The Brookhaven leader., 1884-02-28

o. the war, and the blockade at other
points on the coast having been raised,
all the Federal cruisers were concen-
trated at Galveston. The situation was
perilous one, and there was but one
thing left TO be done. five could evade
the enemy until nightfall, and then pass
the squadron and enter the harbor un-
observed we would be all right. Call
ing the men all to the bridge | gave
them their orders, and the ship was
soon heading toward land. We stood
well TO the eastward close under shore
with the intention of secreting ourselves
until night We were yet ,ome distance
out and hauling IN rapidly, when about
eight o'clock | discovered cruiser
bearing down on us. All hope of max
ing land was then abandoned, and the
only chance to escape was to put to
sea. Having full confidence in my men,
and knowing the speed of my ship,
did not fear the result.
calling to the engineer through the
pipe | discovered that after making q
twelve hours run off shore and back
again would not have coal enough to
carry me back to Havana. as there was
none to be had at Galveston. | was in
q quandary; but no time was to be lost.
Give her a full head | shouted 10 the
engineer, and casting my glass across
the harbor | saw the l'eleral cruiser
preparing for action. There was only
one alternative, and in forlorn hope |
took the desperate chance of running
the squadron and breaking the block
ale. 1t was then about noon. | head
ed the ship for Galveston and passed
over the outer bar into the swash or
beach channel, hauling in south by west,
in the very teeth of the guns on the
boat Seminole, which had already
opened fire. AT this point tie chase be-
gan, and for an hour we ran under a
heavy fire from the guns of three of the
squadron, which were bearing down on
us all the time.
"'Push her hard!' shouted again TO
the engineer. All right, sir, came the
reply; and the huge, black volumes of
smoke that poured out of our tunnels
and lay in clouds on the water; the
throbbing of the engine in the hold; the
strainng of the wheels as they flew
around, plowing the water and leaving
track of boiling. foaming sea far
astcrn, told that he was doing his duty.
1t was an exciting time, but every man
was at his post, and not word was
spoken. The shell whizzed over us, and
spashed and drenched our decks as
they fell close under our sides. Two
solid shot passed through our tunnels
rs | stood ON the bridge, and the frag-
ments of q shell shattered our bow
above water, but otherw ae we were
unhurt | could watch the movements
of the men on the cruisers through my
glass, as | stood on the bridge, between
the flashes of the guns and the clearing
away of the smoke.
1--WE were even now about half a
mile distant from each other, and about
half mile from the shore. All right
bclow?' Inquired again through the
pipe. 'Al right, sir was the answer,
and the ship rushed through the water
as the shot fell thick and fast; but the
chase was about up. The bay was be-
tween us and the gun-boatS, and the
distance grew greater as the channel
widened. In ten minutes more we
were out of their reach, and running
the ship under Pelican Point, we were
under cover of our own guns, sheltered
from the enemy's.
"We were now safe. The open bay
was before US, with the white sandhills
beyond. The fleet was lying below
about two miles, and the fort and
wharves along the city were Bned with
thousands of the spectators who had
witnessed the chase, and who received
us with open aims"
at was a nip-andtuck race, Cap
tain," remarked the reporter. "How
did you feel with the shells bursting
about you?"
"Well, about as | do now," was the
reply, as the complacent Captain stood
with his hands in his pockets, quietly
smoking his cigar. True, there were
about two hundred pounds of powder
under the bridge where | stood, but it S
all in lifetime. There's no use get
ting excited. We lay in port about
eighteen days." he resumed, "discharg-
ing our cargo and reloading with cot
ton, when we again put to sea. and
passed the squadron without being mo-
Tested or interfered with. Every thing
went smooth until about sixty miles oft
Cuba, when we broke our crank-pin,
and so disabled were picked up by the
Federal cruiser Metacomet. commanded
by Captain Jewett, and taken to Fhila-
delphia. was tried there in the Fed
eral Courts, and the Susanna was con-
demned as Government prize"
The Seminole, which figured in the
above affair, was employed by the
United States Government during the
war in cruising along the Southern At
lantic and Gulf coasts in searh of the
many enterprising blockaders with
which the coast and v est Indies waters
were infested. She captured and as
sisted in the capture OF a number of
vessels, in which several of our citizens
were interested at that time. After the
war she was sold to the Nickerson Line
and ran as merchant steamer between
Boston and Savannah for a number of
years.
She was taken IF a little over year
ago to give place to the new steamships
CITY of Columbus and Gate City. Her
engines were taken out, and she has
s'nce b en- used as barge. The fol
lowing aragraph of marine intelligence
records her last run:
"Barge Seminole, from Hoboken to
Boston, cosl laden, while in tow of the
steamer Professor Morse, sur k on the
morning of November IL, four miles
from Handkerchief light-ship. Crew
saved. NescS.
- Mr.. Wizards financial troubles
have had. according to the London