The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-15
Capt. VIM. G. Goodman Writes Of
Confederate Cruiser.
JUST WHAT SHIP DID
Suggestions to de Coligny-Shenan-
doah A Former Capt. of the
Confederate Privateer.
Honolulu. November Il. 1898.


EDITOR p. c. A.-Within the last
few days there have been several wide
Iy varying statements made as to the
whereabouts of the Confederate States
steamer Alabama at certain times dur
ing her short career. AS to her ever be
ing in the vicinity OF these Islands. il
is definitely settled by Professor Alex
ander's letter that she never was in
this part OF the Pacific ocean and this
fact is established by the printed and
published records of her history by her
commanding and executive officers.
And to be more exact and come TO
dates: according to Coligny's story
she was prowling around these Islands
looking for certain whaleship in the
early part of January. 1863. In point
CT fact she was actually in the Gulf OF
Mexico at that time. for by reference
to Admiral Porter's History of the
Navy. / find that the Alabama sur
prised and destroyed the L. S. Sunboa
Hatteras on the 18th of January, 1868,
off the harbOr of Galveston, Texas. \
year later the Alabama on the same
date destroyed the ship Emma Jane Of
BaJn in the Bay of Bengal.
The statement that the Alabama
never was in the Pacific ocean is
technical point which can only be set
tied by a decision as to whether the
China Sea can be considered a part of
the Pacific ocean-because the Ala
bama destroyed number of the very
finest American ships in that locality.
With regard to the Shenandoah
which vesesl was in Melbourne in the
early part of 1865, getting recruits and
supplies and undergoing repairs TO her
machinery, l remember that one day
the ship Crusader of and from Boston,
was reported off Cape Otway (about
100 miles distant from .Melbourne) or
90 miles from the entrance to the port.
Immediately there were great prepare
tons on board the Shenandoah to go to
sea and capture that ship before she
could come into neutral waters. But
some of the machinery was ashore in
the machine shops, and in their haste
to get it back on board, there was lost
overheard one very important part-a
crank pin. 1t was thought afterwards
that it was dropped overheard in
tentionally from the ferry boat coming
over from Sandridge TO Williamstown.
| The ship came into port safely.
The Shenandoah went from Austria
liza by way of the Marianne and Caro-
Arctic ocean. and destroyed every Am
erican whaleship she could find, saving
only the most worthless TO put the
captured crews on board. | believe she
also destroyed some vessels owned by
citizens of Honolulu. Happening to be
in Sydney sometime after, l saw the
Sydney whaling bark. Robert l..
Towns, which had been filled up en-
tirely with oil saved from the burning
American whaleships.
The Shenandoah commanders
name was Waddell (nct WardelD. He
died several years ago. When the
Pacific Mail Company established their
Australian line, about 1915, with the
steamships City of sydney, City Of
New York and City Of San Francisco,
calling at Honolulu each way, Captain
Waddell was in command of the last
named vessel and when his vessel was
taken of the Panama line 70 go on the
Australian rOutee, il was suggested to
send some other captain in the ship.
| THE common talk in San Francisco was
that they feared the people in Homo
lulu whose property he had destroyed
would take the law in their own hands
and have him if they could get hold
OF him. This fear proved baseless. as
Waddell was here. The City of San
Francisco was soon taken off the Aus
tralian line and very soon after Cap
tain WaddeT lost her on a shoal few
miles off the coast of Mexico near AGA
pulco
If Mr.. de Coligny Will skip his
dates a year or two and transpose the
name Of his ships. ne might make the
Shenandoah DO duty for the Alabama,
but even then she never was in Homo
lulu either. I think on the whole Mr.
de c. has made a mistake in his esti-
mate OF the intelligence and means of
information possessed by the people OF
this community.
Yours very truly.
w. C. GOODMAN.