Navy agent for the humanity; the frozen exterior and asked for authority to com- Federal Government, was wor- was but a safety measure for its plete the three big frigates that ried sick, although from his ex- protection. had been laid down four years pression, one would never sus- On another voyage his vessel past, when the Barbary pirates pect it, for after all, not only was intercepted by a French were acting up, the construction was he a Yankee, but a Boston cruiser, taken into port and con- of which had been abandoned Brahmin to boot, and it would demned as a prize. Preble was when the pirates condescended not do to let lesser folk discov- placed under house arrest on to accept tribute instead round- er that he was human. the grounds that he was vio- shot. Nevertheless, in his report, lating American neutrality by TO MAKE CERTAIN that the which on that Wednesday, June carrying merchandise of English Navy had force, some smaller 6, 1798, Mr. Higginson sat down origin, warships were authorized, as to write, he was slightly indis-