The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-31
Big PRIZE MONEY.
The Balance Of a Famous National
Trust Fund.
ADMIRAL J0uETTs ODD STORY OF
BLOCKADE RUNNER.

A BLOCKADE RUNNER.
Some Interesting Facts About Prize Money
. and the Methods of distributing It.
Relations of Prize Money to Naval PEN
sions
Washington, Aug. 9.-Three hundred
Thousand dollars in undistributed prize
money still remains In the Treasury,
awaiting claims by sailors to whom 1t
belongs. Uncle Sam merely holds this
sum as the left over balance of a trust
fund. Unhappily, those to whom it is
owing are mostly dead and will never
ask for their shares. Their bones have
been scattered by shipwrecks all over
the world Though the names OF all of
them are written in the governments
books, with the amount in dollars and
cents due to each, it is only occasionally
nowadays that applications are made for
awards of cash from this deposit of treas
ure. Eventually nearly all of it will be-
turned over by Congress to some other
purpose for lack Of claimants, says the
Evening Star of this city. This money
represents part of the great sum derived
from the sale of captured vessels during
the rebellion. Nearly all of these craft
were blockade runners and of the latter
nine-tenths were owned in Great Britain,
Some of the finest steamers ever built
were used by Englishmen for running
the Union blockade during the war
British naval officers got leave of absence
during which they commanded blockade
| runners. Blockade running is very pc
ciiliar business. There is no penalty for
confscation of the ship and her cargo.
| The people on board of her are treated
| in all other respects as ii they were
| transacting legitimate mercantile bust
ness. At the earliest opportunity they
are let go in peace.
Admiral Jouetts Story.
Admiral Jouett' tells an odd story of
blockade runner. He was in command
of the Metacomet at the time. The
| blockade runner referred to was slip
perry vessel. She was SO swift that every
attempt to catch her had failed. Farra-
| gut declared that she must be taken at
all hazards, and delegated tie job to
Jouett. "Jim,n he said, Il count on you
to fetch me that bird, whatever hap
pens" SO it came about that the Meta
comet lay in wait for the artful dodgef
on CaInpeachy banks. There was reason
| to believe that she would come that way
before long. Meanwhile the commander
| of the war ship set to work to transform
| his craft in such a manner that her own
| builder would not have recognized her.
The first thing he did was to paint a
broad streak all around her hull. Then
he hoisted spars aloft and arranged
them SO as to look like double topsail
| Yards, such as merchantmen carried III
! those days. By such devices the vessel
| was made to resemble a Mexican trader.
| She was anchored near the shoals, as
| if trying to catch fish. So she was, but
| it was very big one she was after. The
guns were covered with tarpaulins for
j further disguise, and it was ordered that
no uniforms should be worn on deck.
| The commander put on his oldest suit of
| clothes. In short, nobody would have
surmised that a warship, armed to the
teeth, was concealed beneath such an
| innocent exterior.
When the smoke of steamer was seen
Jouett was confident that the game was
/ in sight. He even went 50 far as to in
terview the steward in relation to a bill
| of fare, saying that he meant to enter
| tain the captain of that blockade runner
Fat dinner the same evening. The latter
craft slowly rose on the horizon. When
she came.within a couple Of nautical miles
the Metacomet hoisted the Mexican flag
The stranger responded by running up
French colors. She had no suspicion of
the TRUE character of the foe that was ~
ing in wait. With the utmost confidence
she steamed past, and her establishment
must have been great when the Meta
comet fred gun across her bows. In a
moment the ship of war was revealed in
her true character, her decks crowded
| with men and her armament unveiled
Her commanders invitation to dinner
for that evening was not refused by the
captain of the blockade runner.
Claims for Prize Money.