Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-10-22
The Pirate Alabama.

The, Alabama, or $780," which was built
in England for the rebels, and is now Gre
ating even more of sensation than the
Nashville did under the same commander
a few months since, is fully described by
the captain of one of the vessels recently
captured and burned by her. We give
such particulars as are Of general inter-
est;
"The Alabama is very rakish craft,
built for speed more than fighting heavy
weight Of metal. Under canvas she makes
thirteen knots, and under steam from if
teen to seventeen. She is said to have
some four hurdIed tons of coal on board
which she economies as much as posi-
BILE by moving under canvas. She keeps
her fires banked, however, so that any
time she can get up steam in twenty min
utes.
"The Alabama was built at Liverpool
or Birkenhead, and left the latter port in
August last. She is about ], 200 tons bur-
den; draft, about IA feet; engines by
Laird & Sons, Of Birkenhead, 1862 She is
a wooden vessel, propelled by a screw, cop
pered bottom, about 2l0 feet loug, rather
narrow, painted black outside and drab
inside.
"She carries three long 32-pounders on
side, and is pierced for two more amid
ships. She has 100-pOund rifed pivot
gun forward of the bridge, and 6S-pOund
pivot on the main deck; she has tracks
laid forward for a pivot bow gun, and
tracks aft for a pivot stern chaser, all of
which she will take on board to complete
her armament. Her guns are of the Blake
ly pattern, manufactured by Wesley. &
Preston, Liverpool, 1862.
"She has all National flags but usually
sets the st. Georges cross on approaching
a vessel. Her present complement Of men
is 120, all told +; but her officers are anx-
ious to ship more. A man is kept at the
masthead from daylight to sunset. She
was built expressly for the business. She
is engaged to destroy, fight, or run, as the
character of her opponent may be. She
took her armament and crew, and most of
her officers on board, near Terciera, West
ern Islands, from an English vessel. Her
crew are principally English; the officers,
chiyalry Of the South. All the water con-
sumed on board is condensed. She has
eight months provisions, besides what is
being plundered.
alt is difficult to see how Laird s Sons,
of Birkenhead, can escape the penalties of
the British law, if, indeed the British
Courts are willing to punish any citizen
for infraction of the neutrality law of the
Empire. The fact that the Alabama was
being built for the Confederates was so no
tOrious as to be matter of common talk all
over the country, and the names Of promi-
nent British merchants were associated
with her in the most intimate relations.
HOW SHE LEFT ENGLAND.
"Her escape from the port of Liverpool
was effected by a strategem so absurdly
transparent that none but officials willful-
ly blind could have been deceived. Her
owners gave bonds in the sum of 100000
that she would not leave British waters
until she had a regular clearance, and was
then allowed to 60 to sea on trial trip, %
fully provisioned and manned, after hav-
ing previously been on two or three trial
trips on the Mersey.
" The day after she sailed her owners
paid the 100000 penalty, and the vessel
continued her trial trip to the Azores and
port. Her voyage was doubtless intend
ed for the trial of her guas, es well as her
timbers, engines spars and sails, for she
fired shot and shell at American vessels to
the number of nearly twenty, and then
burnt them and paroled their officers and
crews"