The Portland daily press., 1884-01-29

and transactions in his eVentful life, and al
ways had an amusing anecdote to relate in the
proper place. Age did not have its usual ef-
feet on his sturdy frame and active mind. He
was my friend when was but boy, and so
continued until his death. He died in April
1880, at the great age of 81 years.
'fAnd the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But oh, for the touch Of vanished hand,
And the sound of voice that is STILL"
The Dash remained in port two weeks, and
sailed on another cruise Sept. IS, while the
town was full Of troops for its defense. The
first lioutenhnt of the brig, George Bacon, was
promoted to be'captain. His journal Of the
cruise is among those in the Custom House.
1t purports to be :hs journal Of voyage ito
wards Wilmington, N. c., but like the preyi-
GUS cruise, the vessel. did not get there.
On the 29th Of Sept. the Dash captured
schooner from Yarmouth, N. s., took out the
crew and sent her in. On the Sd Of October
took an English ship from Tobago laden with
run. Took the rum, az bat two puncheons.
which bsloDged to the Captain, on board the
Dash, replacing it with ballast, and gave up
the brig with her officers and crew.
Oct. 20 ran into Wiscasset.
26, Got under way and swept down the river;
spoke sloop which had been captured by the
iender of the British ship of war "Feureuse."
Saw sail which we supposed to be prlva-
teer; made all sail in CHASE; gave her
when she hove to-foand her to be the t.
| l-to-mysslf tender to the Feureuse. Pus
| prize master and crew on board and ordered
| her TO keep company.
Both vessels arrived in Portland.
There is in the Custom House log book Of
the man-of-war ship Feursuse, which was
probably found on board Of the captured ten
der.l
The Dash remained in port fe1 days only,
| during which she was again fitted for cruise
| under the command of John Porter, younger
brother of the owners, who had Just arrived
| from Europe in one OF their ships. His log ia
| in the Custom Honse.
| The Dash sailed from Portland Nov. 9th on
/ cruise to the coast of Nova Scotia, and was
| off Cape Sable on the 12th. On tho 10th cap
tured the schooner Polly from Halifax, bound
| to Martinique, laden with fish and lumber.
/ A prize crew was put on board and ordered
/ for the Unitad States The next day took
i another schooner OF the same class and ordered
i her for Portland. On the 7th Of Dec. sea
| carried away the jibboom and flying iibboom,
| but saved the sails The next day the lest
| spars were replaced by new ones. On the 12th
of Dec. re-captured the letter Of marq1e sehooh-
CT Armistice of New York, captured by the
| English frigate Pactolus. 10Th captured q
| sloop bound to Bermuda. Goth, took an Eng
| lish brig from the West Indies, laden with
| rum and sugar, put prize crew on board and
| ordered her TO keep company with the Dash.
| Git of Dec. took possession of brig Mary Ann Of
st. John, bound home. Took out of her one
| cssk OF shrub and one cask Of lime juice and
| let her proceed.
Arrived in Portland; ia January 4, 1915, having
| taken six prizes from the enemy.
We have followed the fortunes OF the Dash
through seven successful cruises, madA under
four commanders, during which she made
some fifteen captures and there is no record
Of the loss Of one of them. She lost soma spars.
but not man; no shot ever struck her in all
her trials of speed with men-of-war il chase.
We now come to the final cruise of which
| there is no joarnsl-no record of her fate-no
survivor to tell the sad story. Alasl she
sailed to destruction with all her laarels thick
upon her. Soon after her arrival on the 4th of
January 1t was known that the Dash was be-
| ing put in order for another cruise, under the
command of John Porter. He had won a
good name although he was but "A years old.
| He was one OF family of eleven brothers, all
sailors at some time of their lives. Two of
them, younger than himself, were to be his
first and second ieutenants in the vessel. The
Dash had become favorite privatesr, and all
the young men of spirit were anxious for DO
stion on board of her, even soma who had
once sailed in command. The Porter Broth
ers chose their own ships company, most of
whom were from the best families OF Portland
and the sea-board towns. No vessel had ever
sailed from tho port, which had the prayers
of such multitude for her safety Everything
being ready the Dash with cloud of canvass
and bunting, got up her anchor, fred a gun
for the Captain, and stood up and down the
harbor like race horse in check. The whilo
the captain was with his young wife to whom
he had been married only few months. She
had not left her fathers who lived in what il
now the Federal street side of the Park At
ter the Lady had arrived at the age of more
than so years, with much feeling, she described
to the writer the leave taking. The captain
seemed depressed as if he had some sad fore
boding He left his wife on the steps, and
hearing the gun he hurries away, and was
about to turn the corner of Essex (now Frank
lipt street, where he hesitated and turned
round, but hearing second gun he waved
final adieu and disappeared.
.Ihe ship was cheered; the harbor cleared,
| Merrllv did she drop
| Below thechurch, below tbe hill,
| Below the lighthouse top"
The privateer schooner Champlain had been
built and fitted out here BY Portsmouth mar
ties, and BY arrangement was ready to sail with
the Dash, to test her speed; each with press
of sail passed the light house in cosaosnv. and
not till then did the crowd leave the bill. For
What more is known Of the Dash we are in
aeoted 10 the officers of tho Champlain. For
more than "A hours the Cash led the way, and
at dark the second day she was long distance
ahead, atoering nearly south, but the Cham
plain kept her light in sight. Soon a gale
sprung up and the captain sounded and found
the water shoaling, and leaving Georges Bank
ne changed his course. When last seen the,
light OF the Dash bore the same by the commas.
IL was the opinion of nautical men that after
the gale sprang up. Capt. Porter underrated
his speed, and went onto Georges Bank. What
thss shoal IS in January gale, we learn from
aneWspaper announcement, that two weeks
ago, fleet Of Gloucester fishing vessels were.
by the sudden rising of the wind, compelled
to slip their cables and make sail losing all
their anchors.
Inc loss OF his three brothers and so manv
other valuable lives in the Dash was g eontin-
uai trouble to Capt. Seward Porter in after
life He insisted that he should live to see a
lighthouse on the bank, and represented its
feasibility to congressional COMMITTEES. His
theory was to sink large number of stone
laden hulks at one time, in a circle on the
shoalest part of the bank, which he thought
would form sufficient breakwater to admit
the driving Of long piles, perhaps some of iron,
within the enclosure, And still continue to
I>add to the number of old ships with stone, and
whole trees with limbs. These he thought
woald form nucleus for an island Of sand,
which would finally rise out of the water. and
on which alghthouse of iron might be ereeted.
The Dash was not given up for lost for many
months after the usual time had expired for
her return. Those having friends on board
scanned every signal which was hoisted on the
observatory, hoping that it was the private sig
nal of the Dash, indicating htr coming. At
last the fears of her loss came to be accepted
as certainty. Then came cruel and gronndlesa
rumors that some of her company had been
heard Of on desolate islands. The knowledge
that vessels had been captured by the Alser-