The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-23

Va
port. The signal officer was paid the
same.
1.-THE Federal government did every
thing possible to keep the blockade
complete. There were scores of armed
vessels about each of the ports of Will
mington, N, c.; Mobile, Ala; Calves
ton and Charleston. In 1868 extra
measures were taken against blockade
runners, and several captured captains
of the blockade-running boats We're
hanged, and the men-of-war We're not
at all chary about blowing cannon balls
into the sides of vessels violating the
laws of warfare. Wilmington, N, c.,
was the most favorable port in the
south for running the blockade. Uncle
Sam had his strongest Gordon of armed
craft there. The two channels that
lead to the harbor offered two modes
of escape through the naval guard.
Several Notwithstanding boats, worth
two hundred thousand dollars each,
were sunk in Wilmington harbor by
fire from Federal ships. The captain
of the Nellie was beheaded by a cannon
ball while he was sneaking through
the blockade at dawn one morning
Dozens of men in the crews on board
the blockade runners have been shot
to death while fleeing from a guarding
man-of-war off Wilmington.
"All the best blockade runners had
English register and English colors.
Owing to her Majesty's proclamation
of April, 1861, forbidding her subjects to
engage in assisting either side during
LOT o,,tn ehinc
when they made the mistake Of enter
ing the port of Wilmington instead of
Halifax, and running the blockade, vi
olated their registers, and consequently
on the return voyage had to get out a
new register. All the vessels the prop
erty of the Confederate government
We're registered as the property of
Frazer, Trenholm & Co. of Liverpool,
England, the commercial agents of the
Confederate government in that coun-
try.
"a blockade runner was painted a
dead gray, so that she could not be
easily distinguished in the dark. The
boat was built with a double set of
boilers, and prior to making the coast
steam was got up on all the boilers, so
as to give the ship all the steam she
could carry. Every vessel had steam
blow-off cocks below the water line.
No lights We're shown on the vessel
while at sea, and all vessels burned an
thracite coal, which is comparatively
smokeless, and cost from eighteen to
twenty dollars a ton. The crew were
not even allowed to smoke for fear the
sparks might be seen by the guarding
vessels. No dogs or roosters were al
lowed on board ship. officers and men
while running the blockade were al
ways in their stocking feet. A man
who coughed once revealed the pres
ence of blockade runner, and the
craft and crew were captured. White
suits were not even worn by the crew.
while the blockade was being run
by vessel the captain was the most
alert and watchful man you ever saw
He had to be a man of quick percep-
tions, rapid of resource and thorough
seaman The least blunder on his part
and the boat might have broadside
fired into her and the crew be taken
as prisoners of war. The leadsman
stood in the main chains; the signal
boxes; the captain and pilot and two
men at the wheel were on the bridge
and two men were aft at the Wheel so
in case the bridge was shot away they
could unshackle the chains and steer
the ship from the stern. All lights
were extinguished. The blockade was
generally run from a quarter to half a
mile off the coast and sometimes near
er. Military telegraph offices were sta
toned at close intervals along the
coast ten to fifteen miles. At Whining
ton, NJ c., they were at the north and
south of the two inlets. The signal of
ficer aboard the blockade runner in
that harbor catching one of these tele-
graph stations with his signals, COM
munication was at once made with
Fort Fisher and Fort Caswell to the eff
feet that such vessel with Captain
-andSo, giving his name, was in the
act of running the blockade and to
look out for her and protect her, which
was often done when the blockade run
ner was chased by the enemy
ooh, yes, I have had many an excit-
ing time in raising Uncle Sans block
AIDES. | recall one experience very Well
1t was in the early summer of 1863
when I had an offer made me in Will
mington, N. c., by an agent of New
Orleans stock company to take COM
mand of the English-built blockade
runner Jane. The Jane was built at
Newcastle on-Tyne and was propeller
measuring about two hundred feet in
length and drawing about ten feet of
water. Her hold admitted of nine hun
dred bales of cotton. / was offered as
my compensation for the command of
the Jane seven thousand dollars for
every round trip I should make, the
money to be paid in gold, one-half at
Nassau and one-half at Wilmington,
each payment to be made Immediately
upon my arrival at the places named
The distance between Nassau and Will
mington was LAO miles.
II accepted the terms offered and
took passage for Nassau in blockad
runner called the Broncho. The Bron-
cho ran through the fleet at Whining
ton without discovery, and was fast APP
preaching the Bahama coast when the
Santiago de Cuba made her appearance
on the horizon. The fleet Federal
steamer saw US almost as soon as We
did her, and then the race commenced.
But it was no use. The old Broncho
was anything but a match for Uncle