Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-22


new name, on the line betw cen phila-
delphia. and Baltimore via the Della
ware 4 Chesapeake canal, one Of the
fleet of the Ericsson line, the staunch
old Wilmon Whilldin. The Whilldin, a
!. aidewheel steamer, was built in 1S45 by
the Harlan d Hollingsworth Co. OF this
city, for Captain Wilmon Whildin, who
commanded her and ran her on the line
between Wilmington and Philadelphia
from 1876 to 1858, when the Ariel WINS
put on in her place. In that year the
Whilldin was purchased by Captain
Anthony Reybold, and was by him
altered from sidewheeler to a propel-
Ter and placed on the route from Phila-
delphila (via the canal) to the head.
waters Of the Chesapeake Bay, making
all the landings on the Elk and Sassa
fras Rivers and calling at Havre de
Grace and Port Deposit on the Susque.
hanna.
On Saturday, April goth, 1861, the
Whilldin was seized by the United
States government for use as trans
port and remained In the service of the
government until October 18th, 1865
The spring of 1862 found her carrying
mail between Fortress Monroe and
Newport News, and she was lying at
her wharf az the latter PLACE on that
memorable day when the Confederate
ram Merrimac steamed out from Nor
folk to Hampton Roads, and effected
such awful havoc with the fleet of
Union warships there assembled, until
the arrival Of the little Monitor nut a
stop to her tour of devastation. And
during this memorable occasion, when
the frlgate Cumberland went down from
the effects of a terrible blow BY the
ram of the Confederate armored cruiser,
the old Whilldin performed part of
signal gallantry and bravery, which
formed thrilling incident OF the his
xtory of that eventful time. Ita hap.
pened on Saturday, March 9Th, 1862,
&nd is thus recorded in Abbot's His.
&tory Of the Civil War;
Y While the multitude of men we're
struggling In the water, the steam pro
peller Whilldin, then lying under the
! guns of Newport Nsws, not half a mile
of, under the command Of Captain
William higgins, instantly put off in the
face OF the resistless enemy and rescued
large number who would otherwise
have been drowned. Probably her HUI
name errand saved her from destruction,
to which she was exposed, since, the
moment after she had picked up the last
man, shot from the Merrimao passed
through her boiler, thus emphatically
ordering her away"
Abbott, however, while thus maxi
ing history of a memorable achieve
ment, does not give the full details of
the great work done by the Whilldin on
that day. None but those who were
there can realize the extent of the
danger 10 the steamer and the brave
men who handled her, for, notwith
standing her staunch timbers and iron
hull, as sound today as the day she
was launched, she could not have with.
stood the deadly effects of the Merri.
macs batteries, once they were directed
upon her.
But Notwithstanding the danger.
Captain Higgins brave heart was
STIRRED to its depths by the sight of
the apparently doomed men OF the sink
ing Cumberland, who were taking the
chances OF jumping into the water
rather than going down with the ship.
TON, /" he said to his engineer, old
Tom Ford, "I'm going out to save
some of those men. %
You'll run the chance of going to
Libby Prison II you do, was the engi-
neer's response.
Damn Libby Prison." said Captain
Higgins, I'm going anyhow
= All right, = was the quick reply of
Tom Ford, 'I'll go to hell to save
those men il you will"
And they went--but not to hall
they steamed among those Struggling
men of the doomed Cumberland ana
hauled them on deck. How MANY tbev
rescued is not accurately known. but
Tom Ford, the brave engineer, himself
pulled aboard at least $50 at the engine
room gangway.
twas not until the Whilldin with her
precious cargo was back at the Nav
port News landing that the Merrimac
paid her the compliment of shot. and
that shot was shell that penetrated
the poiier. From some mysterious
cause.-the only plausible explanation
Is tnat ~ was due to the expansion of
the steam 81 suddenly subjected to ex-
ira compression by the force of tbe
penetrating shell-the missile was
FORCED out OF the boiler and fell under
the engineroom floor. Here it ex
ploded with force that reduced the
deck flooring to the condition of a
serve, but, strange to relate, the boiler
was not further affected, nor was a
pipe severed, a rod bent, or ANYTHING
about the engine injured to the slipbt.
est extent.
From this time to the end of the
Civil War the Whilldin was emnIovrd
as floating hospital and carried
thousands OF sick and wounded soldiers
from the front to the Northern bospi-
sals. In 1868 the Whilldin was pur-
chased. by the Ericsson line and has
since been in service between Philu-
delphia and Baltimore. In 1898 ber
upper works were rebuilt and her pame
changed to Gen. Oadwalader, and to.
day she is running on the day turn.
calling at New Castle on her wav To
and from Baltimore.
Inc circumstances that led To the
seizing of the Whilldin-it was an 40.
tual SEIZURE, although the government
paid well for the services of the Will.
din and the other boats ee;zed with
her-also form an interesting cbanter
OF war history. The exciting ipcidents
that attended the opening moves of fine
war are we'll remembered, particularly
the fierce opposition to the nassage ~
troops from the North through MARY.
lano, on the way to Wasbington,
bloody and fatal riot occurred m tba
streets OF baltimore on Friday, ArriI
i9eni looi, upon the occasion of the
march OF the Sixth Massachusetts, Repj-
ment from the President street depot
OF the Philadelphia, Wilmington a Bal
tlmore Railroad to the Camden station
OF the baltimore g. Ohio. Secession
sympathizers in Baltimore were de-
termined that Union troops should NOT
pass through the city. The only rail.
road connection with Washington from
sne North at that time was through