The Falls City tribune., 1904-09-02
HE SOLD HIS COAL
SCOTCHMAN "HElD UP" UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT.
War Vessel in Pursuit Of the Confed-
crate Cruiser Alabama Filled Its
Bunkers with Fuel at a Cost to Un-
Gle Sam Of $50, 900.

"One of the peculiar businesses that
grew up as a result of the civil war
was the establishment of private coal
ing stations in all sorts of out OF the
way places" remarked e. Mckee,
late of the United States navy. You
see, the government could not tell on
what part Of the earth's surface its
war vessels might have to cruise in
their chase for privateers n other
craft menacing its operations, and, OF
course. could not make arrangements
for coal. AS a consequence the cap
tains were authorized to secure the
best bargains they could at such ports
as they might touch when a supply
was needed. Thrifty ones in the most
u~nfrequented waters prepared for a
possible visit from a United States
war steamer with low coal bunkers,
and when the fish entered their net
they charged up for the time they
had 10 wait. They were not patriots.
but were on earth strictly for the root
of all evil.
Il was a marine on the Vanderbilt
during her 25, oO0-mile chase after the
confederate cruiser Alabama. We left
the port of New York in 1862. We
took Capt. John A. Winslow to Fayal,
in the West Indies, where he tool com
mand Of the Kearsarge, the vessel
that eventually rounded up the prey.
At that time the ocean was dotted
with the ships OF Uncle Sam in quest
of the greatest and most formidable
of the enemy's cruisers.
AT nearly every port we stopped we
would get more or less misleading in
formation, and would hopefully follow
every clew. While in the South At
lantic we heard from what appeared
10 be a most authentic source that
the Alabama vas at the Cape OF hood
Hope. AS we approached st. Helena
Napoleon's island, the coal bunkers
got low, and we stopped there, and
opened negotiations with a Scotchman
for a new supply. He serenely de-
manded $50 a ton in gold, without
going to the trouble of removing his
pipe while stating his outrageous
terms. The exchange was 1885, max
ing the total price Uncle Sam was
asked to pay $50 a ton, and we were
using 400 tons a day running at mod
crate speed.
After a run of ten hours the ships
officers held a consultation. The al.
most impossibility of reaching the
cap without coal was only too clear,
and IL a storm should come up the
ship would be absolutely helpless. 1t
was a hard thing to do, but there
didn't seem to be any alternative. The
ship was reversed and put back to st.
Helena. 'Scotchy' was occupying the
identical position we had left him in
on his black gold mine. This time he
was a tri1e more interested, because
he knew we were going to trade with
him. He gave us his philosophy in
this way: He had been sitting on that
coal pile for eighteen months, waiting
for a ship to come that had to have
it. He observed from the height OF
the Vanderbilt above the water tha;
she came in light, and that her officers
would not dare risk a storm while
she stood VI so high. Our return die
not surprise him a bit, and he soor
got his men TO work and loaded 1,00(
tons in the hold, for which the fedora
government paid 10000. He sale
somebody had TO pay for his Tobacco,
and his patience, and We happened t.
, lie the victims. He admired th'
, United States and sometimes fel
, sympathetic-but sympathy wouldn'
buy whisky and things like none!
would."-Kansas City Journal.