The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-06

the smoke to lift before we could see
for the next shot.
We were now rapidly approaching
Galveston harbor, and it seemed as if
she was going to get away in spite Of us.
Since changing our course last time we
were both sailing, or steaming rather,
dead to windward, but she being the
lightest draught was making botter time
than we. and slowly but surely getting
away from us. Her captain for the last
hour had been walking the bridge be-
tween the wheel-hoses, with both hands
in the pockets of his pea-jacket. smok-
ing . cigar very unconcernedly but
that there was feeling that their lives
and property hung only on single
thread was manifest in the way those
wheels flew around, leaving boiling,
fcamy sea far astern, and the thick, huge
volumes Of black smoke that poured
out ef the tunnels told story that did
not need trumpet to announce. The
channel now began to widen, and if she
could only hold her own for twenty
minutes she would escape. What must
have been the thoughts of that captain
as he walked to and fro on that bridge,
with the air full of flying missiles. now
hid in their smoke, the next minute
drenched with their spray; few feet
above his head He never flinched an
inch or changed his manner, but kept
quietly on as though it was an everyday
affair
Fate, says Mr.. Mackie, decided in
favor of the flying steamer. In spite Of
every effort that could be made to pre-
vent her, she reached the Bay of Gal
weston, which is nearly three miles
wide, and as the channel is very dan
gerous to vessels drawing more than ten
feet of water, and as we were getting
into three fathoms again, with intense
chagrin we gave up the chase, sending
as parting compliment an elcven-inch
shell with our regrets.
AS the flying stranger passed out Of
range her captain hoistered che Confed-
crate flag and dipped it three times, at
the same time taking off his cap waved
it towards US and bowed gracefully in
our direction his adieu, steamed in un-
der the guns Of the fort at Galveston
and dropped his anchor, safe at last.
We returned the salute and went back
to our station for the night, as it was
now nearly sundown. after one Of the
most exciting days that we ever spent,
with less credit to ourselves than could
possibly be supposed uoder the circum-
stances.
The Galveston Ne,rs, of April IA, 1s-
65, published an account of the escape
of the Foo. Shot, shell, grape. shrap-
mel, says the News, every ingenuity
which Satan and his children, the Yam
KEGS, have invented, were thrown with
the rapidity of lighting and the abund-
ance Of hail at, around and over, and in
the water beneath the doomed victim
elongated shot and shell shrieked be-
fore, behind and over her, or struck the
water and riochetted over her decks
like-wsll, like flock of sheep. over a
pair Of bars. Strange to say, although
hundreds Of shots were fired, but four
took effect. An ugly she'll. foot and a
halt long, exploded few yards from
the ship and portion of it burst the
sheet plate two feet above the water,
but the missile rebounded and fell into
the sea.
A ten-inch she'll, nearly spent came
over the rail on one side and passed out
beneath it on the other without doing
any harm, though the wind famed
couple of persons who stood near. The
shrouds were cut beneath another as he
ascended, but this Daniel was as little
hurt as his namesake among the lions.
A piece of shell cut the 'scapepipe
above the deck, but nobody was hurt
and no one scared. There were some
old veterans-Morgan's men and others
who had escaped from Fort Douglas,
on board, who looked upon the whole
affair as very small one, or being only
passengers took no interest in it, and
the officers and crew seemed to take 1t
as matter Of course. They received
three cheers as they steamed gaily into
port with the utmost composure and
did not appear like man answering a
fulsome toast to regard it as the proud.