RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14984, 4 May 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.

In that excellent series of reprints known as Murray's.* Shilling Library '(Murray, London) appear "James Nasmyth," by Samuel Smiles, and "Running the Blockade," by Thomas E. Taylor. Here is the account given by Mr. Taylor of the escape of his blockade runner, the "Banshee," from Wilmington :—

"We were within a very few days able to cast off our moorings and drop down the river, ballasted with tobacco and laden with cottonthree tiers even on deck. Such things are almost incrediblo nowadays. The reckless loading, to which high profits and the perquisites allowed to officers led,, is to a landsman inconceivable. 'fiat, men should be found willing to put, to sea at all in these frail craft piled like hay-waggons is extraordinary enough, but that they should do so, in the face of. a vigilant , and active blockading force, and ( do it successfully, seems rather an invention of * romance than a commonplace oc- ; currence of our own time. ' • . • "Steele and I had hit on a plan for getting out ' that promised almost a certainty of " success. lis security lay in its impudence, a cardinal virtue in, blockade, running, which, as' will be seen later: on in some of the more critical scenes, approached the sublime. The idea was perhaps obvious enough. As has been said,, the flagship during the night remained at. anchor, while ' the • other ships moved slowly to and fro upon the inner line, leaving, as was; natural enough, a small area round the Admiral's ship "unpatrolled. This was enough for us. Bringing up the Banshee behind Fort Fisher, where she could lie hidden' from the blockaders till nightfall, we rowed ashore to get from Colonel Lamb the last news of the squadron's movements and to ascertain which ship bore the Admiral's flag. She proved to be the Minnesota, a large sixtygun frigate : her bearings were accurately taken, and as soon as night fell the Banshee stole' quietly from her concealment, slipped over the bar, dark as it was, and by the aid of Steele's observations ran in perfect security, close by the flagship and out to sea well clear of the first cordon. "In trying to pass the second, however, we were less successful, for we ran right across a gunboat.' , She saw us and at once opened fire; but, slow as the, Banshee, was, luckily the Northern gunboats -for the most' part were 1 slower still, so wo. had no difficulty sin increasing v the distance '• between us. till it was felt we were of. sight; again. Our helm was then put; hard over, giving.. us a course , at right angles j tothe one ;wo had,: beeny steaming, V. arid. after keeping it a. few minutes we stopped. It was 'a-, manoeuvre nearly always' success- - ful, provided the helm was not put over too soon, and this time- it achieved , tho usual result. As' we lay perfectly still, I watching the course of the gunboat « by, the flashes, of her guns and jby • the rockets : . j she was ;sending} up.' to 1 attract her ; con-.' sorts, we 'hadvtie, satisfaction of seeing ;j her r labouring furiously \ past us and firing'! wildly-'into; black space." .... \ - "So -ended,: .my .: first attempt, .a: triumphant success *! Besides the • inward freight of £50 a ton. on the war material, I had earned by the tobacco ballast alone £7000, the freight for which had been paid at the rate of £70 a ton. But this was a' trifle compared to the profit on the 500 odd bales of cotton we had on board, which was at least £50 per. bale."