438 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River

around one of the funnels (and which was intended to eke out
our somewhat scanty coal supply) caught fire, and flames burst
out.

“This placed us in a pretty predicament, as it showed our
whereabouts to the two cruisers which were following us, one on
each quarter. They at once opened a furious cannonade upon
us; however, although shells were bursting all around and shot
flying over us, all hands worked with a will, and we soon extin-
guished the flames, which were acting as a treacherous beacon
to our foes. Fortunately, the night was intensely dark and
nothing could be seen beyond a radius of thirty or forty yards,
so, thanks to this, we were soon enabled, by altering our helm,
to give our pursuers the slip, whilst they probably kept on their
course.

“We had still the other enemy to deal with; but our chief
engineer and his staff had meanwhile been hard at work and
had turned on the ‘bilge-injection’ and ‘donkey-pumps.’ Still,
the leak was gaining upon us, and it became evident that the
severe shaking which the ship got when run aground had started
the plates in her bottom. The mud had been sucked up when
she lay in the river at Wilmington, thus temporarily repairing
the damage; but when she got into the seaway the action of the
water opened them again. Even the steam pumps now could
not prevent the water from gradually increasing; four of our

eight furnaces were extinguished, and the firemen were working
up to their middles in water.

“It was a critical time when daylight broke, dull and threaten-
ing. The captain was at the wheel and I at the masthead (all
other hands being employed at the pumps, and even baling),
when, not four miles off, I sighted a cruiser broadside on. She
turned around as if preparing to give chase, and I thought we
were done for, as we could not have got more than three or four
knots an hour out of our crippled boat. To my great joy, how-
ever, I found our alarm was needless, for she evidently had not
seen us, and, instead of heading, turned her stern towards us
and disappeared into a thick bank of clouds.

“Still we were far from being out of danger, as the weather
became worse and worse and the wind increased in force until
it was blowing almost a gale. Things began to look as ugly as
they could, and even Capper lost hope. I shall never forget the
expression on his face as he came up to me and said, in his

gruff voice, ‘I say, Mr. Taylor, the beggar’s going, the beggar’s

Blockade Running | 439

going, pointing vehemently downwards. ‘What the devil a
you mean!’ I exclaimed. ‘Why, we are going to lose the ship
and our lives, too,’ was the answer. It is not possible for any
one unacquainted with Capper to appreciate this scene. Sturdy,
thickset, nearly as broad as he was long, and with the gruffest
manner but kindest heart—a rough diamond, and absolutely

without fear. With the exception of Steele, he was the best

blockade-running captain we had.
“Tn order to save the steamer and our lives we decided that

desperate remedies must be resorted to, so again the unlucky
deck cargo had to be sacrificed. The good effect of this —
soon visible; we began to gain on the water, and were _ y
degrees, to relight our extinguished fires. But the struggle con

tinued to be a most severe one, for just when we began to obtain
e water the donkey-engine broke down, and

before we could repair it the water increased sensibly, nearly

putting out our fires again. So the struggle went on for sixty
hours. when we were truly thankful to steam into Nassau Har-
?

bor and beach the ship. It was a very narrow escape, for within
twenty minutes after stopping her engines the vessel had sunk

to the level of the water.

a mastery over th

“After this I made a trip in a new boat that had just been

sent out to me, the Wild Dayrell. And a beauty she was, very
strong, a perfect sea-boat, and remarkably well engined.

“Our voyage in was somewhat exciting, as about three o clock
in the afternoon, while making for the Fort Caswell entrance
(not Fort Fisher), we were sighted by a Federal cruiser, which
immediately gave chase. We soon found, however, that we had
the heels of our friend, but it left us the alternative of going out
to sea or being chased straight into the jaws of the blockaders
off the bar before darkness came on. Under these circumstances
what course to take was a delicate point to decide, but we solved
the problem by slowing down just sufficiently to keep a few
miles ahead of our chaser, hoping that darkness would come on
before we made the fleet or they discovered us. Just as twilight
was drawing in we made them out; cautiously we crept on,

ing certain that our friend astern was rapidly closing up on ae
Every moment we expected to hear the shot whistling aroun

us. So plainly could we see the sleepy blockaders that it are
almost impossible we should escape their notice. Whether they
did not expect a runner to make an attempt so early in the
evening, or whether it was sheer good luck on our part, I know

- —_— iii ——
fT LITT:
P eee ater Se emote? MSL ee ee ES
SO ae Te Te eee eee ie Gomes NOK a eee Sree tan iam

i eS Te ee er eee Peretti ay sesae er air key gn meebo mers OPE arte

Oe eine CR ee as can a aa) Pie Se ea oe

io ‘hy rid aren z Fi c : -