The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-14
BY HON. WILLIAM GooLD.

The ship Hyder Ally was built in Portland
by Samuel Pickett, noted shipwright who
bad yard and dock near the foot of Park
street. She was not especially built for
privateer but was constructed to carry a
battery, as no vessel was then safe on The
nigh seas without one. Her register at the
Custom House says she was of 367 tons, she
was built for speed as most vessels of her
time were-drogers were sure 10 be picked
up by the armed vessels Of some nation, aud
during Napoleon Bonaparte's time. it was
hard to comply with The restrictions of all
the beliigerents.
The Hyder Ally's keel Was laid before our
war with England was declared. Although
there was no sale for ships in the ordinary
trade, Pickett concluded to finish her up
and trust to luck for purchaser When
she was completed and ready to launch.
Sturgis, of the firm of Bryan g. Stursis.
merchants of Boston, being In Portland ON
other business, vas invited to look AT the
new ship and to make an oaer for the hull
After an examination and learning that the
asking price was forty dollars per ton, he
told Pickett that if he would rig her into
ship he would take her at that price. Tho
rigging at that time, would cost as much as
the hull. yet Pickett accepted the offer as it
was the only one he would probably get
The ship was Immediately launched and
rugged.
The purchasers now looked about for
guns for an armament and found that the
guns and all the armament of the prize brig
Boxer had been sold at auction by the gov
eminent, and could then be purchased at
private sale. A bargain was closed for them.
With these and some new guns from Boston
the ship was fitted out with twelve 19 pound
carronades, two long is Founders, and two
long mines. She is registered at the Custom
House as carrying only ten guns, but re-
ceived the history of this ship twenty years
ago from reliable man, who sailed in her
during her whole career as privateer. This
was Mr.. Isaac Pickett, who was a we'll
kno gn caulker and real estate owner of
Portland, and died in 1877 at the age of SO.
Mr.. Pickett was relative of the builder of
the ship, and had just completed an appren-
tceship as caulker, and shipped on board
of the Hyder Ally in that capacity with
some other duty specified.
The captain of the ship was Israel Thorn
dixie of Beverly; first lieutenant, Henry Ok
nard of Portland; second and third officers,
Perry of Salem, and Noah Edgecomb, rig
ger of Portland. The ship carried a crew of
fifty men, among them Alexander Paine.
Aaron Jordan, John Rayner and others of
Portland. She sailed from here for the In
dian Ocean in January, 1914 When near
the Cape of Good Hope, she was chased all
day by sloop-of-war belonging to the Brit
ish East India Company, but got clear of
her in the night. Soon after getting round
the Cape in the latitude OF the Isle of France
she captured British East Indiaman with
very valuable cargo. She was manned out
with prizemaster and crew and ordered to
Portland, but was recaptured by The priva-
teee Tom off Cape Elizabeth.
The Hyder Ally steered for the coast of
Sumatra, and fell in with and captured
Two English ships with cargoes OF pepper
in bulk. Lieut.. Oxnard was put in charge
OF one ship, and Lieut. Perry of the other.
Oxnard made the coast off Penobscot bay