The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-05-13

VI Xix IL
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 on the honor Of your
countrymeni
The Shenandoah was a composite
vessel-the frame of iron, the hull OF
teak-six inches thick; she could steam
about iii miles an hour-could con-
dense about 500 gallons OF water a day;
and used about twenty tons Of coal a
day; was very fast; under favorable
MISUNDERSTANDING Is miles an
hour under sail.
I am much indebted for some &C
count of life on board the Shenandoah
to Lieut.. w. c. Whittle and also re-
Gently have had n pleasure OF talking
over the same subject with Lieut.
Grimball, both of whom were school
mates with me at Annapolis and who
were Capt. Waddelfs main Deepen
dence for assistance in his long n
adventurous cruise.
Captain Whittle says: Captain
Waddell. though brave and courage
Gus was naturally discounted and
appalled, at the work to be done"
The battery consisted of four s.
inch smooth bore cannon, two rife
Whitworth 32-pounders and two H.
FOUNDER 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 frequent
ly, steering h ship to give n more
pair of hands for the work to be don
We worked systematically and intelli-
gently, doing first those things that
were most imperatively necessary. BY
the 22d of October, after 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 en-
tered upon her first chase, and made
a prize. And then other prizes fol-
lowed. From these prizes they Sc
cured twenty enlistments, increasing
the crew from nineteen to thirty-nine;
so, including the officers. they had all
told sixty-two men, beside the prfs-
oners, who were now and then sent
away on some bonded vessel.
On December 9Th, they made Iris
tam da Canha, near st. Helena, and
passing TO the east of Africa, they
reached Melbourne, Australia, Janu-
airy 25th, 1865. There they landed all
their prisoners, and after reftting,
left on February 18th. After leaving
the harbor, a number of men who had
secreted themselves on board, came on
deck and enlisted, increasing their
crew to LA men.
Sailing northward in May, after
many adventures and capturing many
prizes, they reached the shores of
KamSkatska.
Captain Whittle says: w were in
the Arctic and contiguous regions
during the summer. 1t was most in
teresting, as we wen north towards
the pole, to mark the days grow long
er and longer. n to experience the
suns being below the horizon a 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 Gifinsk1 and
Tansk Bays, but could not enter fol
ice, from fifteen to thirty feet thick
Frequent captures were made, and
the smoke Of the burning vessels made
landmarks against the skies.
It was now in the middle of sum-
mer, and on June % WaddeH cap.
tured two whalers, which had lef,
San. Francisco in April and had or
board papers of April 18th, in which
was found the correspondence be-
"SS NCiISI al liz 6SIN1d
Lee, n a statement of the surrender
at Appomattox: but the same paper;
als contained President Davis, procla.
nation from Danville, declaring Lees
surrender would only cause the prose.
cution of the war with renewed vigor
How narrowing must have been thi!
news to these daring Confederates
then amid foes OF ice in the PoIal
Ocean! But they were men of nerve
White says: I'VE felt that the South
had sustained great reverses; but a
no time did we feel a more impera
tive duty to prosecute our work will
vigor. Between June 22d and 2Stl
We captured "a whaling vessels, eleve,
being taken on the 2Sth.
Some of the prisoners expressed
their opinion that the war was over
but notwithstanding, eight of the prfs
oners taken tina day enlisted O,
board the Shenandoah.
On June goth, the Confederate fla;
was flying in the Arctic Ocean; but o.
that day Waddell turned his prov
away from the pole and passed south
ward through Boring Strait.
On July 5th, they passed the Alew
tan Islands, one of which was a vol
cano and was in a state Of eruption
smoke and fire issuing from it's peal
That was the last land seen by tn
~ hioily ddNS.
On August I'd, when in north lati
tude 16 degrees and 122 west longi
tude, seeing a sailing bark, the Shen
andoah made chase under steam an
sail, and overhauled her at 4 o'cIocl
IN the afternoon. 1t proved to be tn
British bark Barraconta, thrice
days out from San Francisco. en- rout
TO Liverpool. When the British cap
tam was asked for the news of tn
war. he inquired in astonfshment
What WARP"
The war between the Unitsd State
and the Confederate States.-
why said he, that war has bee
over ever since April. What shin
that?" snip
The Confederate ship, the Shenan
doah,' was the reply.
Then came the information of tn
surrender of all the Confederat
forces. the capture Of President Davi.
and the entire collapse of the Confed
crate cause; and the additional infor
nation, says Whittle, that Feders
cruisers were searching for us every
where and would deal Summarfly wit