running the blockade 12

running the blockade 12

CHAPTER VIII

 

OUR FLEET

 

First introduction to the _Will-o'-the-Wisp_—Making a dash for

it—A question of speed—Under heavy fire from both quarters—Run

ashore at full speed—An awkward predicament—All hands to the

pumps—Resort to desperate remedies—A struggle for sixty

hours—Sale of the _Will-o'-the-Wisp_—Her end—The _Wild Dayrell_—A

record performance—Loss of the _Wild Dayrell_—An incapable

Captain—The _Stormy Petrel_ and the _Wild Rover_.

 

 

The reason for my leaving the _Banshee_ was the arrival at Nassau of a

new steamer which my firm had sent out to me. This was the

_Will-o'-the-Wisp_, and great things were expected from her. She was

built on the Clyde, was a much larger and faster boat than the

_Banshee_, but shamefully put together, and most fragile. My first

introduction to her was seeing her appear off Nassau, and receiving a

message by the pilot boat, from Capper, the captain, to say that the

vessel was leaking badly and he dare not stop his engines, as they had

to be kept going in order to work the pumps. We brought her into the

harbour, and having beached her and afterwards made all necessary

repairs on the slipway, I decided to take a trip in her.

 

As soon as the nights were sufficiently dark we made a start for

Wilmington, unfortunately meeting very bad weather and strong head

winds, which delayed us; the result was that instead of making out the

blockading fleet about midnight, as we had intended, when dawn was

breaking there were still no signs of them. Capper, the chief engineer,

and I then held a hurried consultation as to what we had better do.

Capper was for going to sea again, and if necessary returning to Nassau;

the weather was still threatening, our coal supply running short, and,

with a leaky ship beneath us, the engineer and I decided that the lesser

risk would be to make a dash for it. "All right," said Capper, "we'll go

on, but you'll get d——d well peppered!"

 

We steamed cautiously on, making as little smoke as possible, whilst I

went to the masthead to take a look round: no land was in sight, but I

could make out in the dull morning light the heavy spars of the

blockading flagship right ahead of us, and soon after several other

masts became visible on each side of her. Picking out what appeared to

me to be the widest space between these, I signalled to the deck how to

steer, and we went steadily on—determined when we found we were

perceived to make a rush for it. No doubt our very audacity helped us

through, as for some time they took no notice, evidently thinking we

were one of their own chasers returning from sea to take up her station

for the day.

 

At last, to my great relief, I saw Fort Fisher just appearing above the

horizon, although we knew that the perilous passage between these

blockaders must be made before we could come under the friendly

protection of its guns. Suddenly, we became aware that our enemy had

found us out; we saw two cruisers steaming towards one another from

either side of us, so as to intercept us at a given point before we

could get on the land side of them. It now became simply a question of

speed and immunity from being sunk by shot. Our little vessel quivered

again under the tremendous pressure with which she was being driven

through the water.

 

An exciting time followed, as we and our two enemies rapidly converged

upon one point, others in the distance also hurrying up to assist them.

We were now near enough to be within range, and the cruiser on our port

side opened fire; his first shot carried away our flagstaff aft on which

our ensign had just been hoisted; his second tore through our forehold,

bulging out a plate on the opposite side. Bedding and blankets to stop

the leak were at once requisitioned, and we steamed on full speed under

a heavy fire from both quarters. Suddenly, puffs of smoke from the fort

showed us that Colonel Lamb, the commandant, was aware of what was going

on and was firing to protect us; a welcome proof that we were drawing

within range of his guns and on the landward side of our pursuers, who,

after giving us a few more parting shots, hauled off and steamed away

from within reach of the shells which we were rejoiced to see falling

thickly around them.

 

We had passed through a most thrilling experience; at one time the

cruiser on our port side was only a hundred yards with her consort a

hundred and fifty away from us on the starboard, and it seemed a miracle

that their double fire had not completely sunk us. It certainly required

all one's nerve to stand upon the paddle-box, looking without flinching

almost into the muzzles of the guns, which were firing at us; and proud

we were of our crew, not a man of whom showed the white feather. Our

pilot, who showed no lack of courage at the time, became, however,

terribly excited as we neared the bar, and whether it was that the ship

steered badly, owing to being submerged forward, or from some mistake,

he ran her ashore whilst going at full speed. The result was a most

frightful shaking, which of course materially increased the leaks, and

we feared she would become a total wreck; fortunately the tide was

rising, and, through lightening her by throwing some of the cargo

overboard, we succeeded in getting her off and steamed up the river to

Wilmington, where we placed her on the mud.

 

After repairing the shot holes and other damage, we were under the

impression that no further harm from running ashore had come to her, as

all leaks were apparently stopped and the ship was quite tight. The

result proved us to be sadly wrong on this point. After loading our

usual cargo we started down the river all right, and waited for

nightfall in order to cross the bar and run through the fleet. No sooner

had we crossed it and found ourselves surrounded by cruisers than the

chief engineer rushed on to the bridge, saying the water was already

over the stoke-hole plates, and he feared that the ship was sinking. At

the same moment a quantity of firewood which was stowed round one of the

funnels (and which was intended to eke out our somewhat scanty coal

supply) caught fire, and flames burst out.

 

[Illustration: _WILL-O'-THE-WISP'S_ DASH FOR WILMINGTON. _To face page

106._]

 

This placed us in a pretty predicament, as it showed our whereabouts to

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 extinguished 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 sea-way 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 threatening. The

captain was at the wheel, and I at the mast-head (all other hands being

employed at the pumps, and even baling), when, not four miles off, I

sighted a cruiser broadside on. She turned round 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, however, 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 going," pointing vehemently downwards. "What the devil do

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,—although

a rough diamond and absolutely without fear. With the exception of

Steele he was the best blockade-running captain we had.

 

In 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 was soon visible; we began to gain

on the water, and were able, by degrees, to relight our extinguished

fires. But the struggle continued to be a most severe one, for just when

we began to obtain a mastery over the 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 harbour 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.

 

I had the _Will-o'-the-Wisp_ raised, hauled up on the slip, and repaired

at an enormous expense before she was fit again for sea. Subsequently

she made several trips, but as I found her a constant source of delay

and expenditure I decided to sell her. After having her cobbled up with

plenty of putty and paint, I was fortunate enough to open negotiations