The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-08-11
AN OLD BLOCKBDE RUNNER.
CAPT. PRINCE GIVES SOME "REMINISCENCES
OF PERILoUS SERVICE N THE DAYS
OF THE CoNFEDERACY.

Capt. Henry Price is the owner and
master of the fine schooner Etiwan, OF
Charleston, S. @. His vessel reached
this port few days ago with cargo Of
10000 feet of pine lumber, and while
the longshoremen were unloading hel
he entertained half dozen interested
listeners with his story Of blockade run
ming for two years in Charleston harbor.
/ 81 am now sixty-seven years of age, -
| said he. ''and for fifty-seven years have
been se.faring man, and during all that
length Of service, was never shipwrecked
but once, and that was on tho coast of
Ireland, in the ship Vulcan, Capt. Daniel
Bunker, of New York. The ship was
homeward bound, loaded with iron from
Stockholm, but, having sprung leak,
she bore up toward Liverpool in distress,
and IN doing so was was misled by a
bright light on shore, which she mistook
for lighthouse. 1t was subsequently,
ascertained that the light was made By
the burning of tar by vessel in distress,
md that five vessels were wrecked that
night IN consequence of making the same
mistake as the Vulcan. Every seaman
ION board the Vulcan was saved, but with
the exception Of lad all on board of
the four other vessels that were wrecked
lwere lost. e
| ''For forty-seven years I have been
resident Of Charleston, and during the
greatest part of that time I have held
lcontrolling interest in one or more YES
Isels. While the war lasted was sole
Iowner of the schooner Santee, and hal
an interest in half a dozen blockade run
ners; but it is of the Santee that par
iticularly want to speak. For two years
L landed with that schooner from thirty
to fifty tons of sand at Fort Sumter every
other night, and during that period of
blockade running, [ am quite certain
hat one Thousand shots and shells were
ired at my vessel by the monitors, gun
'oats and barges in the harbor, but with
tie exception of long twenty two incher
fred from battery Wagner, three miles
distant, the Santee was never struck.
"The last night l ran the blockade
thirty two shots and shells were fred at
ne, and owing to the close proximity
Nth which they whizzed about my ears.
refused to run the blockade any more,
Iaud for that refusal | was arrested by
Mott Pendle, provost marshal of Charles
UOu, duu UIucIvtI 41Uuu VI lee s
army. refused to go and appealed to
Commodore Tucker, commander OF the
confederate fleet at Charleston, and when
L made the fact known to him that nv
vessel absolutely foated past the union |
gunboats on account of the dead calm |
that prevailed and because of the perfec- |
ton Of the Yankee system of throwing
calcium light great distance, blockade |
running IN sailing vessel under dead |
calm was not advisable, but that | world
be one OF dozen to volunteer to run q
provided the government
would furnish the boat. After a thor
1ugh hearing of the case, Commodore
Tucker exonoratel me. Having no more
sand with which to repair the damage
made the last day to the fort by the she OTIS
rom the union gunboats, in less that 80
lays from the time l quit carrying sand.
he "Rebs' walked out of Sumter and the
Ranks walked in.
while 1t IS true that my vessel, the
Rntee, escaped without any other dam
Ee than the twenty two-incher naDtion-
i cutting through her mairsai, vet in {
ingle night ] came near losing her at s
| e hands of those upon my own side of
Q contest-the confederates. The night
at Charleston was evacuated the con- I
Infederate commander issued orders {
Iat all vessels of every description should
burned to prevent their falling into
3 hands Of the Union forces. When
Ie squad came on board the Santee for {
It purpose | met them on tho dock. a
d them l knew they had duty to per- i
m, that they were acting under orders, u
+ before they fired her 1 wanted them 7
walk down into the cabin aud get a
OF coffee. Having had an interest
several blockade runners. I aIwsvg
1t myself supplied with The best tea 7.
coffee that came into the coufederacy 4
as the squad that came aboard of the n
tee to fire her had not had anything !"
ser than wheat or chicory or sweet
tto coffee for year OF more, the,
! ok cup after cup Of ny Java. While SC
We're doing that / was getting in q
big talk for the Santee, and upon a.,
/ Pc them my word of honor that my of
el should never pass from my possess of
to that Of the Yankees, they con
ed that after breaking bread wish me pr
could not turn and ,o4I nlo; aad on
/ 10 th,s .lncn cost me s., it saved nv &c
itf in
The next Gay a squad of Yankees a. a.
on board the Santee, and the officer
'mmard took my telescope, Quadrant
pther valuable things had on board 9
vessel These were subsequently, /.
ted to me by order of Commodore :.
gren, to whom I made peraonai :,
fiaInt OF the action Is tne officer in =
fion. About that time l was reas
| y weil-of. / had purchased 900
iof Sea Island cotton at different the
with confederate script. 1 owned Ppas'
ely young negroes, 4 sew houses in anc
es'on, The Santee and ether shin .trt
Ety, but the day the Union forces dis fts
possession of Charleston, nv boys, r., H.,
feasily $4,000, were free men. I bill
'h', however, that I could hold on K.d