Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-12
SUBSEA RAID JUST
ECHOES OUR STORY
German Submersible Dupi.
Gates Civil War Record of
Confederate Lieutenant,.
LOCALITY IS THE SAME

New York, Oct. l3.-The conster-
nation occasioned in shipping circles
by the raid of the German submarine
U-S3 is a remarkable duplication, ma
val men say, of what happened in
1868 at New York and other eastern
ports when the Tacony, under the
command of Lieutenant c. w. Read
OF the confederate states navy,
passed up the Atlantic coast, burning
and scuttling American ships.
For two entire weeks Read con-
tinued his foray on American COM
merce and notwithstanding that more
that forty cruisers and chartered YES
sells were sent out in search OF him,
the intrepid confederate was only
captured when he ventured into the
harbor of Portland, Me-, in an at
tempt to cut out steamer of that
place.
During period of three days the
Tacony cruised off the Nantucket
shoals and in that time burned a full
rugged clippership, bound from Liv-
erpool to New York, a bark and a
Liverpool packet. These three craft
were destroyed in the same locality
where the U-53 on Sunday last sent
six steamers to the bottom.
Southern Daring.
1t was in May, 1868, when the con-
federate cruiser Florida, being off
Cape St. Rogue, Brazil, on a cruise
against American commerce, cap
tured the American brig Clarence.
The Florida was commanded by
Commander J. N. Moffit Serving on
the Florida as watch officer was
Lieutenant c. w. Read. Commander
Moffit was about to burn the Clar-
ence when he was approached with a
request from Lieutenant Read to be
permitted to take the Clarence, man
it with twenty men from the Floridas
crew and proceed to Hampton Roads,
Va, there to slip in Fortress Monroe
and cut out steamer. With the
steamer, Read proposed to cruise
against American commerce. Failing
in the attempt to get by Fortress
Monroe, Read proposed as an alterna-
tive then to proceed to Baltimore,
Md. and fire the shipping of that
port.
Commander Moffit approved of
Reads request and transferred to the
Clarence twenty man and one how
itzer. With his new command Read
parted from the Florida and followed
a course for the American coast. One
month later he was off the Carolina
coast. where he burned and bonded
three American vessels. Learning
from his captors that no craft were
permitted to pass Fort Monroe with
out strict examination and then only
in the event that the vessel attempt
ing to enter was laden for govern
ment account, Read decided to ADAM
don his original idea and instead to
make raid up the Atlantic coast.
A Clever Ruse.
On June II, when about fifty miles
east of Cape Henry, the entrance to
the Chesapeake, the Clarence made
false signals of distress to fine bark
in the distance. The bark bore down
on the Clarence and before its people
were aware of it, Reads men had
clambered on board, armed to the
teeth, and the bark was their prize
1t proved to be the Tacony, an
American craft. Read at once saw
that it was fine craft and not being
altogether satisfied with the sailing
qualities OF the Clarence, he burned
the latter after first transferring his
howtzer and crew to the Tacony
Before leaving the ground where the
Tacony was captured Read gathered
in three more craft, one of these, the
schooner Schidel, he burned. The
others, a brig and schooner, he bond
ed Finding himself encountered with
many prisoners, Read transferred all
to the last captured schooner and
sent them into Philadelphia.
The Tacony now stood off shore
laying course to intercept the home
ward-bound American ships engaged
in the West Indies trade. On June
IS, the Tacony being about $50 miles
east OF Cape Charles, it burned a
brig. Then it made for the Nantucket
shoals, where OH June 20 and q it
burned the three vessels above men
toned.
On June % the Tacony was off the
Georges bank and in that locality it
burned eight American vessels. By
June "a the Tacony had reached a
position to the northward OF the track
of vessels bound from Europe to the
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