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Head Quarters
South Atlantic Coast
Beaufort N. C.
July 10th 77
Willie
We are here at last We arrived here yesterday (Monday) We had quite a nice
time coming down especilaly [especially] through Pamlico Sound- Wednesday
night after we left Edenton we had quite a fresh Easterly wind against us
down the Abemarle [Albemarle] Sound-
We lay at Roanoke Marshes two days & night waiting for the weather to
moderate We came the Ship Channel way through Pamlico
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& Core Sounds without any Pilot at all untill [until] we were half through Core Sound- I give
[gave] a man $2 to take me here- Now
I think I could have done just as well as he did We were about 5 hours out
of sight of land in Pamlico Sound. It is a large sheet of water- We were
just 43 hours under steam in all from Edenton to this place besides going
down to Roanoke Island to land a passenger for Nags head [Head]- We had to use salt water in our Boiler
al [all] the way & it was a bad make
out- as we had to keep the Surface Blow on all the time & it was nip and
tuck to keep up water in the
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boiler- We blowed out yesterday after getting here and today we are taking
on fresh water We will try it this Evening- It is perfectly splinded
[splendid] down here in this salt
water Nags Head isn't ???? to this- I wish you would come down in the
Bertie the storm last Sept cut out Haurbor [harbor] Island Bar and now you can get 7 feet water
over it- Frank is in his glory catching crabs, clams and other individuals
The Hotel is not quite ready yet although there are some few travelers
now- They expect an excursion down on Wednesday on the RR should any
letter come for me send them down
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here to me & write every week
Truly
E.S. Askew
