The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-02-25

as near as practicable, so as to keep
out of range Of the guns of the fort.
With a rife gun he fired on the vessel,
and came within such range that the
blockade runner had to weigh anchor
and saK up the liver. She brought
to a little way up, but the shots from
the rife gun Of the Maratanza again
dropped perilously close to her and
she was obliged to go farther up
stream, whero she was safe. The
Kate, according to Scott, was very
speedy, and lie reported that she prob
ably slipped through the blockading
fleet. going ia on the night Of Septem-
bel. "a, 1862, which was dark and
rainy. This escapadc of the Kate
gave much annoyance to Acting Rear
Admiral Lee, and he wrote to Com
mandcr Scott, who had fred on her,
that it seemed that the blockading
fleet was not placed in the best posi-
ton to prevent blockade running, in
view OF the many times the Kate had
entered and left Southern ports.
The next official record of the
Rates movements is under dat e of
November +, 1862. On that late the
Mount Vernon and the Daylight, Of
the Union forces. attacked a large
English bark off New Inlet, N. c.,
near Masonboro Inlet. The Confed-
crates stationed on shore sailed out to
the aid Of the bark, and the land forces
in boats succeeded in capturing two
boats from the Daylight and one from
the Mount Vernon, together with
three officers and eighteen men. But
eventually the Grew of the bark was
taken and the vessel burned. The
mate of the bark, when questioned,
said the bark had passed at sea, a few
days before, the blockade runner
Kate.
The Kate or Carolina-both pames
were used-kept on running the block
ade. She seemed to be impervious to
shot and shell, for as she slipped in
and out of the blockade she was fired
on time and again, with little or no
damage. In the navy records of the
operations Of the Union and Confed-
crate vessels there are frequent refer
ences TO the vessel, usually a state
ment from one commander to another
that he regretted to inform his supe-
rior that the rebel steamer Carolina CT
Kate, as the case might be, had again
slipped in under their noses with a
valuable cargo. Or perhaps the re-
cord would be varied by q mention
that the boat mad slipped out again
with q valuable cargo of cotton.
All sorts Of efforts were made to.
capture or destroy the persistent block
ade runner and there sprang up a feel
ing Of rivalry among the various cap
tains of the blockading squadron to
see who would be the man lucky
enough to sink the floating rebel.
And it was not always easy sailing for
the blockade runner. Many a time
she was chased for hours, and there
were occasions when only by sacri6c-
ing part Of the cargo could the ship
make speed enough to escape. Often
pert Of the load Of pitch would be
placed under the boilers to get up o
greater head Of steam.
Once in slipping through a blockad-
ing line the rebel craft was nearly
taken because at the same time she
was making the trial q clumsy side
wheeler also attempted to run the
blockade. The splash5ng of the pad
dies os the side-wheeler was borne to
the ears of the crew Of q Union gun
boat and an alarm was given. The
Union boat burned rockets, which dis
closed the presence Of the Carolina,
and then trained several guns on her.
The shot few thick end fast for a
time. but Lockwood, seeing that con-
cealment was no longer possible, put
on q full head of steam and cut for it.
The firing brought a number of the
blockadiog feet together, and the
Carolina, as she was then called, as
we'll as the steamer which had caused
all the mischief, was under o heavy
fire. Bat the former managed to draw
away beyond the range of the rocket
lights, and the next morning she was
under the Confederate batteries. This
was n Of the closest calls she Caro-
lima had and Master Lockwood, in
telling about it afterward, used to say
there was o minute when be thought
it was all up with lis craft.
The. master of the Carolina had an
ingenious syssem of notifying those on
shore who were interested in the craft