The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-04-30
saw THE FIRSq WORK
ON THE ALABAMA
Hugh Daily, of Pittsburg, Wit
messed the Keel Laying.
Was in Danger of Being Impressed
Into the Confederate Service.
The Construction of the Cruiser at
Birkenhead and the Mystery of
the building Operations.

There is a man in Pittsburg who parti-
cipated in the laying Of the first cable con-
Meeting Europe with Asia, who, during a
century, touched nearly every port of en-
try ON the map. and figured in some OF the
most stirring events of his time.
That man Is Hugh DAILY, formerly one OF
the best-known members of the local con-
stabulary, but now engineer for the Dali
meyer block. on Fourth Avenue.
Mr.. Daily is typical "old sea dog" AL
though it has been twenty-seven years
since he abandoned the sea. there is a
characteristic salty SAVIOR to his CONVERSE
ton, and the ease with which he spices his
talk with nautical terms is enough to
drive the average landlubber to something
stronger than aqua pura-
Yes, sir was one of the first men to
Join Europe to Asia" he said yesterday.
Il was born in Glasgow. Scotland, and
raised in Liverpool, England. In 1857
was just sixteen them sailed on the Elbe,
a British merchantmen, to lay telegraph
cables up the Mediterranean. The Atlantic
cable had been laid already, so we were not
the pioneers in that business. However We
laid the first cable between Sardinia and
the Island of Crete. Then We laid one from
Crete to Alexandria, Egypt and one also
from Athens TO Syria. The King and Queen
of Greece, not the present rulers. but their
predecessors, came aboard the Elbe while
we were laying the cable cable from Ath
ems Just before we reached Syria they left
our ship and went aboard the royal yacht,
proceeding back to Athens. When We had
finished the job We returned to Athens and
were given a regal banquet. Ii was a
gala day in Greece. This occurred in the
fall of 1858, and in December we sailed up
the Dardanelles, laying the cable that con-
nected Europe and Asia by crossing the
Dardaneilles on Christmas Day. Up to this
time our work had been entirely in the
Ionian Islands. We were in the employ Of
Gordon and Newell, the makers OF the first
Atlantic cable. l was at the making Of half
this cable. The work was done at Blrken-
head and the other half was made at
Chatham, England. The Agamemnon and
Niagara. American and British warships
respectively took each an end OF the cable
and laid it in April. May. and June, 1858.
1t was in the following September that l
first went to sea
Speaking Of Brkenhead," said Mr.. Da-
", reminds me that it was there the Ala
bama. which was destroyed by the kear-
sarge off the coast OF France during the
civil war was built, and that | had mar
row escape from being impressed in the
rebel service 1t was In 1860 that the Ala
bama was built, and there was great
deal OF mystery about It, / saw her keel
! laid and was aboard her numbers of times
She was known by number, No. 24S, If
remember rightly, and rumor said that
she was a yacht being built for an Egyp-
| tian pasha Many OF my cronies had ship
ped on her and was anxious to so aboard.
| The day she sailed l coaXed my father to
| let me go, but he said, No, there's some
! thing wrong with her. | hear she's built
| for the American war | was awfully
! disappointed, for my old pal, Jack Mack,
now boatswain of the City OF New York.
| was Of her crew. Jack was with her when
| the Kearsarge sunk her off the coast of
| France, and Jack was picked UP by the
Kearsarge. In August of that year | ship
ped on the II. S. Soul, OF Freeport, Ne.
| for the Island of Ceylon, with cargo OF
coal, Captain Osgood in command.
well, after we got cut awhile We heard
| the story of the Alabam being fitted out
! for the Confederacy. One day near the
| Cape of Good Hope the captain comes TO
me and said Hugh have yen ever seen
| the Alabama?' l said had many time.
| Well, said he, get up on the mizzen and
| look through the glass / did SO, and by
| the sight of my eyes, there stood the Ala
bama to nor'ard. She was painted sort
of gray, and recognized her by her pc
culiar fiddle-head. She had already over
hauled the Southern, an American vessel,