The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-09-19
HOW 1 BLOCKADE RUNNER
GOT THROUGH.
Stray Dog that Fo'|3wsd The Captain Of the
Laughing Lass on Board U'ilz:d
10 Save the Situation.


died in London, spent the greater part
of his life in search of sport. Every
corner of the earth was visited by
him in the course of his 70 years, and
the story of his adventures would fill
volumes. 1t was purely his love OF
adventure that prompted him to be-
come a blockade runner during the
civil war, and he often declared that
this occupation had furnished the
greatest sport he ever experienced.
81 suppose it was the novelty of the
thing" he remarkeds "a sort of
changing places with the game-be-
coming the hunted instead of the hunt
er. fought Malay pirates one whole
summer, but it was not nearly so in
teresting as slipping in and out of
Charleston barber through the feder-
al guard ships
While Capt. Rockhill owned and
commanded his ship, the Laughing
Lass, he never derived cent of profit
from his blockade running. He would
take on cargo of medicine and 9TH
er supplies purchased in England by
a confederate agent, and land them
in confederate territory without
charging anything for the service, and
there can be little doubt that he was
the means of saving many lives that
would otherwise have been sacrificed
for lack of proper medicines.
The Laughing Lass was handsome
" appointed and very swift schooner
yacht, and in all her career no Unit
ed States ship ever saw more of her
than her topsails as they faded away
in the distance, although on one occa-
sion she must have passed within so
feet of steam warship, and when
there was scarcely enough wind to
give steerageway. This occurred OF
Charleston, when the schooner was
coming out, after having landed
cargo.
The Laughing Lass had lain with
loosened sails behind the confederate
batteries for ten days before an op-
portunity presented itself for her es-
cape from the iron-ringed harbor, but
Oh the night of Feb. II, 1S64-the
same night that the submarine Hun
ley went out to her tragic but glorious
fate-a heavy fog rolled up from the
south, and it was decided to make the
attempt.
Every precaution was taken against
the occurrence Of the slightest noise
aboard the schooner; every rope-end
was occurred, and the crew was sup
piled with felt-soled shoes. The hull
of the vessel had been painted a lead
gray, very similar to the var paint of
the United States vessels of the pres
.ent day, and her sails, instead of BE-
ing white canvas, were Of brownish
shade. Not a light of any kind was
shown, and the schooner slipped of
through the fog like some spirit ship.
The wind had shifted to the west,
and the blockade runners knew that
it would not be great while before
the fog bank was blown out to sea,
and they intended if possible to go
with it. It seemed very likely that
this would be the case until the
schooner was some ten miles out
from the harbor, at which distance
she was likely to encounter one of the
blockading ships at any moment, and
then the wind failed almost entirely.
Occasionally sail would flap, and
there was a hardly audible ripple un-
der her forefoot.
Suddenly, sounding with startling
distinctness in the deathlike silence
which prevailed, there came to the
straining ears of those aboard the
schooner the sound Of oars, and q
moment later a hail.
"Boat ahoy!" came the voice out
os the fog, and then the sound of feet
upon ships deck.
y"Ahoy! Is this the Housatonic?'
came the answer, as the small boat
evidently rested upon its cars.
Eyes. What boat is that!
Boat from the flagship was the
response, and the oars again began
their regular beat. A moment later
those upon the schooner could near
the steamboat bump into the man-o+-
war, and the noise of a man scramb-
ling up a ladder.
"She IS ON the port quarter" Capt.
Rockh!ll whispered. his mouth within
an inch of his pilots ear. q
mo; on the starboard,' the pilo-
muttered, straining his eyes to pierce
the cloud that enveloCed them.
A catspaw Of a breeze stirred the
fog, the schooner heeled over, and (
boom creaked.
Did you hear that, sir?" a vc;te eX-
claimed excitedly upon the guard
ship. There is a ship YER; close-l
can hear the movement Of h.2r through
the water!"
The men aboard the Laughing Lass
scarcely dared to breathe. IN the
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