Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-16

Capt. Ludlow, easily. I'VE Yanks have
wiped out your southern confederacy. The
best thing you can do is to break for cover
Is over?"
Capt. Wardell knew nothing of the kind
The Yankee skipper showed him the pa
pers telling of the surrender OF Lee and the
end of the great rebellion. Capt Wardell
smiled superciliously.
"All Yankee lies," he said. II don't want
to look at your newspapers. Pack up.
This ship is going to be fred
The skipper expostulated He insisted
that there was no war. He and the Shen-
aIdoah's commander sat in the Howland's
cabin for fifteen or twenty minutes argu-
ing the matter. The upshot of the discus
sion was that Captain Ludlow handed over
a big bag of gold. retaining one guinea for
luck. at Mr.. Wardell's suggestion. Then
he went on deck The boats crew from
the privateers had chopped down the rail-
ings and smashed the sailors chests
Everything movable and inflammable they
had piled on deck They poured tar and
slush over 1t. The crew, thirty-five men
in all, had left the vessel in their own
beats.
Great Ships of Flame.
Wardell and Ludlow stood for a minute
alone upon the deck.
Sir" said the skipper, tits a shame to
burn such beautiful ship as this, and all
for nothing. There is mo war. If you set
uTe 10 tHlS snip you IL SuHeF Tor II.
Get into the boat" said the commander.
throwing torch into the rubbish on deck
In ten minutes the flames were leaping
to the yards. The skipper took last view
of his own craft. He glanced at the others
and from eight of them he saw jets of
flame leaping from matches or dancing
above the bulwarks. Nine of the fleet
were ships Of fire.
James Murray of New Bedford and the
Nile of New London. Into each of these
more than one hundred and fifty men were
crowded. They were the combined crews
of the fleet.
Take care of yourselves" said one of
the Steamboats, officers brusquely, and
there. hardly a cable length away from
the burning fleet, the two craft lay at an
Choir. There was some quick work at the
windlasses, and in half an hour the two
ships made sail. and. carried by a light
breeze. hove to the southwark. The Shen-
andoah dipped her colors in derision and
steamed toward the arctic seas. She had
finished her last errand of destruction.
Captain Ludlow was on board the James
Murray. There were five or six captains
there and $50 men-enough to navigate and
work any whaier. The course was shaped
for San Francisco. All day and until the
following morning the vessels drifted near
the burning fleet.
Many a time in his old age did the old
wha!er describe that scene Great forks
of flame, blood red, tipped with pitchy
smoke, shot from holds filed with hum
dreds of barrels of OIL
Explosion followed explosion. Around
the doomed craft the very sea burned.
Tons of blazing oil rested upon the unruf-
fed surface Of the water. From between
starting planks issued Jets of flame.
Work Of Destruction,
They grew into roaring pillars of fire. The
tarred rigging became ropes of fire. Masts
and spars charred and shriveled Yards
burned from the iron swivels and clattered
upon the deck. Released by fire from the
stays, the masts reeled and FELL
Lower descended the belts of fire. and at
the dawn Of the morning Of June % three
blackened hulls. circled with dying fires.
marked where once had floated ships which
spurned the wave and outstripped the wind
The others had burned to the waters edge
and sank.
Two crafts, laden like slave ships, went
to the south. On the third day a black
hulled, ugly craft bore down toward them,
crossed their track and FASTENED on. It
was the Shenandoah. She was on her way
to England then.
Next to the Alsbama the Shenandoah
was the most famous of the southern priva-
teers. She destroyed in all thirty-eight ves-
sells. The cost Of these formed part of the
Alabama claims. which were subsequently,
paid. About $4,000 was paid for the burn
ing of the Isaac Rowland. The Shenandoah
was the Old Sea King, purchased in Eng
land by the confederates.