378 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

nights, we sighted in the distance a French barque, which we

immediately attempted to signal. Our halyards parted be-

fore the flags reached the truck of the mainmast; we then

tried the foremast with like result; the signal halyards were

rotten. After some delay a new line was found and fearing

to order a man aloft in such a sea, the captain called for a

volunteer to reeve the halyards. A big, ordinary seaman

came forward and with the end of the line in his mouth, got

safely up the shrouds, but when he began to climb the main-

top-gallant mast our hearts stood still, for with each lurch and

roll of the ship his body swung out in mid air, supported only

by the grip of his hands upon the stays. Viewed from the
deck, we expected each moment to be his last, the frightful
are described by the rolling top-gallant mast appalling every
one of us, accustomed as we were to the dangers of the sea.

The captain, by shouts and signs, ordered him back, but the
poor fellow could neither go up nor come down until a fortu-
nate roll of the ship enabled him to clasp his legs around the
stays. When he reached the deck a few minutes later he was
weeping from the nervous shock. None of the sailors would
attempt the feat, and the captain was in despair until the
mulatto cook volunteered to go. From his first steps on the
futtock shrouds we felt that he would succeed ; agile and alert
he reached the main truck, through which he reeved the line
and descended without accident. It was grand to see the
Frenchman respond to our signals of distress; raised to the
mountain tops of a raging sea until his copper glistened above
the waves, he would then plunge downward into the hollow
troughs beyond our view, to reappear again and again as we
drew nearer. Presently two men ascended her main rig-
ging, holding a blackboard, upon which in large chalk letters
was shown her last reckoning. With thanks we parted, to
meet some hours later a greater peril.

Tt happened at night in a heavy sea. I was sitting on
deck when. a puff of smoke came from the poop. I ran aft
and found the binnacle lamp upset and the cabin on fire.
Our only boat was an old rotten affair, fastened upon chocks
on deck, unseaworthy and utterly tseless. It was, therefore,
an exciting time until we succeeded by the use of buckets

Sa asa tea

iin iS agai isis ei abi

wipes cami ei

BLocKADE RUNNING. 379

over the side, in putting out the fire. We landed at Ber-
muda after a voyage of two weeks, and joined a few survi-
vors of the plague, among them Signal Officer Gregory, of
North Carolina, who reported the death of Captain Robert
Williams, of Wilmington, formerly commander of the Wil-
mington Rifle Guards.

A few days afterwards the Susan Beirne arrived under
command of Captain Wylie, of the Ad-Vance, and Eugene
Maffitt as first officer. They gave her a bad name, which she
fully sustained upon subsequent acquaintance. Built of
steel one-eighth of an inch thick, for space and speed, she
was too frail for service at sea, and quite unfit for heavy
weather. To look upon, she was a beautiful specimen of
marine architecture, long and narrow, with a speed of four-
teen knots—a type of the latest designs for blockade-running,
regardless of the lives of those on board. We began at once
to load the new steamer at the Confederate States’ agency,
and proceeded to sea, bound for Wilmington. Trouble ap-
peared when we were only five hours out. The weather was
threatening when we sailed, but the moon was increasing and
dark nights were indispensable to successful blockade-run-
ning. There was no time to spare and our captain decided
to risk the chances of bad weather in the hope that our speed
would run us through the worst of it in a few hours. On the
second day we encountered a storm which soon strained our
frail vessel, and caused a dangerous leak. Before midday
the storm increased to.a hurricane. The leaks multiplied,
as the rivets which held the steel plates gave way, and twelve
of our fourteen furnaces were soon submerged. All hands
were put to work bailing and pumping, but the water gained
on us until we feared the ship would founder at any moment.
When night drew on the scene was appalling; sometimes the
ship would wallow in the depths like a log, the added weight
of water in her hold keeping her down until we feared she
would never rise again. Some of our men, exhausted by the
continued strain of unceasing work, fell at their posts and be-
came unconscious. I will never forget the horrors of that
night; running through the fleet under fire would have been
welcome relief. The vivid flashes of lightning illuminated