Mohave County miner., 1916-10-21
DESTRUCTION WROUGHT BY U-53
 RECALLS TACONY RAID IN 1863
By AuOei..ss Pr.u Lsa,sd wIrsI


 NEW YORK, Oct. 1.-The des- struction occasioned Tn shipping cir cles by the raid of the German sub marine U-53 is a remarkable duplica- tion, naval men say, of what happened in 1863 at New York and other East ern ports when the Tacony under the command of Lieutenant c. w. Read of the Confederate States Navy pas sed 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 than 40 cruisers ano chartered vessels were sent out in search of him, the intrepid Confederate was only cap tured when he ventured into the har- Dor of Portland, Me, in an attempt to cut out a steamer of that place.
 During a period of three days the Tacony cruised of the Nantucket shoals, and in that time burned a full-rigged clippership, bound from Liverpool to New York, 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.
 It was in May, 1863, when the Con federate cruiser Florida being of Cape St. Roque, Brazil, on a cruise against American commerce, captured the American brig Clarence. The Florida was commanded by Commander J. N. Mofit. Serving on the Florida as a watch officer was Lieutenant c. w. Read. Commander Mofit was about to burn the Clarence when he was ap- preached with a request from Lieu tenant Read to be permitted to take the Clarence, man her with 20 men from the Florida's crew, and proceed to Hampton Roads, Va, there to slip in Fortress Monroe and cut out a steamer. With the steamer, Read pro posed to cruise against American commerce. Failing in the attempt to get by Fortress Monroe, Read pro posed as an alternative then to pro ceed to Baltimore, Md, and fire the shipping of that port.
 Commander Mofit approved of Reads request, and transferred to the Clarence 20 men and one howitzer 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 ponder three American vessels. Learning from his captors that no craft were permitted to pass Fort Bonroe without strict ex- animation, and then only in the event that the vessel attempting to enter was laden for government account, Read decided to abandon his original idea and instead to make a raid up the Atlantic coast.
 On June 12, when about fifty miles east of Cape Henry, the entrance to the Chesapeake, the Clarence made false signals of distress to a fine bark in the distance. The bark bore down on the Clarence, and before her peo- pie were aware of it, Reads men had clambered on board, armed to the teeth, and the bark was their prize. She proved to be the Tacony, an American craft. Read at once saw that she was a fine craft, and not being altogether satisfied with the sailing qualities of the Clarence, he burned the latter after first transfer ring his howitzer 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 Schindel he burned. The others, a brig and schooner he bonded. Finding himself encountered with many prisoners, Read transferred all to the last cap tured schooner and sent them into Philadelphia.
 The Tacony now stood off shore laying a course to intercept the home ward-bound American ships engaged in the west India trade. On June 15, the Tacony being about 25O miles east of Cape Charles, she burned a brig. Then she made for the Nantucket shoals, where on June 20 and 21, she