The Washington herald., 1914-01-17
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
jan H. 1ss4-Te u s. vaadk New Yssk After
successful Chase Of Several Ms.s Of he cs.fs5te Cruiser Alabama
rtaesfng Incident Of he Voyage
twritten expressly for tn. Herald,

Fifty years ago today the U. s. 8. Van
derbilt arrived at New York after an un-
successful chase Of several months Of
the, Confederate commerce destroyer
Alabama
The Vanderbilt was the largest side-
wheel steamer of her time. She had
been presented to the United States goy-
derbiit in 1861; had been used as trans
port. and under Commander c. II. Bald
win. q. s. N, had been sent out in the
spring of 1853 to pursue the Alabama
Although the Vanderbilt was swifter
than the Alabama, her great boilers were
heavy coal consumers and 1t was neces-
sary for her to call at many ports to
secure fuel.
Wherever a call was made Commander
Baldwin usually heard that the Alabama
had been there a short time before. He
had followed the cruiser from the West
Indies to the coast of Brazil and thence
to South Africa, arriving at the Cape OF
Good Hope while the Alabama was an
chored in Simons Bay.
It had chanced that the day the Ala
bama had put to sea from that plAce,
bound for Cuba, the Vanderbilt was but
a few miles on the entrance to Simons
Bay Touching at that place and learn
ing that the Alabama had proceeded east
ward, the Vanderbilt had started on a
stern chase, which took her to the Island
of Mauritius.
Here it was necessary to coal. and the
ships boilers being in bad condition,
Commander Baldwin considered it pru.
dent to retrace his course to the Cape
Of Good Hope. j
Arriving at Cape Town in late Sep
tember, Commander Baldwin made an
application to the British governments
representatives there for permission to Il
coal his ship.
They considered his application day
and answered that it could not be grant |
ed as the Vanderbilt had already coaled |
at St. Helena and Mauritius, both British |
ports within a stated time. As the ship
could not be got back to the United
States without coal, Commander Bald |
win was determined to do his utmost
to secure some at South Africa
While at Cape Town he heard that
Commander Semmes, OF the Alabama, had
ordered a cargo of coal to be delivered
at Angra Pequena, an uninhabited har-
bor on the west coast Of Africa.
Thither the Vanderbilt steamed on her
last few tons of coal. and there Com
mander Baldwin not only found coal,
but met with surprise that rewarded
him for his voyage.
Although the harbor was on a bleak
and savage coast a vessel lay at anchor /
within il. The Vanderbilt anchored OF
the harbor and a boats crew was sent
in to investigate the character Of the
ship that had come to this isolated spot
and to inquire her business.
Put Prize Crew on Board.
The vessel was found to be the British
bark Saxon, that had come to the haf
Dor with coal, and to take away the
cargo OF wool and hides belonging to
the bark Conrad, of Philadelphia, which
had been captured on June 20 by the
Alabama, taken to that place for un-
loading, and had since been commits
the name OF Tuscaloosa.
While the Alabama was on the har-
Dor of Angro Pequena another sail was
seen approaching the place A boat was
sent in chase and found 1t to be the
British bark Good Hope, in ballast, also
ordered there to take away goods from
the Conrad.
Commander Baldwin found that the
Good Hope and the Saxon were owned
by the same person. On examining the
papers of the latter, he discovered that
originally she had been ordered to an
other place. The papers being irreeu-
lar, he informed the captain that the ves-
sci would be seized and sent to New
York, as there was little doubt that the
wool and skins on board of her were
American property.
prize crew of fifteen men from the
Vanderbilt was put on board the Saxon.
by Acting Master Albert M.
Keith.
In the absence OF the Vanderbilt a
boat had come alongside containing seven
men. to whom the master of the bark.
Stephen Sheppard, wished to give pro-
visions. saying that the men were en-
ployed on shore getting of the cargo.
shot Dead on Deck.
Permission was granted to give them
food, but so much was passed over the
side that the prize master objected and
ordered Capt. Sheppard to walk before
him into the cabin and 90 to his room.
The master of the ship objected and
there were some hard words passed. The