Merchants discharged their clerks, and great warehouses were locked up and deserted.From the description of the vessel, Commodore Talbot recognized her as a former British packet, the ntsb aviation accidents Sandwich, now sailing under French letters of marque.Strategy was therefore necessary.But the two warring nations had learned ntsb aviation accidents neither wisdom nor justice, and began again their depredations upon the unoffending Americans.A cry went up from his enemies, that it was an intentional insult to the country but his friends, with justice, pleaded that the flag had been wet, and a sailor, running it up to dry, had thus carelessly inverted it.A nation's conscience is elastic and the people praised the heroes of the Sandwich episode, much as sixty five years later they commended the commander of the Wachuset for running down and capturing the Confederate ship ntsb aviation accidents Florida, which was relying upon the protection of a neutral port in Brazil.They came ashore in troops instead of singly.The people laughed at the captain's declarations and in a few minutes the Betsy, a ntsb aviation accidents mass of flame, was drifting across the harbor to the Charlestown beach.At the close of the Revolution, the navy had been disbanded, the ships sold, and the officers dispersed among the vessels of the merchant marine.Their walk on the street was ntsb aviation accidents a reckless swagger and a listener who could understand French could catch in their loud conversation many a scornful sneer or braggart defiance of the Americans.The leading ship of the enemy was a fine frigate and she rushed through the water after the fugitive, like a dolphin after a flying fish.