Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-24
LETTER WRITTEN BY A DEAD
HAND.

An interesting and valuable historical
paper. which for more than 81 years has
been hidden away, has just come to light,
and is in the possession of Miss Helen l..
Geisinger, of Baltimore, daughter of one
of the actors in the stormy sea drama
which it reveals.
The famous United States brig Wasp,
Ca rtain Johnston Blakeley commanding,
was in 1914 engaged in offensive opera
tons against British shipping Off the
Straits of Gibraltar. Her officers at
the time were, besides Captain Blakeley,
Lieutenants ~Tii4inghast, Barry and Reil-
ly, Sailing Master Carr, Surgeon Clark,
Purser F1airchild, Boatswain Martin,
Surgeons Mate Rogerson, Midshipmen
Geisinger, Langdon, Randolph, Lowell,
Toscan, Hail, Hous and Bonneville, and
Sergeant Of Marines Barnes.
These officers participated in many a
hard fought BATTLE, all of them victories,
and included the actions with the Retn-
deer, June %, 1914; with the Avon, of 20
guns, September 1, 1914; with the Three
Brothers and the Bacchus, both of which
We're ecuttNed, during the same month.
On September q, 1914, the redoubtable
WASP captured the brig ATLANTA (eight
guns), with 10 men, and as this was a val
uabce plize it was decided to send her to
a home port.
Midshiprnan Geisinger, a native Of
Frederick County, Maryland, who mad
entered the nav in 1869, vas selected by
Captain Rlakely as her commanding Of
ficer and this letter of instructions to
Mr.. Geisinger is the valuable document
that has just come to light. This letter
is interesting also from the fact that
1T was the last communication receiv-
ed from the lamented Blakeley, as af-
ter the Atalanta left the Wasp she was
never seen again, nor was it ever def
nitely known how S he was lost.
j. Fenimore Cooper, in his History Of
the United States Navy states that
Geisingor was the only officer saved
from the Wasp, but a careful perusal of
BlakeGey's last letter, which follows, will
show that a Mr.. bonneville is mentioned
in The postscript, and as this officer was
a midshipman on the Wasp, and ordered
to assist Mr., Geisinger on board the At
Atlanta, which reached Savannah in safe
ty, November 4, it is likely that two off,
GERS were eaved:
"U. S. s.. WASP, AT SEA, Sept. %, 1914.
Lat. 1920 N, Lon. 1874 w.
"Sir-You will herewith take charge Of
the British brig Atalanta, captured by
this ship, and proceed to the United
States of America with all possible ex-
petition. It is my order that you in the
first place endeavor to get into Savan-
main (Genrgia). Should, however, a
force be off that port, you will try for
Charleston, S. c, If frustrated in this at
tempt, use you eXertiOns to enter Will
mington, N. G. Should you also fail here,
you must endeavor to make any other
port in the United States. Believing. as
T do, that the route pointed out to you is
the one most likely to insure success, I
hove done so, but yet almost everything
must he left to your own discretion.
"It IS my positive orders that you keep
a lookout on the ~topgallant yard from
daylight untdl dark, and that during the
night n strict and careful lookout be kept.
and that Immediately on any sail being
discovered, no matter what her appear
ance may be. you avoid her by all the
means in our power. The time of YOUR
arrival Is of little interest compared with
your getting in safely. The vessel is
undoubtedly British, and but very few
suspicious are entertained of her cargo
being of the same character. Upon your
arrival in any port Of the United States
You will deposit in the hands of the Dis
trfct Attorney for the United States all
the papers intrusted to you care belong
ing to the Atalanta, and give him every
information you may possess relative to
her.
Accompanying this is a letter which I
wish you to deliver to the gentleman