Panama City pilot., 1908-03-05
WAR HISTORY.
Destruction of Salt WOrks4


drews Bay, and their destruction dur
ing the war. There were several at
tempts made in 1862 and 1868 to de
stroy these works, the most important
expedition for that purpose being the
one described in the following official
report.
Report of Lieutenant Commander j
E. Hunt commanding United States
Steamer Albatross.
United States Gteamer Albatross,
At Sea December 9, 1862.
Sir: On the 14th of November |
proceeded to sea, in obedience to
your orders of the 9Th, taking in tow
the United States brig Bohio, Acting
Master George w. Brown, command
ing; that vessel being placed under
my command by Commodore Henry
H. Bell, to assist me in destroying the
salt works on the cast, between Pen
sacOla and st Andrews Bay, Florida.
Along this part of the coast there we're
but few salt-works to be found until
we reached place called Phillips
inlet, mot laid down on the Chart
this was the only spot that had the
appearance of doing any business in
the salt line; but the surf was so
heavy that our boats could not land
without wetting the arms and ammu-
milton of the crews. deemed it pru-
dent to wait for a smooth time, so
that | could effectually destroy all
their works.
Carefully notice 1g and counting all
their furnaces as Invent, | continued
on my course until.I reached st An
drews bay, off the. entrance of which
| anchored.
A boat from the United States
schooner Wands re', came off to us;
and on the following day 18th No
vember) the wind having Veered
round to the southwark and eastward,
bringing in a heavy swell, | again
took the Bohio in tow, ran in and
anchored under shelter of Hurricane
Island. During the afternoon | took
two armed boats to recOnniture, and
pulled into an arm of st Andrews
bay that extends due west, and is
only separated from the sea for fiji
eli
strip of land, in many places less than
quarter of mile wide. | wanted
to see if it was quite possible for me
to get with an armed force to the
rear of the saltworks at Phillips in
let, and destroy them in that way. |
found | could not get at them with
out a march of over six miles through
the sand, and that my best way was,
when the sea was smooth, to land in
our boats. By taking this little trip,
however, | CHANGED to see and learn
the extent of the salt manufactures
along the shores of the bay. 1t quite
surprised me, and | felt sure if | did
all that | could to destroy them /
would not exceed your orders, which
were to run up the coast and destroy
the salt-wOrks between this place
Pensacola and st Andrews bay. |
saw the smoke of a very large num-
Der, and when | returned on board
that night the sky was lit up, both to
the eastward and westward, away in
land for long distance. | afterward
learned that they not having been
molested here, had collected in great
numbers.
On the 18th the Wanderer in at
tempting to work up the bay got
aground; and went to her assistance
with the steamer, and concluded to
follow her up the bay to the town of
ST Andrews. With the exception of
three men and two women the place
was deserted. There were boats
hauled upon the beach, and under
sheds that were serviceable, and
which | set fire to and otherwise de-
stroyed, at the suggestion of Acting
Master Turner, of the Wanderer, who
thought they might be put to i'm
proper use, and if manned and armed
could give great annoyance, in en-
deavoring to capture the boats of the
schooner, carrying salt across the
bay, or running the blockade. Within
few miles of the town destroyed
several salt pans, with their furnaces,
pumps, tubs, and cutters, &C., two
or three of these pans were made of
the coast survey harbor buoys cut in
two; each half would hold over one
hundred and fifty gallons of sea