Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-07

n
The ofd-bark Memnon. one of fine most
ancient craft onA the. Pacific coast will
go 10 sea no In IRE, She has fought. -te,.l
last battle against wind and water and
VIII be towed to the marine crematorv
at California City, where she will be con.
signed to the flames.
The Memnon was built in Boston in
1898, and when she started on her first
voyage was one of the finest vessels af,oat
OF her size. For several years she was
the pride OF the western ocean and could
snow her heels to any craft in the trade
she was one of the very few American
vessels that W zen chased by the pirate
Alabama succeeded in making an es
cape The Memnon was on her wav
from Liverpool to Boston at the time
and fell in with the Alabama when ahopt
malt way across the Atlantic.
The Alabama concealed her identity.
until she got within half mile of the
Memnon, when the Confederate flag was
holsted to the peak and the astonished
crew OF the Yankee bark began to realize
the true chart cter of the strange steam
er. The captain of the Memnon called
all hands aft, and in very few words
told them that capture meant many long
months IN aprison, and that he proposed
to escape if possible -
The crew We're no more anxious to
visit a Confederate prison than the can
tam, and yvhe he gave the orCierto square
away the yards the command was obeyed
IN very short time.
IL was blowing a gale from the north
west at the time, and the bark was under
her topsaiis, but as soon as the wards
were squared the men ran aloft. and sail
after sail was loosed and set. The men
took no time to cast off the gaskets. Ev-.
erything was knife work, and in almost
less time than it takes TO tell it the daring
ankee was lying away to the eastward
under cloud of canvas that threatened
to tear the masts out of her every minute.
Captain Senmes of the Alabama had
no idea that the bark would try to es
cape and was below when the pros
pective prize changed her course and
began to make sail. He was quickly Oil
deck, however, and sent shot after shot
at the flying Yankee in hopes of Grip
ping her. vt the same time the Ala
bama Crow5aJ on all steam and sail. but
a stern GL.y,e Is a long one. and ina
breeze Ike that the Yankee bark was as
fast rs the Elabama and Just q trifo
faster.
y In spite OF everything Semmes could
do the GIemIon slowly but surely drew
away from her pursuer, and as the Ala
bama cropped further and further asterr
the hopes of the Yankee crew revived.
The chase lasted until night, and then
the pirate steamer gave it up ana hauled
off to hunt for something not quite so
speedy. But if the Alabama gave up the
race the Memnon did not, for she never
started tack or sheet until she had Put
several hundred miles of ocean between
the. Alabama and herself.
She then resumed her course for New
York, where she arrived after rough
passage of 81 days.
After the war sheswas placed III the
East India trade and then was sent out
to this coast. She has traded TO China
and the Australian colonies and when
teo old for that was engaged in the coast
wise trade.
She has also made several voyages up
to Alaska and has always made money
for her owners.
Many a fine ship has ended her career
over in the marine crematory at Cali
fornia City since Captain Boudrow be-
gan operations there, and some of them
were once the pride of the United States
navy. s...-
1 Here the fine old steamer China of the
Pacific Mail company went upin smoke,
as did the steamers Antelope and Barila.
The banks Frazer, Lady Bowen, Rosie
Spraguei and the whaler Shooting Star
also ended their careers there, and so
did the odd warship Cyane. -
Captain Boudrow has been located at
California City about five years, and for
| 10 years before that he ran the crematory
! at Tiburon. 1t was in the Tiburon yard
| that the mail steamers Montana, Arizona
and Censt tuition were cremated, and
the torch was applied to the John L.
] Stevens, Orihamme, Great Western, Bue-
ma Vista, Maria Murana and Colorado.
Seven of Uncle Sans old fighting ships,
the Nyack, Saco, Tuscarora, Naragan-
{ sett, Alaska, Benecia and the old mon
itor Mona their careers
and yielded up the vast amount OF iron
and copper in their hulls in the Tiburon
yard, and they made a grand bonfire.
! The Monadnock, being constructed al
most entirely of iron, was of course
| fireproof and had to be broken to pieces
with dynamite.-San Francisco Chroli-
| Gle.
A Thirty Pound Nugget of Gold.
| The recent gold strike made at the
i Virtue mine near Baker CITY, is the