Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-09-09
STORY OF A BLoCKADER

DlNJIhADEH.
~ was Tor about IS months in the
,ploehauing service off Charleston har.
b o,, anu good many strange things
happened aboard of us and around ms
s.'ns mat time. All the fighting was
.e.. 10 the ironelads, as you know,
VINE the blockaders got their excite
"en' IN watching for the craft trying
" steal. in and out of the harbor. II
a.so happened occasionally, when we
were on the outside of the fleet. thot
we were off in chase of vessel which
MAD given the others the slip.
men will hardly credit in time of
pace what chances a blockade runner
VIII take in time of war. The first re-
quisl'e OF blockade runner was speed,
ai'hough many sailing vessels, and
some OF them very dull sailers, were in
.he business. The successful ones,
however, were steamers, and the first
thing to he done was to paint them
cloudy white and furnish them with
coal which emitted neither smoke bv
uay nor sparks by night. You won't
oeiieve that steamer would try to
enter harbor watched by at least
~ vessels outside, and its channels
patrolled by half dozen boats, but
mats what the blockade runners did
IN Oh different cases with success. 1t
was taking big chances, but they were
reckless lot.
My first sight of SNEAK" as we
used to term these crafts, brought dis
ester to me. 1t was dark, rainy
hlght, and | was lookout on the port
DOW. There were seven of our vessels
inside OF our station, and It did not
seem possible Mat any outward bound
er could pass through them and reach
U.S. l had my eyes open, because dis.
cipline compelled it, but so dark was
the night that l could not have seen
white house so feet away. My trick
as lookout was about half over when
something suddenly rubbed against
the bow of our vessel and slid along
aft. At the same moment made out n
steamer, and gave the alarm. | had
scarcely yelled out when a lump Of
coal struck me in the face, and it was
half an hour later when | came to in
the sick bay. The "sneak" had been
seen by others, hailed by the officer of
the watch, and two of the guns cast
loose and fired at her, but she worked
her way through the rest of the fleet in
safety and reached Nassau with big
load Of cotton. The man who threw
the coal was standing forward on her
bows, and could not have been over ten
feet from me, as I cried out How he
could have figured that knocking me
over was going to help his craft to es-
cape | can't see, but he heaved the
missile with right good will and gave
me an ugly scar to carry to my grave,
As an offset to the above, | was on
the lookout on the starboard quarter
one night, six months later. On this
occasion we were lying close in, and
the night was dark and rainy. We had
information that SNEAK would
come that night, and all attention was
therefore directed forwards. | had
lust rubbed the ccbwebs out of my
ewes for a new look around when !
made out black lump close aboard
and caught the sound Of strange
voice This time did not cry out, but
turned and reported to the officer of
the watch. He raised his night glass
for look, and minute later two guns
were manned, and he was crying out:
Surrender, you sneak! have two
guns trained upon you, and you move
a foot I'll blow you out Of water!"
Don't shoot--I surrender" came
the reply, and five minutes later we
were in possession of steamer hav
ing cargo valued at almost 1000, 600
She had lodged through fleet of Is
vessels, being bound in, and ] am sure
that II had not discovered her she
would have been at the wharf ir
Charleston before daylight. lgot pro
motion and good bit Of prize money
and that rather evened up matters
though the scar is far from being ar
ornament.