Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-08-04
WITH THE ALABAMA.
A New Story Of the Confed-
crate Cruiser.
One Of Her Grew Tells How She Once
Lost Rich Yankee Prizs.

masters Mate" tells the following
story of his vessel, the Confederate
cruiser Alabama, in the Detroit Free
PreSs:--
In 1868, as the Confederate cruiser
left Bahia for Cape Town to prey upon
Federal commerce wherever found, she
captured the Justina only few miles
east of the port mentioned Then she
headed to the south and picked up
the Jabcz Snow, the Amazonlan, the
Tnlisman and the Conrad in succession
on that course. When below Rio
Janeiro and ready to shape her course to
the east, she picked up the Anna
Schmidt, and four days later, the Ex.
press. From that point we made the
long voyage to the Cape without sccur-
ing another victim, though we sighted
several which escaped us. Ny story has
to do with one of the latter incidents.
One afternoon, as we were holding our
course under sail, with the fires banked
and steam down, sail was sighted to
the north. After time she was made
out to be large ship, and was holding
her course for the Cape. For n long
time some of the officers held that she
was English, and as we were both gradu
ally nearing each other the engineer re-
ceived no orders to get up steam. There
was good sea on, and the promise of .
nasty night, when, an hour before sun
down, the two crafts, running the legs
of triangle, as it were, approached
each other within about two miles.
Then we hoisted the United States
flag, although by this time it was we'll
known that she was American. After
few minutes the ball was run up to her
masthead and broke away to unfurl the
Old stars and stripes. We had made
ourselves believe that VIC hated the old
flag, but when we saw it given to the
breeze above the swelling sails of noble
clipper out there on the broad Atlantic,
we men felt like cheering.
Down came the flag of deceit from our
masthead, and up went the flag of the
Southern Confederacy in its place. 1t
must have been a great surprise to the
Yankee, and upon my word | felt sorry
at the thought of such noble craft be-
ing given over to the flames. The wind
was from the northwest, and breezing up
stronger all the time. We cast loose a
gun and fired shot across the clippers
course, and according to the usual order
of things she should havo heavcd to and
submitted to the inevitable. We all
looked for such action, especially as we
were now not over mile apart and she
we'll under our guns. There was some
thing like huttcr of excitement aboard
OF her for moment, and then her nose
pointed up to the north, her men
swarmed aloft, and in five minutes she
was pyramid of canvas and walking off
like a race horse. During
this interval We had been beat
ing to quarters and casting loose the
guns, and as it was seen that she meant to
run away from us we opened on her with
everything that would bear She was
now almost stern. on to us, and in a
aking position, but we soon found that
the heavy sea running materially inter-
fered with our gunnery. She had no
doubt calculated on this, and though
,ome of our shots gave her close shave,
she gave her whole attention to getting
away. We soon saw that she could out
,Ail us, and orders were given to get up
steam. We kept pcgging away at her IN
hopes to cripple her aloit, but before we
had accomplished anything darkness
came down. We sent men aloft with
glasses to keep her In sight, and reserved
our ammunition until we should get to
close quarters We clapped on all the
canvas VIC could carry, and af er time
had steam to help us along, but before
the propeller had made revolution the
men aloft had reported that the clipper
was out of sight.
Our only recourse was to follow to the
northeast in hopes of picking her up
when daylight came, but when day
broke after a long and weary night the
ocean was clear of sail. The day we
reached Cape Town we saw our fugitive
safely anchored in the harbor. Two or
three days later when | was on shore
leave, Iran across some of her crew, and
was told by them that as soon as she
was beyond our sight she turned on her
heel and ran to the south, thus crossing
our bows and making every yard VIC run
take us farther away from her. At
midnight she bore to the East again, and
was in Cape Town four days ahead of
US,