Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-04-19
Tales Of my Grand. Father
Vanderbilt Fifty years Ago.

Q "My first acquaintance with VAN
0 derbilt dated from about 1926.
Steamboating never was in my
9 line, though / hadln no objection to
. taking a venture in a sailing craft.
. . 1t might have beenSin 1926 that
Stephen Girard, Of Philadelphia,
) had an old brig for sale, which
, four or Eve of us bought. She
was of teak, aud might have been
fifty years old when we purchased
her. We owned her for twen.
ty years, then solo her for more
} than we gave for her,-and ! re-
member to have wedqherTup
in the papers with a certain a.
mount of interest, andlif pymem-
ory serves me rightly, ,&.kothink
she came to grief in isotne time
in 1856, in the China seas. We
were in the habit Of sending the
old brig to Madeira, and she
brought back wine on chips lac.
count, and did quite well. She
was SO slow that the wins'acqair.
lei, generally, age on the=xoyage.
Someaof you may .remem bef o par
tIcular pale Madeira, No You
don't ! Dear, nae 4 am gfoFget-
ting myself. If you boys nsyer
had chance at it, very cerfahly
your fathers punished il seSenslY.
1t was remarkably sound VINE,
and such as you can't buy today.
About from $3.50 to 81 a gallon
would buy the choicest Madeira in
those days. Our best market was
in Charleston and Savannah, and
the consumption was so large We
generally sent part Of the cargo
there direct, and brought back rice.
Southern planters in those days
must have bathed in Madeira"
"But, grandfather, what about
Commodore Vanderbilt"
80! / am coming to it straight.
You all know that Vanderbilt ran
steamers from New York to Am.
boy. One spring morning, when
! there was something of a fog, our
brig was coming in from Madeira.
When just beyond Fort Hamilton
one Of the steamers ran into the
brig and a precious lot of damage
was done to their vessel. We
brought suit against the beat, de-
positions were taken and we were
prepared to go into court. | nev.
was litigious, and did not want to
fight the case, but was over'ruled
; by the other owners One day !
had to go to Philadelphia and
took the steamboat route. just
as we were passing the Kills, saw
an oyster boat in the way of the
steamer. | was looking over the
side thinking that we would be
pretty certain to touch her, when
heard a commotion near me.
A rather spare, thin man, not o
yer dressed, but with the eye of a
hawk, had with a run and jump
, mounted to the upper deck, and
was in the pilots cabin. l was
able to hear few hot words that
passed between the man and the
pilot. 1t ended ty the pilot being
summarily turned out Of his posi-
lion, and as the newcomers took
the wheel, and we just barely
shaved by the oyster.bOat, | no.
ticed that the pilot was in high
dudgeon, aud was sullen and cross.
: When we landed, the new man at
5 the wheelleIt the cabin, and walked
leisurely on the wharf. We were
: to have taken the stage coach to
! Brunswick, but it was not quite
d ready. Presently the pilot put
/ off too, and evidently seeking a
, quarrel, called the man some op
d probrious name. Quick as light.
; ming the hawk eyed man turned
and gave the pilot who was big,
: burIy fellow, a blow between the
t eyes, which laid him fiat. The
passengers made a ring for a good
: bout at iisticuffs which was n0tcon-
: sidered oat of the order in our time.
: But the Captain of the boat inter.
S fered as did some OF the agents