The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-09
THE CAPTURE OF
THE JACOB BELL
How Famous American Clipper Ship,
Bound to Boston From China Was
Taken by the Confederate
Cruiser Florida.

at the bow and the other at the stern,
which were said to be one hundred
and twenty Founders. There were
abb 1t one hundred and sixty men on
board beside the officers, the latter
consisting of the captain, a sailing
master, four lieutenants, four mid
shipmen, and two physicians, besides
three or four minor officers. The
small arms of the Jacob Bell which
were taken enabled some of the crew
to supply themselves with fine cut
leases, and thus complete their ac-
coutrements. The lieutenants and
physicians were very young men, none
being over twenty-five years old; and
the midshipmen we're quite young
striplings,-mere boys in fact,-but
some of them hard-looking youngsters.
Both the lieutenants and midshipmen
were evidently regarded as belonging
to the class called Southern gentle
men!" There. was a Reed from
Charleston, and a Floyd from Georgia,
-tof the former l shall say more by
and by,)-both of the best blood of
the South, and the rest of the officers
were also reputed to be of highly re
spectacle lineage. One officer-a
young man from Mobile, whose name
have forgotten-became so intod
icated, on some brandy we had among
our stores, that he was put under ar.
rest, which was the only case of dis
cipline that occurred while we were
on board. The steamer was shock.
ingly dirty, and in an almost filthy
condition,-the deck affording ~
place where a woman could remain
with unsoiled skirts. Indeed, except
ing in the most miserable novels of
the foreign poor in the outskirts of
the city of New York, never met
with such disgusting untidiness and
want of cleanliness. With these sur
roundings personal neatness was out
of the question, and my garments be-
came shockingly soiled and unsightly.
But ''malgre' this pitiable plight, with
all its attendant exposure to the vul.
gar gaze and criticisms of the low and
degraded men composing the officers
and crew of the Florida, it was, with
the exception of an occasional emotion
of contempt and righteous indigua.
ton, entirely lost sight of in the alb.
sorbing thought and prayer for a
speedy deliverance from such an un-
hallowed atmosphere.
Saturday wore slowly away, and
after another fearful night the Sab
bath found us again chasing one of
our vessels. On such a ship as the
Florida any appearance of properly re.
garding the day would have presented
> an anomaly,-the habits of both off
GERS and men, and the ubiquitous bus
! mess in which they were engaged, be
, ing so thoroughly in keeping with
their surroundings. The crew were
at work as usual during the whole
J day, some scraping the masts, and al
on the "qui vive", and animated with
the idea of bagging and burning an
{ other Yankee Captain Maffit d.
Z not know that it was Sunday until thu
fact was alluded to by one of our mum
t Der in his presence, which caused hin
, to eXclaim,- Sunday! Is it Sunday
/ did not think of its being Sunday
? The burden of our prayers during tn,
: day was for the final escape of thei
anticipated victim, which Lroved t
p be a schooner, and got rid of her pur
J suers by skilful management, oblig
) ing them to tack ship repeatedly. The
4. crew of the pirate, not being experi
= enced sailors, were awkward and SLOW
. in performing their duties. They
] were mostly composed of the loves
! class of Irish, with some few EngIisl
and Scotch,-most of whom had for
J merly been in the rebel army. anc
2 were mere typros in nautical matters
Captain Maffit told us, however, tina
. he had drilled them at the guns unit!
they could manage them with grea
celebrity and effect.
Early in the afternoon Captain
, Frisbie, on coming below. remarked
, that we were gaining on the schooner
+ and he feared she would be taken
= and at a later hour Captain Maffit de
scended into the cabin with a coun
tenance beaming from delighted ex
ne Continued on page 2S.)