The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-02
THE CONFEDERACY
AND HOW THE SALT SUPPLY
 WAS OBTAINED.
Old Boiler Split Open and Converted Into Rowboats in Order to Reach Destination-The Old Cal
 drons for Salt-Making.

Savannah Morning News.
 The following Interesting story related Ly Captain J. A. Bozeman of Tuscaloosa. Ala, is said to be narrative of plain facts, a copy of w.ich,- at the request of of the State of Alabama. will be carefully prepared and filed as ns tier of history in that State.
 In rrefacing his remarks. Captain Bpze- incident. and show how salt was m7de for the supplying of the Confederate Gt '- ernment during the four years struggle:
 ''On Dec. g. 1882, General Grant, with his entire army. landed at Milliken's Bend, Mississippi Fiver, for the purpose of cutting a canal on the west side of the river to Young's Point, in a direct line, not more than three niles through a heavily timbered swamp. This pi. - of military strategy. whom completed, V lid enable the Federal gunboats and trans ports to pass through and avoid the Con- federate batteries located nthe heights ot Vicksburg. This work was compie se when Vicksbu-g surrendered July 4. ls6s
 At the above stated time was suc- cessfully planting in Louisiana, few miles below Grants point of landing. My negroes, about 100 .n number, though aware of the approach of their so-called friends. remained loyal to me. and. with out compulsion. packed bag and baggage into their six-mule wagons and started for Alabama via Vicksburg. leaying be- hind the best improved plantation in the parish. with about 60O bales of cotton, 10000 bushels of corn, a large stock of ducts. too numerous to mention, all or which was appropriated by and for the use of tho Federal Army.
 'As we approached vicksburg the Fed eral gunboat, then on the Mississippi River, espied in the distance my white top-covered wagons, no doubt thinking they contained provisi IS coming In from Texas for the Confederate soldiers. then occupying the thought-to-be impregnable city. commenced smelling our fleeing cayalcade, to the disgust and fright of their so-called friend and brother. The Confederates, too no doubt, shared the suppostlon with their river foe. and com m snced replying over our heads. veri- table duel going on, shot and shell fall ing all around us, not an enviable place to. be in, 1 assure you.
 Before reaching our destination Colonel Catesby A. R. Jones. superintendent of the naval foundry, located at Selma. Ala. impressed forty of my men for the use of the Confederate Government. protested; had matured plan which would enable me to use these men to a great advan- tage. Salt was worth $20 per bushel throughout the Confederate States. We had in Alabama salt wells sufficient from which we could make salt without difh- culty, but we lacked the implements or uteIlSliS, SuCu dS CdluFOnS, etc. Wltn these men could overcome these ob- stacles.
 My father-in-law. Captain James H. Dearing, being one of the pioneers of Alabama, built at St. Stephens, above Noble. the first steamboat that ascended the Alabama River in 1S19. She ran suc- cessfully to and from Tusc al oosa to Mo- bile until 1924, when, by some misnan- agement. she sank at the wharf near Tuscaloosa. All that remained of this hicfnrfnnl yUD hAr .ntl long and feetin diameter. three.fourths of an inch thick. If I could get this mon- ster boiler out of the river and cut 1t open lengthwise I would have two call of salt I explained to Colonel Jones my plans; he saw they were feasible and practical and proposed lending me the men for two weeks; the Confederate Gov ernment would be benefited to the ex- tent of one-tenth of all the salt made; we were paying a tithe of all products, etc, made to the Government during the war.
 My undertaking was a perfect success. l engaged Dr. Leach. practical foundry man, paying him sufficient remuneration to assist me. We got the boiler ont upon the bluff. where he Duperintended the cut ting of this huge boiler open lengthwise as proposed, after which he inserted staples so as to attach rudder for steer ing at the end of each, fixed attachments upon each side for the support of two seats near which were orelocks riveted for the use of two oars; staples on each side for half-dozen bent hoops or wagon bows. which were covered with common wagon cover so as to protect the occu- pants from wind and rain.
 When my improvised caldrons were complete and placed in the water one of my men in getting on board one of my floating crafts, made it dip water. He was ordered out. pr. Leach re- marked: I have in my foundry cypress timber six inches square and twenty feet long. l will attach one piece upon either side, which will prevent them turning over and make them float better This we did, which made our undertaking a perfect success. The iron monsters were now completed: they were provisional for a cruise of ten days.
 These inprovised boats were launched into that water where they had rested near half century. Three men getting on board each. one steering and two ply ing the oars, they started on their cruise of 260 miles to Clarke County, Ala. Upon arriving there, the boilers were placed upon brick furnaces and in them were made thousands of bushels of salt. With this stan of life, I was enabled to clothe, feed and shoe my other negroes, which others found very difficult to do during the four years siege, which we were subjected to, environment being thrown around us on every side.
 Up to very few years ago the old caldrons were still in a remarkable state of preservation. and being held in the same old position by the brick furnaces that had been hastily erected so many years before. The last I heard of them, the brick furnaces were crumbling away under the great weight of the iron mon- sters that had first done. duty as a boiler for the first steamboat that piled the Ala bama and Black Warrior Rivers. and afterward as the supply store for salt for the Confederate Government. They served their purpose and served 1t well, and, like unt~ many thousands of us fol- lowers o1 that lost cause, they are slow ly. but surely passing away, to give room to more modern and more porten- tious looking Improvements"