White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-06-07
CHAPTER III

CHAPTER III
Running the British Blockade
Sails bellied and motor humming, we
parted the waves and left path of
foam In our wake. On deck we de-
voted all our spare time to more dress
rehearsals.
My boys took particular relish In
putting me through the third degree"
as you call 1t. One of them played
the part of British search officer.
"Now, Captain, what is the name
of your ship?" he beloved.
"She is the Irma, and as good full
rugged ship as ever crossed the North
sea-"
"Have you any brothers and sisters,
Captain?"
"Oh, yes a lot of them. There are
Olga, Ingaborg, and Oscar who live in
Hatfjelddalen. Dagmar and Chris
tian are seamen like myself. Lars
runs salmon cannery in British
Columbia, Gustaf and Tor are lumber.
men somewhere in America. And then
we have another brother, Eric, whom
we've lost track Of"
While trying to make the narrow
channel Of Norderaue we hit a sand
bank. The ship creaked and the
masts trembled, but somehow we
pushed across-further proof that the
Scots of Glasgow still know how to
turn out sturdy clipper ship.
At ten o'clock we passed the Horns
reef and continued along the Danish
coast. At eight bells we hoped to
reach the Skagerrak, and then turn
her west to give the enemy the impress
sion that we had come from Scan
dinavian port. Shortly before day.
break, the wind shifted abruptly from
| southwest to due north. Against such
| stiff breeze, we could make little
Roadway. On our right were the low
rocky fjords and reefs along the coast
of Ringkjobing and Thisted. To the
left were British mine fields. We
didn't dare run into Danish harbor
for fear Of being interned. So we
must either turn back or take a chance
on slipping through the mine fields.
1t is always possible to sail through q
mine field-provided you sail under a
lucky star with guardian angel at
the helm.
"Hard aport! Well risk 1t, boys"
With a full spread of sail, we turned
straight west.
Now, lacking ship heels over. The
more sail you carry the more she lays
over, and the less water she draws.
That was our chance. The mines were
nearly always planted several feet
under water, just out of sight. Per,
haps we could slide right over them.
Lifeboats were lowered, and every
man adjusted his lifebelt. Before the
mast, the sailors; aft, the captain.
But we all kept to the foreship. We
were lower aft than fore, and If a
mine went off 1t probably would be
aft. But our luck held and we got
through in safety.
Our course lay around the northern
end of Scotland, along the usual ship
ping route from Norway to the AT
lantic. To be sure, WE could have
Rugged the Norwegian coast, but thu
blockade was even tighter there. THAI
was the natural course tor one OF our
raiding armored cruisers to take, SO, II
she were headed off by Beatty, she
could turn quickly into neutral Nor
wegian port and accept internment
rather than capture. We didn't even
keep to the middle of the North Sea
but with the idea that our one path
of safety lay right under John Bulls
nose, we followed the coast of Eng
land and Scotland.
There were three lines Of the block
ade. The first lay across the NORTH
Sea from the Scottish to the Danish
coast. We must run this one first.
The wind grew stronger. The bar
s.,s'er fell. Anyone on the North Sea
IN the twenty-third Of December, 1916
will remember the hurricane thai
came. 1t was one Of the worst storms
Of years. The wind was cyclonic In
force, and dashed the shallow Nortl
l sea IuIO u CuuIuTou. OClOiS
1t we carried every foot of sail we
dared, every stitch except the royals
/ and gallantsails and smaller staysails
We could take chances.
We sped right through the first line
of the blockade without sighting d
ship and as though the whole North
Sea were ours. Instead of going up
the barometer continued to fall. Loud
er roared the storm, and more and
more mountainous became the waves
We passed the second line of the
blockade. Still not ship in sight.
| Midnight grew near, and still that
wild heaven-sent hurricane kept up
We ran before 1t like frightened
bird, fearing every minute that our
sails and masts would go overheard.
We lay on the yards and scanned the
horizon with our glasses. Half-past
eleven! We were in the midst of the
blockade line. Where were the cruis'
ers and destroyers? All we could hear
was the whistlng of the wind and the
rushing of the water beneath our
bows. All we could see, the blackness
of the night. Twelve o'clock and still
no sign of the enemy. Even our bin
nacle and compass lights were out, for
any ray of light might betray US. By
nra o,cInck we knew we had passed