Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-11-20


3 by Review of Reviews ompany
ADMIRAL s. P. LEE, q. s. N, WIG ORDERED
GUSHING TO BLOW UP H ALBEMARLE.
and finding his boat disabled He
stated that after the explosion the en-
envy covered his party with rifles at
fifteen feet and twice demanded sur
render. He himself refused. for it was
a principle with him never to surren-
der. After springing from his launch
into the river Gushing swan down
stream until he was exhausted and at
daybreak crawled into a swamp. Day
light disclosed the fact that he was
close to a Confederate fort and so near
the principal path from the town to
the fort that he overheard two officers
of the Albemarle who passed that way
discussing the extent of damage done
to the ram. This was his first posi-
tive information that his work had
been successful
He could hear the enemy searching
in boats for the vanished crew Of the
launch and heard his own name men
toned by strange tongues. The air
was very cold, and the water chilled
his blood; bat. finding that the enemy
was alert, be struck for the shore OPP
posite the wharf where the ram lay.
Some hours were passed In the river
and its swampy margin. but Gushing
discovered that he was close to the
suburbs of Plymouth and not forty
rods from a Confederate fort The
town and the forts swarmed with gray
clad soldiers and sailors in a state of
unusual excitement, and Gushing said
that it gave him deep satisfaction to
know hat he had pulled the cords
which set all those figures moving.
While crawling along the bank to
avoid the pickets Cushing saw a skif
moored to the exposed roots Of a large
cypress. Swimming s%tealthily through
the water, with the cypress for a Gov
er, he cut the boat loose and, floating
with It on the far side, passed around
a bend which completely hid him from
the view of the pickets. Then he got
In and with the n a 1t contained
padded for liberty. Following the
lnky black stream to its mouth, the
fugitive came out on Roanoke river
and padded ce~aselessly for hours I'M
til he shot out into the broad and for
tunately calm waters of Albemarle
sound. He finally sighted a vessel and
hailed 1t, the friendly picket boat Val
ley City.
1t seems that there was a torpedo
scare on both sides of the lines, and
the Valley City lowered boats and took
precautions against ~torpedoes, refus-
ing at first to pick the wanderer up
for fear he might be the conductor of
an internal machine. The officers de
clared that Cushing had died in sink
ing the Albemarle. Cushing soon con-
vinced the Valley City people that he
was the right man.
Honored as a Hero.
After being hoisted ON board and re-
vived with brandy and water Gushing
was taken to the flagship and was re-
ceived with a display of rockets, all
hands cheering as he climbed on board.
Up to this time he had revealed moth
ing Of the fate OF the RAM. but when
the fleet commander came forward he
stood up proudly. hatless, coatless.
barefoot and covered with mud. and.
saluting. said, 81 have the honor, sir.
to report that the Albemarle is at the
bottom of Roanoke river" The de
struction Of the Albemarls enabled the
Federal fleet to enter the Roanoke and
lombard Plymouth, which fell Oct. 81.
OF the crew of the launch only one
other. Houghton, escaped Houghton
passed thirty-six hours in a swamp
Two of the crew. Masters Mate John
WoodmaD and Samuel Higgins, were
drowned from the launch and their
bodies recovered The others were cap
inred by the C~onfederates. who report
I'd eleven prisoners.
Gushing was born In Wisconsin. For
The destruction of the Albemarle he re-
ceived the thanks of congress and was
made lieutenant commander. He con
tinued In service after the war and
reached the rank OF commander. He
died In 1872 of brain fever.