The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-07-27
! THRILLING STORY
OF Trials and Tribuiations ofAner
ican Seamen
ON TWO CAPTURED BOATS.
Adrift at Sea Without Water or q
Chart. and Beset by Storms.
They Finally Reached Key
West, Florida.

SlOOp ln!Trlm. captured GE the GunD0at
Dixie. near Manzaniilo on July 6 ar
rived at Key West Florida Wcdncs-
day under prize crews. consisting Of
Lieut.. :. N. Blount and GunncrSmatc
J. +. Uatton. with four marines each.
Maryat never imagined more gro
tesquc tale of marinc mis&dventurc
than was experienced By those men in
bringing their spoils to port.
Both prizes were under the British
fac. bound from Kingston. ia, for
Manzanillo. with food supplies. On
the Three Bells was Captain +. j.
Harding. an Englishman and crew of
five and three Jamaica negroes. The
Pilgrim carried Dutch captain and
tour scamen of the same class.
Capt. Harding was much depressed
over the capture and drank heavily
until Lieut.. Blount stopped his liquor
On the evening Of July Capt Hard
ing suddenly leaped overheard astcrn.
The Pilgrim PUT out small boat and
caught him. but he struggled desperate
" and capSiZcd the boat. One OF the
marines held up on the overturned
boat and was taken on board the Pill
rrim but he was dead when they reach
ed the deck. 1t is thought he took 4
dose Of lauG&num before jumping in to
the sea.
Two smaller schooncrs were sighted
near kcy Romano Neither Of the
prizes was flying flag, but both were
evidently recognized by the strangers rs
expected blockade runners from .jamai-
ca: for enc of the schoncrs put out 4
small boat to pilot them. rs itap-
preached Lieut.. Blount shouted are
YOU Spaniards?: ," As one Of the men
with proud gesture, answered Me
Espagnoi the Stars and Stripes broke
from the fore Of Three Bells, where
upon both occupants of the small boat
cried in dismay Amcricanos, Caram-
ba. and plunged into the sea: whether
or not they reached the shore is IN
open question.
Lieut.. Blount and his men went on
in and captured the nearest schooner,
which proved to be the Conception.
The other ran off into shoal water and
escaped. The Conception was well
loaded with fish. wine and other pro-
visions. They took her in tow, and
then began 4 chapter Of miSfortuncS.
Violent tropical squalls burst upon
them the same day and continued al
most necessarily until last night. They
had no charts aboard and only 4 map
Of the world torn from Z - cent guide
book 70 help them rs they tioundcrcd
about in the >eas-thrcc lit;lc vessels.
none much bigger than L cat boat.
They were compelled finally to abandon
the Conception.
The little boats staggered along until
Wednesday, when i storm of unusual
violence fell on them off Cape Anto.
Mo. Unable to make any progress. and
expecting almost momcntarily to foun-
der. they lay there all day But this
was trivial to what followed. Late in
the afternoon. as they bumped help
lcSsly about thc'Sca. body Of Spanish
rifemcn on shore opened fire Just
before nightfall Is of the Spanish rife
men pushed off in small boat toward
the Three Bells. and drew as close as
300 or 400 yards. pouring vicious fire
at the scho0ncr> men. The bullets
whistIcG; all around, riddling the sails.
and some going clear through the
schooner and Sloop One bullet passed
through the cabin within two feet Of
Lieut. Blount.
Fortunately for the storm bound
men. night drove the Spaniards back
to the shore. and early next morning
the wind changed and carried the two
prizes on. Taking chances on their
course being the right one. they sailed
when. as final blow. their water gave
out off Rebccca shoal. The sight Of 4
strange schooner flying an American
fiag restored their lost courage. She
was the four-ma>1cd L. VI. Hopkins.
from Baltimore for New Orleans, with
coal. and had been delayed by head
winds. She gave the prize crews l bar
rel OF water. some tobacco and chart,
and set them straight. weary
and weather worn they drew into Key
West harbor after the worst fortnight
any oi the crew had ever experienced.