Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-06-21

Capttln AlWint the anger t0dI De coulO not
suppress oozing out all over his bronzed
visaGa.
''The Beeswiug Royal Mail Steamer,
from Halifax for Kingston, .Jamacia,"
courteouslY replied Captain Simonson.
" But why are YOU running of here, sir,
toward the Florida Strait if bound to ia
maica p
90, we have mails and passengers for
Havana. Please to step down to nv
cabin and examine our papers. You'll
find them all right | think, sir
Captain Harry Simonson's thoughts
were correct; for there were register,
manifests, mails, passenger list and clear
ance; all shipshape and legally unques-
tionahle II B NJ Royal Mail Steamer
Beeswing, Captain Harry Simonson, from
Halifax, \. s. for Kingston, Jamacia, Uia
Nassau and Havana.
Here was n bar to all further proceed
ings with a vengeance. There was some
Northern transactious Of Harry Simon
sons since the blockade was established.
that won d have made his capture of more
Importance than that of anv two blockade
runner afloat. And there he was, under
our guns, within our easy grasp, phvsic-
ally. but perfectly secure We remem-
hered the recent Slidell~ Mason cmbro.iio,
and menta ly cursed all marine interna>
tionaitios in impotent wrath
" Do Won know anything of IN Anglo
rebel binckade~rnnner. now lying in Mas
sau. called the Oriole p inquired Captain
Alvin choking down his indignation with
q huge culp
WHY, yes sir, | think there ,ca2 such
a craft in Nassau, though ! am Of the
opinion that she is not there no1o But
really, captain, with the chalacte you
rive US Englishmen You cannot expect
MS to afford you mnch reliable information
in reference to hlockade-runners."
4" "En@lishmen he - muttered Cap
tain Alvin under his breath and almost
bursting with suppressed wrath.
In no very amiahle temper, we return
ed to our vessel, and in ten minutes there
after, our masthead lookout announced n
steamer in the northern board or rather
the smoke of one, for the vessel itself was
entirely below the horizon. The long trail
Of denselv black snoke indicated soft
coal and an English craft, while its direc
ton being nearly northwest and southeast,
was evidence vorv nearly conclusive that
under that tell-tale line of smoke there
was an Anglo rebel bound from Nassau
to blockade~land The Transit was head
ern termination Of the horizontal column.
and once moro driven through the water at
her best rate of speed
In about two and half hours. we had
the spars, hull and characteristic outlines
of the fugitive steamer perfectly defined
against the clear blue sky. beyond, and
there was no doubt remaining but that
this time we had down there ahead Of us
tho fieot-yyipr ID OriOle hp1.Salf
Then all the shrewdncss of the willy
blockade ruse dawued upon our minds
The Beeswing had led us off on that igHis
fatuuS chase through the night, and the
real blockade had actually been
chasing us 1t was much ike the country
sqGire- fox chase, where the dogs got
three mi 'es ahead of the fox and held their
distance all dav
CAPTAIN Alvin rame Mt being so foile1
was ungoeernable. and he swore roundlv
that when he got that sneakinr fv~awav
rascal under FIRE, he'd serve him out in
way that would put an end to his flights
forever.
And he did. But it was long time be
fore he got the Oriole under fire She
was very nearly our equal in speed; and
would have been more than that, | think
had not orr reckless engineer ranted and
cursed, and drove up coal~hpavers ard fire
men To frantic exertiOns, and put on steam
beyond everything his engine was calcu-
lared to bear, until he bid Glir to drive all
to everlasting smash, or the Transit en-
tirelv ont of water And then night was
approaching and the weather fast thicken-
inr up. promising n dark. stormy, urcom~
Portable night, just what the h'ackade-
runners would naturally prav for But
ut last Just as the sun went down. we got
him within ran"e of our fore-CaStle hum
dred -pounder. dead ahead Of US, and Mr.
Linstock pitched his ponderous cast iron
earl right under the runaway's counter.
Not an atom did he heed our call to stop
and surrender, but kept straig' in end,
swervin~ not an inch from his course.
while the determined Transit, plunging
surging, quivering in every seam and
timber like fierce sleuth hound, was driv-
ing on. laboriously winning inch by inch,
the exciting race.
Again our huge gun thundered forth it's
awful mandate, and this time the great
iron globe went crashing through the light
upper W rl>s Of the fving STEAMER
Shot and shell for the space of three
quarters Of an hour were rapidly hurled
from our monster gun, many Of them tax
IEC PnEct IN nun, StitTS anu pIAiiF ipaF~
of the runaway. But still she kept dog
redIv on her course; and At length when
the night began to grow obscure she was
slowly drawing awav from US. Onr over
asked engine was beginning to foil, be-
sides. the recoi Of our monstrous fore~
castle gun was kicking fully a mile an
hour ont of our speed
Perfectly beside himself with excite
ment and impatience, Captain Alvin rush
ed To the le-superintended the
loading Of the great gun with q she'll,
sighted the piece, and drew the lanyard
Of the lock with his own hand.
The vast missile with It's blazing train
few screaming on its errand, and went
crashing through the steamers countar-
There was a hreathleSs silence of fifteen
seconds, followed by a vast let of fire, a
mighty fame that leaped instantly mp
wards hundred feet-a wild. wide glare
"a concussion so terrific that our stout
ship quivered like frightened thing; and
then there was patterin- and spfashing
in the water all around US, and on our
decks fell human heads and limbs, and
mangled fragraonts of dismembered bod
les
5n5 We