The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-02-14
More Naval Prize-Money.

More Naval Prize-MOney.
We took occasion, a few days since,
TO comment upon the bill brought before
Congress for the abolishment of the
whole system of Naval prize-money. In
that article we expressed our condem.
nation of the whole system as being, q
relic OF semi-ciyilized warfare, and as
demoralizlng and dishonoring to oul
Navy.
Since, thatwas written our attention
hasibeen directed, to a claim for prize
money that. has been advanced by oul
Navy that presents this matter in its
most, t,odious aspect. The claim is moi
only of most startling character, but
also of startling magnitude. lfallowAed,
it. will involve the payment Of nearly
S2,000000 from the public, Treasury.
This claim is founded upon the pre-
tended capture of part of therebel feet
. at Richmond, by our naval vessels, when
that city was evacuated by Gen. Lee in
1865. The tactsare as follows:
Some time in the spring o 1855, when II
had become obvious that Richmond must
fail, orders were issued by the Confed-
crate authorities to sink, burn and de-
stroy all their armed vessels of every
kind then lying in the; James RIVER.
There were theHin those waters nine
vessels, three ofiwhict were iron -clads,
and the remainder were OF smaller force
including gunboatss On the night of
April q, the three iron-clads were
blown up and sunk at Drury's BiuF. At
early dawn the next morning all the
others were burned at Richmond except
two, the Texas and the Beaufort. Both
Of these were unserviceable, the Texas
being unfinished, ana the Beaufort in
dock for repairs, and lying ON the ma
rine railway; and it was there that their
pretended capture was effected by our
gallant prize-money navy.
The Texas was an unfinished hull; and
the Confederates thinking to make her
Of some service as!against the. "Yankee''
fleet, piled upon her decks large guam
tity Of combustible lumber, set it
on fre, and put her adrift in
hopeHo its driving among our vessels
aud setting them on fire. But the fire
went out, and she drifted down about
halfa-mile and lodged on "a mud fiat;
where she lay entirely unheeded till
several days after Richmond was taken
by the army. In that condition she was
"captureP by our navy. She had neither
machinery nor armament; and was after
wards sold by the United States as
abandoned rebel property for $4,000 as
she lay. Tie builder estimated the
value Of the Texas at $75, 900 at the high
est, when afoat. The Beaufort, on the
dock, was estimated, by the carpenter
making her repairs, at SIS, 900, and the
government sold her Tor 81, 800 as she
lay.
Now the claim is put forward for prize
money by our gallant Navy for the cap
ture of these two vessels, one on q mud
nat, and the other in the dock, as fol-
lows,-For the Beaufort, $4,000. For
the Texas, an unfinished hull, $SS2, 121 SO,
lin all $S92,12I 66,-mark ye, that sixty
six cents!-nothing like being exact in
the matter OF prize money.
But this is too modest by half. The
u. 8. Navy claim much more. These
vessels constituting the rebel naval force
at Richmond, with the exception Of the
two above mentioned, were all destroyed
on Sunday night, and at an early hour
ON Monday morning all their officers and
crews were hastily sent of onthe Dam
willie Railroad to join Lees retreatipg
army; and the United States troops
were at the same hour pouring into the
city of Richmond. No vessel Of the
United States Navy reached Richmond
until Tuesday, the day followinga On
Monday morning, when the'Confederate
feet was destroyed, there was not ves-
sci Of our navy nearer I han twelve miles
distant: and no firing had taken place
from our fleet for two days previous.
Nowy the law governing the allowance
OF prize.moneyl provides that bounty
shall be paidt each person that may
be on board an enemy's vessel, at the
beginning Of an engagement, which
vessel is SUNK or otherwise de- \
stroyed in the. engagement. This bounty
is 500; if the enemy's vessel is or infe-
riorforce, and $500, il of equal or supe-
,gior force. The gallant naval claimants
.jn.the preseBt,case assert that on'boardi
tlie.blown-up.se .sebel ships and Yinu shore
batteries cooperating, there were five
thousand men, while their own forces
we're mnchssmaller; and they therefore
claim the larger bounty OF $500; thus
making the further sum Of $1,000, 900 of
prize.money for the capture OF five
thousand men whom they neversaw'norE
beard from.
1 Thsge, tssp, rs the whole Of their casas.