686 Chronicles of the Cape Fear Rwer

cally sought through the aid of our representatives in Congress
for the greater deepening and widening of the ship channel to

the sea; for the building of stone jetties upon the shifting sands
of the Western Bar; for the building of anchorage dolphins for
waiting steamers, which can not swing to their anchors in our
limited harbor basin; for continuous appropriations to sustain
the important works already accomplished, which would de-
teriorate from erosion or other damage should the special appro-
priations fail for a term of Congress.

In the year 1851, the foreign exports of Wilmington were
$431,095; in 1912 they were $28,705,448.

In 1851 our carrying trade employed small sailing vessels,
eighty feet to two hundred feet long, of two hundred to four
hundred tons net register. Now it requires steamers three hun-
dred to four hundred feet long, of two thousand to three thou-
sand tons register. In 1851, a vessel cleared from Wilmington
was a large carrier if it could take one thousand bales of cotton.
Recently the steamer Holtve sailed majestically down our river

laden with 20,300 bales of cotton.

Bearing in mind these changes, consider the possibilities of
our Cape Fear commerce fifty years hence !

Hundreds of great merchantmen will lie at our docks, taking
in cargoes for coast trade and foreign commerce ; the aeroplane,
already useful to man, will have as a companion the hydro-
aeroplane, skimming the surface of the waters at fifty miles an
hour, transporting passengers and mails to distant ports—a

veritable handmaiden of commerce. Indeed, it is the opinion
of many experts that the flying-boat will eventually become

large enough for commercial purposes, the horsepower of its
engines running into thousands; and that it will be used for
pleasure, like the steam yacht and motor boat. Elsewhere I
have said that the traffic of our blockade running during the
War between the States would ever be unique in the history of
the world, as the conditions that sustained it can never occur
again. Hereafter it will be impossible to ynaintain an effective
blockade because of the new instrumentalities of warfare. In
the war in progress in Europe—the greatest war in human his-
tory—the practical value of the aeroplane and of the submarine
have been thoroughly demonstrated; and within a decade the
flying-boat will likewise become available both for commerce and
war. Besides, because of the electric searchlight, the tremen-
dous range and accuracy and destructive power of the modern

Solita ach aeaieaadin ematical

 

 

Peace Restored 687

projectile, and because of the submarine mines, the torpedo
boats, and other destructive craft which have revolutionized

warfare in the past fifty years, an effective blockade can not be
maintained.

During our war with Great Britain in 1812, an attempt was
made by a diving vessel of the Americans to destroy the Ram-
ules, a ship of seventy-four guns, commanded by Sir Thomas
Hardy, which was blockading the port of New London. That
attempt was termed “a most atrocious proceeding,” acid Sir

Thomas adopted a very ingenious plan for preventing any fur-
ther attack being made on his ship by this diving vessel. He
ordered one hundred American prisoners of war to be brought

on board his ship, and then notified their Government that in
the event of the Ramillies being torpedoed those persons would
share the fate of himself and his crew. The friends and rela-
tives of the prisoners were so alarmed at the threats of Sir
Thomas that public meetings were held, and petitions presented
to the American Government to induce its Executive to pro-
hibit the use of the diving vessel and its armament in f bs
naval warfare. es

When we recall this incident and compare conditions with
those of today, we realize that there is no limit to the changes
that time will bring. But we know that whatever sea le
ever progress 1s made—the enterprising people of the Cape
Fear will utilize every new instrumentality to make sure their
safety and to secure their prosperity and welfare.

ee
on re

ee —

ec ee aaa

es ee i ee Fei