The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-19

\ last u for the cruise. and 4 gang o.
| carpenters and men were sent on boart
| to break out her hold. This. however
was found to be such q laborious tasl
that we decided to give 1t up and destro!
her as she was.
| By q o'clock her officers and crew wer'
taken of, after which the bulkheads IL
the cabin and pantry were knocked dowI
by few blows Of the carpenters hatche
and thrown in a pile on the floor. A
match was applied, ad in Is minutes tn.
flames were bursting through the sky
lights, and the work OF destruction hat
begun.
1t was an imposing scene. Darkness:
had settled around Us when the riggnl
| and sails took fire, but every rope could
| BIO seen as distinctly as upon painted
canvas. as the flames made their way
| from the deck, and writhed upward like
| fiery serpcnts. Soon the yards came
| laundering down by the run rs the lifts
and halyards yielded to the devouring elc
| ment. the standing rigging parted like
| blazing flax, and the spars simultaneously
went by the board and left the hulk wrap
ped from stem to stern in one fierce blaze
like floating, fiery furnace.
While this was passing, her late com.
mander paced the quarterback with fold.
ed arms and contracted brow, gazing out
upon the ruin he was powcrless to avert
with what feelings l could well imagine.
That was n vessel which has done her
duty well for 40 years." he said to one OF
my brother officers, ms she finally disap-
peared. She has faced old Boreas in
every part OF the world, in the service OF
her master, and after such Il career, to
be destroyed by men on IL calm night, on
this tropical sea, is too bad-too bad!'
1t is but one of the results Of the ter
rible. war raging at home" remarked one
OF the ladies who had been a silent wit
ness of the scene. "Wculd to God it were
OYER. that the destruction Of life and prop.
erty by sea and land might cease"
War is bad thing, there's no deny
ing it, resumed the Captain; bad enough
on land, where at least you've a solid
foundation under You, but infinitely
worse ut sea, where it destroys the few
planks that you have learned to trust to
Keep you from going to Davy Jones s.
There is no sight awful to n sailor as
4 ship on fire, even when, as in this in
stance, you know there is no human being
on board; but there's no use in grum-
bling"
Our last prize was captured in latitude
! degrees ~ minutes north, and longitude
- degrees n minutes west, and valued ut
S36 GnO
We had now on board about 40 prison
ers; 10 had joined the Shenandoah. and
we were anxious to dispose of the others
\ 1faNSFER OF IRiSONERS.
An opportunity soon offered. On the
following day II sail was discovered, and
we proceeded in chase under canvas. In
about three hours we came up with her,
and found her to be a Danish brig, bound
to Rio JaneirO. An officer was dispatched
on board to ascertain if the Captain
would take what prisoners we had into
port. He consented to take a part of
them, and We Immediately sent on board
those we had first captured, with our best
wishes for a pleasant passage and a
speedy arrival at home
The transfer occupied an hour or two,
and on parting we presented the Danish
Captain with fine chronometer we had
captured from one of our prizes.
lie was much pleased with the gift,
and assured Us he should always retain
II, in remembrance of the Shenandoah
and the cause she represented.
On thu" 10th we captured in degrees 90
minutes north latitude, and 70 degrees 80
minutes wcst, longitude, the brig Susan,
from Cardiff, bound to South America, but
owned i'll Ney York, with IA cargo of coal.
She was valued ut S5,i3G. She was scut-
led. Two of her men Joined us: the rest
wee disposed Of as our other prisoners
had been.
We had captured four vessels within
the last 10 days, which, all things con-
sdeFed. we were disposed to regard as Il
.air business. We hoped, however, to do
something more 10 make Uncle Sam re-
member us before going into the South
Atlantic, for we We're now in the track of
ships bound ont from New York and other
ports Ill the United States to San Fran
cisco and South America.
On the 18th We captured the Kate
Prince, = large clipper. ship Of about Hoo
tons burden. from Cardiff. with neutral
cargo, and ransOmed her for $4,000 on
condition OF her taking the rest of our
prisoners into port If our last prize had
not had two ladies' On her passenger list,
believe we shDuid have burned her, but
we had a pair of our fair enemies already
III charge, and WGgallant as the admission
may sound. we had no desire to increase
the number, through doubts of our ability
to make them comfortable, | may add, i'll
exienuation OF our apparent churishncss.
BIZ s O'Clock the following morning our
ship WIS once more free from prisoners,
much to our satisfaction, and the Kate
Prince proceeded On her way.
The following day. Sunday, we dIscOv-
cred Il sail which had the appearance of
Il little Yankee schooner. She WAS a
splendid sa.lcr and it required several
hours to overhaul her. but ut length, find
ing escape impossible, she showed the
Stars and Stripes, and the usual blank
cartridge fred across her bows, brought
her to. 1t turned out to be another Bos-
ton craft. the Lizzie NJ. Stacey, bound TO
the Sandwich Islands, r0und the Cape of
Good Hope.
No one but Yankee skipper would TINS
venture half way round the world in such
Il vessel, but the old Sea-dOg did not APP
pear to think such trip anything worth
mentioning.
Something to this intent and purport,
remarked us the old fellow came on board
our ship, and was rewarded with a con-
temptuOus laugh
''Shiyer my tmbersi if there amt the
most mulberry set of sailors atioat in these
ATTITUDES that | ever fell in with" he said,
adding Il tough old nautical oath or two
By way of emphasis. why, day before
yesterday, | run across the bows of big
English ship bound to Australia and all
hands made II rush forward when | hove
in sight as though I'd been the Sea Ser
pent or some other almighty curiosity.
They invited me to come on board, but
there was stiff breeze blowing at the
time and I'd no notion of losing Il good
run for the sake of showing off Il little be-
fore lot of chaps who seem TO think
nothing less than "a is safe to cross the
ocean in"
''FaiS. and the ould man was right"
remarked the First Mate, genuine wild
lriShman. aside to one of our men; 'the
dirthy blackguards wouldn't have appre-
ciated the compliment of IL visit from us.
and what's more. my hearty. if we'd had
10 guns aboard there, you wouldn't have
got us without a bit of shindy, or if the
breeze had been bit sitter, we'd given
her the square sail, and all - couldn't
have caught her"