The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-11


mid ocean, without an organized force,
and with a small crew never before as
sociated together.
While this situation was itself embar-
RAISING, other embarrassments forced
themselves on the mind of Lieut.. Wad-
deli. In his memoir OF his cruise, he
wrote: The novel character of my poll
teal position embarrassed me more than
the feeble condition of my command, and
that was fraught with painful apprehen-
sions enough. | had the compass to
guide me as a sailor, but my instructions
made me a magistrate in a new field of
duty and where the law was not very
clear even to lawyers. / was on all
matters to act promptly and without
counsel; but my admirable instructions
and the instincts OF honor and patriot
ism that animated every Southern gen
tlcman who bore arms in the South,
buoyed me up with hope and supported
me amid the difficulties and responsible
tics bearing upon me"
Noble man, chivalrous soul! brave
heat! We here after these many years
bnhCld you raising aloft in those distant
waters the sole and solitary Confederate
banner that then flOated upon the bosom
c: the ocean. Alone it is borne by the
breeze over the great waste OF waters
the only emblem of our nations soVer-
c.gnty upheld beyond the limits or our
belna guered States. We now realize the
difficulties that beset you. We know the
perils of the deep-the storms and hurri-
canes that sweep the ocean-the fury OF
the wild waves moved by mighty winds
but these. these have no place in your
thoughts as you unfold the flag of your
country then heroically struggling for
existence but your mind is intent only
en- the honor of your countrymen!
The Shenandoah was a composite YES
ecl-the frame of iron, the hull of teak
six inches thick; she could steam about
nine miles an hour-could condense about
800 gallons of water day; and used
about twenty tons of coal day; was
very fast under favorable circumstances
made fifteen miles an hour under SAIL
am much indebted for some account
of the incidents of the cruise of the
Shenandoah to Capt. w. c. White,
Waddells first lieutenant, who has pre-
served the details in an admirable adj
dress delivered before the r. E. Lee
Camp OF Virginia.
Capt Whittle says: Capt Waddell,
though brave and courageous, was natur-
ally discomfitted and appalled, at the work
to be done.
The battery consisted of four S-inch
smooth bore cannon, two rifle Whitworth
32-pounders and two 12pounder signal
guns.
Every man and officer pulled off his
Jacket and rolled up his sleeves and with
the motto do or die" went to work at
anything and everything. The captain
took the wheel frequently, steering the
ship to give one more pair of hands for
the work to be done. We worked sys-
tematically and intelligently, doing what
was most imperatively necessary first
BY the 22nd of October, four days OF hard
work. the decks were cleared, the guns
mounted and the carpenters began to cut
port holes in the sides of the ship.
Five days later the Shenandoah entered
upon her first chase, and made prize
And then other prizes followed. From
these prizes they secured twenty enlist
ments, increasing the crew from nineteen
to thirty-nine; so including the officers
they had all told sixty-two men, besides
the prisoners, who were now and then
sent away on some bonded vessel.
On December Sth they made Tristan
da Canha, near st. Helena, and passing
to the east of Africa they reached Mel
bourne, Australia, January %, 1868.
There they landed all their prisoners,
and after refitting. left on February 18th.
After leaving the harbor, number OF
men who had secreted themselves on
board, came on deck and enlisted, in
creasing their crew to 144 men.
Sailing northward, in May, after many
adventures, and capturing many prizes,
they reached the shores of Kamskatka.
Capt. Whittle says: We were in the
arctic and contiguous regions during the
summer. 1t was most interesting, as we
went north towards the pole-to mark
the days grow longer and longer, and to
experience the suns being below the
horizon shorter and shorter time, until
finally the sun did not go out of sight at
all, but would go down to the lowest
point. and without disappearing would
rise again. In short it was all day.
We went up as far as Gifinski and
Tansk Bays, but could not enter for ice
from fifteen to thirty feet thick. FIRE.
quent captures were made, and the smoke
of the burning vessels made landmarks
against the skies.
1t was now in the middle of summer,
and on June % Waddell captured two
whalers which had left San Francisco in
April and had on board papers of April
18th, in which was found the correspond
ence between Gen. Grant and Gen. Lee,
and statement of the surrender at APP
pomattox but the same papers also con-
tanned President Davis proclamation from
Danville, declaring that Lees surrender
would only cause the prosecution of the
war with renewed vigor.
How narrowing must have been this
news to these daring Confederates, then
amid the foes of ice in the Polar
ocean, But they were men OF nerve.
Whittle says: We felt that the South
had sustained great reverses; but at no
time did we feel more imperative duty
to prosecute our work with vigor. Be-
tween June % and % we captured twenty
four whaling vessels, eleven being taken
on the 2Sth.
Some of the prisoners expressed their
opinion that the war was over, but not
withstanding eight of the prisoners taken
that day enlisted on board the Shenan-
doah.
On June 18th the Confederate flag was
flying in the Arctic ocean but on that