The National tribune., 1902-07-24


| of the old buccaneers used to when they
fell in with Spanish ship laden with
specie; but we did secure ant of that New
| Lordoner the enormous. sum of S40o. and
as l did not subsequently, learn that any
prominent New London house went down
in consequence of that capture. l inferred
| as above stated. that they must have en-
joyed a high degree of prosperity.
We removed the prisoners from the Gen
Williams, and set her OH 4fTa.
We then resumed ouracenrse. still work
ing to the northward and eastward. a
little past ; p. M. thTcc.s sails were reported
| in sight hut. although seemingly i'll.
passable barrier of ice stretched between
them and our ship. We sventurcd into it
| under steam. and succeeded III passing
| through it safely.
TIE WORK OF DESTRUCTION CONTINUES
AT o'clock on the morning Of the 26th
we came up with them. They were the
William G.. Nye. the Ninrod. and the
Catherine. all of New Bedford. We had
little trouble in capturing these vessels.
Not Il breath OF air WIS stirring. and it
was, of course. Simply impossible for them
to make even an effort at escape. We
already had on board about 100 prisoners,
and the officers and crews of these three
prizes would have augmented the number
to about $50. Il much larger delegation of
Yankees than we cared to have on board
the Shenandoah at a time. with nothing
to do but plot mischief; so after little
consideration. it was decided to place the
last instalment of prisoners in II whale
boats. which we took in Tow.
Five more ships were now in sight, and
after scttiIs; fire to the prizes we steamed
after them.
1t was a singular scene upon which we
now looked out. Behind us were three
blazing ships. wildly drifting amid gigantic
fragments of ice: close aSterri were the II
" ,ialeboats with their living freight; and
ahead of us the five ether vessels. now
evidently aware of their danger, but see
ing no avenue of escape.
1t was u tortuous way we now had to
pursue, winding about among the ice foes
like the trail Of serpent. Six knots an
hour was the highest speed we dare at
tempt, so intricate was the i.-Ti-ation. but
we at length succeeded i'll penetrating the
little fleet for which we were steering.
We had learned from some of the pri-
soners that the smallpox prevailed on one
of the vessels, and we consequently gave
her Il wide berth. and turned our attention
10 the next in order. the Gen. Pike. Of
New Bedford. of which we soon made a
prize. Her Captain came on board the
Shenandoah, and gladly agreed to ransom
his ship for 100000. and take our prison
crs to the United States.
1t required but few moments to ar
range these preliminarics. and ere long
our prisoners We're paroled and ell route
for the vessel that was TO take them home.
and we were bearing down upon another.
which proved to be the Gypsy.
1t fell to my lot. being the officer off
duty, to accompany the prize crew on
board of her. The Captain. who met us
at the side, was terribly frightened. He
was pale as ghost. and could scarcely
return an articulate answer to any ques-
ton addressed to him. He evidently i'm
agined he was to be burned with his ship.
or at best run up to the yard-arnl. and
could scarcely believe it when | assured
him that no personal injury or indignity
was intended him. 80
His cabin was most luEuriousIy fitted
up affair for an Arctic whYIer. There was
Il fine library, comprising some POD vol
umes, Il beautiful wrting-des and indeed
all his furniture i'll styd and finish would
have done credit to a weil-appointed draw
ins-room. He had also stveral cases of
choice wines and ligIt0rs. which l de-
strOyed to prevent the, s;iii iiors from get
ting at them, reserving ~ bottle or two
With which to treat ny icrew when we
returned. after dischargins the duty as
signed us. Dab
1t had been the custom of the Gypsy's
skipper to. take his wife With him on his
yoyaging, but fortunately she had re-
manned at home this cruise.
In q little time the officers and crew of
the Gypsy had been par6ied and trans
ferred to the Gen. Pike, Il few furs and
trinkets were appropriated, and the torch
was applied.
An hour later the bark Isabel had
been brought TO and boarded, her crew
sent off to join their countrymen, and we
hauled along side of her for the purpose
of filling our tanks from her water casks
Having secured what water we wished.
we steamed off a little way and set her on
fire, and lay TO to wait for our boat and its
crew, who had performed this last duty.
AS soon as they were on board we got
under way, still standing to the north
ward.
On June 81 we let our fires go down.
lowered Our smOkestack. and commenced
beating to the northward under sail. Five
ships were in sight, tacking about, little
thinking what n dangerous foe was in
their vicinity. The weather was cold and
foggy, with a good breeze blowing: conse-
quently we made no dash at the fleet, as
a part Of them would undoubtedly succeed
in escaping while we were dealing with
the rest. We preferred to wait for a
calm, when we could swoop down upon
them and secure the whole.
The morning of the 2Sth opened with
very little wind and n clear sky. 1t was
one of the pleasantest days we expert
enccd from the time We entered the Och
DISK Sea until we finally got clear of those
icy regions. There were eight sails in
sight i'll different directions, and land was
visible on our port beam. Quantities of
ice were setting to the southwark and
eastward, and about 6:3O we saw Diomede
Island, about II miles distant.
At O'Clock we commenced what proved
to be our last days warfare against the
commerce of the United States, by start
Ing, in chase, under steam, of sail we
sighted a little way to the southwark.
At lO O'Clock we captured the bark
Waverly, of New Bedford. with 500 bar
rcls of oil. Her officers and crew were at
once sent on board the Shenandoah, after
which she was set on fire. and we steered
off to the westward until II o'clock and
then shaped our course to the nOrthward,
passing through an extensive field of ice
and at ] 80 neared fleet of 10 ships at
the entrance Of Bering', Straits.
For the purpose of deceiying them we
hOisted the United States flag. though
there WAS not breath Of wind at the
time and not a shadow of chance fer
any one of them to escape. 1t seemed as
though the Fates had interpOsed to render
our last achievement the most imposing
and brilliant OF the cruise, if not of the
war.
One ship, the Brunswick, from New
Bedford, had been stove, and now few sig
nails Of distress. Under these circum-
stances 1t Is the custom Of whalers to col
lect all the vessels of the fleet within sig
mailing distance, and, if the craft is found
so badly injured that 1t is impossible to
repair her, an auction is imprOvised, and
she is sold to the highest bidder.
1t was for such q purpose that the
whaling fleet of Behring'S Straits had aS-