Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-05-12
A YANKEE TRICK;

rough Thomas w. Nelson, a native Of
New York John II. T. Estes, a native
| of Virginia and John Hartman, native
Of PENNSYLVANIA, taken In the schooner
Bona, OF Baltimore, by H. B. Nj. ship of
! war Laurcstinus Robert Bond, native
of New York, taken by H B. M. ship
| Marlborough; Samuel Wright, native
of CONNECTICUT, attached to the Uni,cd
States navy, taken in the United States
| brig Viper, by Fl. B Nj. ,fri.a,e Narcis-
sus Jacob Anderson, aea,iye oil Mas
| sachu.eits, taken in the Albert Of Balti-
more, by H. 3. M. ship Marlborough
Pleasant Scott, "a man of color) native
of Virginia, taken by Fl. B. NJ. ship
Marlborough: Thomas M Key, "a man
of color) OF Philadelphia, taken in the
Dart, of Philahelphia; being prisoners
on board of H. b. NJ. ship Goree, laying
at the island of Bermuda, and finding
our fare very hard, being on very short
allowance of indifferent provisions, and
it being reported there, that there was to
be no exchange of prisoners, we reso-
lutely determined to hazard our lives
for our freedom the first opportunity
therefore, on Wednesday morning, A
pril 2lst, eleven prisoners were ordered
into the Goree's launch to get fresh wa
ter when the above named persons
went into the boat, with two othcpapri.
soncrs, names unknown to us, under the
guard of two soldiers of the lC2d regi-
ment, and the boatswain of the ship Go
ree-proCeeded 10 St. Catharine's tank,
there filled six casks with water; on our
return the word Washington was given,
i! being our signal for an attempt to es
cape. We immediately disarmed the
soldiers and took possession ofthe boat;
and then under cover oftwo forts, name.
ly St. Cathaaine's and Paget forts, and
within gun shot Of Junon frigate, the
sloep of war Nimrod, and another :lOop
Of war, name unknown TO US, boarded
Fl 3 M. schooner Bermuda, she having
FIVE men on board Of the following dee
scriptiop kings pilot, the captain &
three hands, they made an Intellectual
resistance, we soon compelled them to
retreat under deck, took possession, cnt
all her cables aud DooriDgs, made sail,
and pushed out Of an unknown channel,
after turning of the boat with onl. siwo
oars, two soldiers: the boatswain of the
Goree, ard two of our cowardIy country
men /: Tic Bermuda being In the habit
OF laying buoys in the channel, had five
Of them on board, which we supposed
would weigh two tons each, hove four
Of them overheard; not knowing the
tim Of the vessel, reserved one ct the
buoys until we should discover it; the
sails hat were on board were fore sail,
main sail, and iib, the flying jlb we set
as sudden sail. the gait topsail as
flying jib there b:ing neither top mast:
lib boom, nor any spare spirs on beard
we made sEarsof our oars by lashing
them together.
We found Il necessary to have form
of order on board, therefore Samuel G..
Parker was unanimously elected mas
ter. We left Bermuda at | o'clock A.
M. with moderate breeze from the
southwark; at P. Nj. beard the alarm
guns fire. P NJ Saw sail in chase of
US, supposed 1t to be the brig Nimrod;
at sun set we observed she gained Oh
Us fast, we then steering E. N. E.; at
dark snpposing she could not see US,
JibcG ship and steered w. by N, about
8P. n. saw her lights, when she pass
ed about one mile astern of us; at S A.
NJ by moon light, saw brig abou, two
miles to windward of us, we bore away
and she after us-she kept way with us
until about 8 A, NJ. the 22d when we
launched the 5th buoy and found this the
trim of the vessel; by 10 A, NJ. ran her
out Of sight We now examined and
found we were at sea without any book,
chart, or any instrument, save d COM
pass, with 40 gallons Of fresh water, and
ten days provisions. Nothing material
passed during the passage, except that
we we're several times chased, and met
with gale of wind in the Gulph, which
compelled us to lay too about 50 hours
until the eth Of April, when we made.
( be land bearing N. W. as we drew near
it discovered it 10 be Cape Nav saw q
line of battle ship in the channel, two
vessels endeavoring to cut us off up the
bay, and pilot boat in chase Of us, we
suspecting them to be roguisbly inelin-
ed, made as fast as possible to lard and
within pistol shot Of the pilot boat Penn
sylvania, she being full of armed Eng
Iishmen, beached the vessel, and Jump
ed ashore at Cape May-having no arms
ourselves, were obliged TO abandon the
vessel to the FIVE prisoners and the
Pennsylvania, after an anxious passage
Off DAYS and hours.
The schooner Bermuda is fine Ber-
mudian built vessel, coppered to the
bends, and her sails new--was launched
in June 1919, is about 90 tons bur'hen (;
had on boarda smiths forge. cale ula,ed
for man Of war, with bellows, anvil.