The National tribune., 1884-12-25

/ off he harbors and capture vessels running tie
/ blockade the price Of cotton began to go down
in South Carolina. At the same time it began
| 10 advance in Liverpool. The crop of 1851 was
! a very short one,--Only half that OF 1861
| In February, 1862, cotton was worth seven
cents pound in Charleston, but III Liverpool
] it was worth half dollar a pound.
! On the other hand, goods which could be
! bought for seven cents in Liverpool were worth
/ half dollar IN Charleston. What chance to
/ make money, The merchants and manufac-
/ turgrs the great trading class of Great Britain,
/ jumped at 1t. The only chance for loss was the
/ possible capture of the vessels and Cargoe5 by
/ the Union vessels. The chance for making
money was so great that thousands of people
not only the merchants, but gentlemen of for
! tune, lawyers, doctors clergymen-nadc ven
/ lures. Their symPathies were with the South.
! w here your treasure is there viii your heart
/ be also" though spoken l,S0O years ago, Is a
/ saying for all time. So it came about that the
/ manufacturing and trading people of England
/ did what they could to aid the South.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
/ The vessels engaged in blockade running
/ were built for the purpose. They ware long,
| narrow, low sde-wheel steamers, with sharp
| bows that cut the water like q knife, power
! ful engines, raking tunnels, and two masts,
! rugged as schOoners. The hull rose only a few
! feet above the water. They were painted dull
]
difficult to see them far away. The forward
/ part of the deck was covered over. SO that they
/ could run through heavy seas.
These steamers were built on the river Clyde
| at Glasgow, and sent cut to Bermuda and Mas
! sau. BY looking at your map You Will see that
! the Bermuda Islands are 677 miles east of Viii
| mington. They belong to Great Britain. \ on
will see that Nassau is only 500 miles from
! Charleston. Before the war there was very
! little commerce between England and these
! islands, but now the harbors were alive with
/ ships-great sea-going steamers from England
| loaded with arms, cannon, powder, goods OF all
! kindS-returning to England treighted with
| cotton. The blockade runners brought the
cotton from Wilmington and Charleston de-
| livcred it to the large steamers took on board
| the goods arms and ammunition, and steamed
/ back TO those ports, always planning to run
1 past the blockade vessels in the night. When
/ coming in all lights were put out, the steam
was blown OF under water. man up III the
| crows nest" on the forward mast kept q
! sharp lookout for the Union vessels. The
! pilots knew every channel and sand bar. The
vessels were all light draft. The blockade run
ner was only a runner, not fighter. If he
/ came too close 10 war ship he TOOK to hlS
/ heels. The runners were SO swift, the war
! ships so slow, that they were rarely captured
when the chase was stern one. Some OF the
runners were very successful.
! The ROBERT i. LEE,
commanded by Capt. Wilkinson, who had sworn
to support the Government, but who Joined the
! ConiederateS, ran the blockade 20 times be-
/ tween December, 1862, and November, 1868,
making great deal of money.
1t was a hard, exciting service which the
! blockading fleets endured. During the day
| the vessels cruised along the shores, looking
! into ali the inletS, or sailed eastward to dis
| cover any approaching blockade runner; but
! IL ~l, al, p
under the guns of Fort Sumter at Charleston,
or Fort Fisher at Wilmington. All lights were
I put out, except the one lantern at the mast
! head of the Commodore's vessel Men were up
! in the rigging straining their eyes through the
night to catch sight of the swift runners.
CAPTURE OF THE VENUS.
On an October night, 1863. the Venus. from
! Nassau, approached Wilmington. The lookout
! up at the masthead of the steamer Nansemond
/ discovered her. Lieut.. Lamson, commanding
! the NansemOnd, when he had 4 duty to per-
form was always ready. The fires were blaz-
! ing under his boileTs-the steam was up. In
| an instant the NansemOnd was away.
"Give her a shot !" he shouted. The long
| rifed guns flashed. The shot skaters the fore
mast Of the EenHs; another shot goes through
| her cabin; the third crashes through the fore
castle, killing a sailor; the fourth strikes the
! hull below the water line. Both vessels are
! fast. going II knots an hour. The Captain of
! the Venus sees that he cannot make the harbor
and runs for the shore. She strikes hard and
! fast; the crew leap into the water and reach
/ the sandy beach. The Nansemond lowers her
| boats and takes possession of the vessel. The
! Venus cannot be moved she is set on fire, and
the Nsnsemond, at daylight, steams away.
TIE ELLA AND ANNA.
There she is !" The lookout of the Niphon
/ shouted il at daybreak a few mornings later.
! Capt Breck, commanding the Niphon. saw a
| side-wheel steamer close in-shore making for
! Wilmington Harbor. Another bloczader was
in pursuit. The Niphon was in position to in
| teTcept the runner-the Ella and Anna. The
Captain Of the runner sees that he is cut of
and he determines to run the Niphon down.
! Capt. Breck sees the situation. g Ready,
boarders." he shouts, and the sailors who
have been thoroughly drilled, seize their pis-
tolls and swords. The cannon of the Niphon
! send a shower OF canister. The next moment
there is a crash. and the bowsprit Of the Nj
phon breaks like a pipestem. Over the rail
swarms the boarders, and the next moment the
Ella and Anna Is theirs, with 800 cases of rifles
and a cargo worth Sl1S00O. The vessel is re-
named the Malvern and becomes one Of the
bockading fleet
A great many blockade runners were cap
tured and destroyed but the profits We're 50
! enormous that others were built. The officers
and crews were willing 10 run the risk of being
captured for the high wages they received. A
captain received 5000 for each successful trip
each one Of the crew $3.50, the chief engineer
$2,500, and the pilot 3. 700.
EFFECT OF THE BLOCKADE.
AS the war went on the blockade became Sc
sharp and systematized that it was not an easy
matter for vessels TO get in. They found less
difficulty in getting ont, for they could select
their time, and could see from the shore just
where the vessels of the feet were lying.
Provisions in the South were abundant
raised by the slaves, while the white men were
in the Confederate army,-but clothing, boots
and shoes, and all manufactured articles were
very scarce.
clerk in the Confederate War Department
kept journal during the war. This is what
be wrote Nov. 6, 1868: g. Ny wife today pre-
scented me with excellent undcr5hirt, made
of one of her diapdated pettcOats. new
shirt would cost so. Common brown cotton
sells for 50 per yard. ] saw common cotton
shirts sell at auction to-day for SO per pair
Beef is $3.50 per pound and pork 50. But these
prices are paid in Confederate Treasury notes
and they mark the rapid depreciation OF paper
money"
On Nov. L., 1863, the Richmond Dispatch gave
a list Of prices: Flour, $40 barrel; coffee, S
per pound; sugar S3.25; whisky, 81 per gal
lon; sole leather, $50 per pound.
Poor people made dresses from bagging
Ladies who had lived III afiiuence wore gown!
made Of common cotton cloth. For want oi
shoes they braided sandals from corn huslls
All old garments were worked over, turned