The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 31, 1896, Page 24

24 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 31, 1896. CAUGHT BY A REBEL - N SUNDA STRAITS, How the Winged Racer Was Taken by the Alabama. Captain Cumming Relates a Dramatic Incident of the War Days. Burned to the Water’s Edge and the Crew Turned Adrift in Leaking Open Boats. In 1863 I was in command of the Amer- jcan ship Winged Racer, of 1700 tons burden, and in October of that year I sailed from Manilla with a cargo of hemp and sugar, bound for New York. The passage for a considerable time was un- eventful, but in the China Sea we struck head winds and had quite a tedious time. My wife was on board with me, also our infant son, Al. When within a day’s sailing of the Gas- par Straits we sighted a British ship from Foochow, homeward bound. When they hoisted the Union Jack I gave orders to raise “Old Glory.” I mention this be- cause it was done contrary to the wishes of my wife, who begged me to raise the British ensign. She was a believer in dreams, and in a recent one had been warned of some ill that awaited us by ship- wreck or capture by the dreaded Alabama, I endeavored to laugh away her fears, and assured her that the Alabama was away at the Cape of Good Hope. As for other dan- gers, we must take our chances. In any case I would sail under my own colors or not at all. However, the British ship, of which I shall speak later, took no fufther notice of us, and owing to our metal being some- what fouled by barnacles and mussels, she soon outsailed us. Southwest winds now prevailed, and we arrived at the entrance of the Straits of Sunda one afternoon early in November. The straits, which are formed by the islands of Java and Su- matra, are only fourteen miles wide in the narrowest part, and afford good anchor- age. Seeing that three ships were at anchor off the coast of Sumatra, and being badly in need of a night’s rest, having been do- ing treble duty for three days on account of the real or pretended sickness of my two officers, I determined to stand over to Java, then tack and anchor off Sumatra. Soon after leaving Java I espied a vessel steering up the straits and bound, appa- rently, for the China Seas. She had stud- ding-sail set on both sides, and looked for all the world like s merchantman. As 1 neared Sumatra and was busy get- ting extra lashings off anchor and taking in light sails, the man at the wheel re- ported that the incoming vessel was steer- ing straight for us. Ithen examined her through the telescope, and discovered that she had a smokestack. Before I had had time to meditate on the phenomenon she fired a lee gun and hoisted a St. George's flag. As I disre- garded this action she steamed alongside, fired another lee gun and hoisted the rebel flag. Ithen hoisted my flag and backed the main and crossjack yards. Presently & boat manned with an officer and four men came alongside. The officer inquired my ship’s name, where from and where bound. On learning this he in- formed me that my ship was the prize of the Confederate vessel, the Alabama. He then came on deck and ordered my flag to be loweréd. I refused to have any of my men do this and told him if he wanted it done he would have to do it himself. This seeemed to annoy him very much. He then bade me get my ship’s papers and go aboard the Alabama. I asked time to change the Oriental suit I was wearing for my uniform, which request was refused. He even followed me into my cabin so that I had no chance to speak a private word of comfort to my wife. It is an indication of the state I was in through want of sleep that, as I stepped on the gangway, it occurred to me that my officers being sick below I was leaving the ship with no one in charge. I paused and told the officer so. “I will take charge of her, sir,” was his indignant reply. “Ah! Excuse me,” I answered sorrow- fully. I had forgotten that she was cap- tared. I was rowed alongside the Alabama and went on deck, where I met my friend, Captain Larabee of the American ship Amanda, which had sailed from Manilla a few days previous to me. We shook handsin silence, both feeling very sad. The first lieutenant, Mr. Kell, then came up and told me I was wanted in the captain’s cabin. It was below, and as I descended I noted the number of muskets, pistols and other weapons that were set on racks ready for use. On entering the cabin the world- renowned Semmes came toward me. He said: “Where have you been? I have been looking for you for three days.” Imade no reply, being in no mood for banter. I looked at him sternly and at bis attendants, Lieutenant Kell, the doc- torand the secretary. Semmes then ex- tended his right hand, as 1 supposed, to weicome me on board, but he was not so courteous. He merely wished to examine my ship's papers, which, with the secre- tary, he proceeded most carefully to do. The task accomplished, he addressea me again, and I shall never forget the look he gave me in doing so. “Captain Cum- ming,” said he, “I am going to condemn your shin. Ishall want all your nautical instruments, chronometers, charts, etc. You may, however, retain your own watch.” Almost stupefied as I was with fatigue and q:g excitement of the pastthour I was injudicious enough to explain to him that I had sold my watch in Manilla and in- vested the proceeds in cigars. “Good!” exclaimed my capturer, smil- ing and rubbing his hands. “Then sup- pose we share them ?"” The subsequent result of this equitable arrangement was that I received about 1500 cigars out of 30,000, On returning to the deck I was invited by oue of the officers to join them at sup- per. Although, with the death sentence of my fine ship ringing in my ears, I hag no inclination to eat, I accepted the invi- tation, thinking I might ascertain from them how my whereabouts had been dis- covered. In this I succeeded. Oneof the officers, a German, explained to me that they had boarded a homeward-bound British ship, whose captain had notified CAPTAIN GEORGE CUMMING. them of my approach. Then I remem- bered the ship that had passed me near { the Gaspar Straits. He also mentioned that while looking for me they had cap- tured and destroyed the Amanda, Captain Larabee. | Many years after this I happened to | meet here in San Francisco a Captain | Bennett, now master of the British ship Talus, who asked me if I was master of the Winged Racer when that vessel was captured and destroyed by the Alabama. When I told him such was the case he in- quired if I remembered signaling a British ship near the Gaspar Straits. I said I did— to my sorrow. “Weil, I was third mate of that ship,” he replied. ‘‘After passing you and when becalmed in the outer entrance to the | Straits of Sunda, a low, rakish steamer sent a boat alongside, wanting informa- | tion on various matters. As the boat was leaving, our captain told the officers in charge of her that he had signaled your | ship a few days previously and that you | could not be very far off. We all thought | it very mean of him. If,”’ concluded the | | captain, *you had only hoisted a ‘sweab’ | instead of your own flag you would have saved your ship, but—"" | And tbe pleasant smile with which he | concluded the sentence showed me that he | | would have acted as Idid had he been in | the Alabama. | After supper we went on deck and { found we were anchored off North Isiana | and that the Winged Racer was lying | near us, Incompany with the first lieu- | tenant and a body of men I went aboard | my ship—for the first time—to get what they might require. Lieutenant Kell wished my sailors to assist in getting out the boats, which they doggedly refused to do. So the Alabama men set to and loaded the boats with barrels of provi- sions, cordage, sails, poultry, pigs, etc. | So clumsily was this done that they | caused the boats to leak, from which we afterward suffered. | | to do so. CAPTURE OF THE WINGED RACER BY THE CONFEDERATE SHIP ALABAMA. "‘As I disregarded this action she steamed alongside, fired another lee gun and hoisted the rebel flag. I then hoisted my flag and backed the main and crossjack yards.” ¥ veared grateful. Meanwhile the Alabama officers were in and out of my cabin con- tinually. One of them noticed a set of East India directories on the table and said he would appropriate them, as they would be useful to him while navigating | the China seas. My wife, who overheard | the remark, took the books when he was not looking, went on deckand threw them overboard. When Mr. Kell saw my wife and child hesent a note to Captain Semmes asking if they were to go in the boats. Word | came back that we could have a stateroom | on the Alabama, but he could not say where or when he could land us. My sail- | ors were then asked to volunteer for ser- vice on the Confederate vessel. With the | exception of two Germans they all refused About 3 A. m. Mr. Kell came into the cabin and informed me that they were about to apply the torch to the ship and that we must get aboard one of the boats. It was squalling outside and raining furi- While the work proceeded I was resting on a lounge in my cabin; my wife was | busily packing everything of value ina| trunk, and my little son, Al, was sleeping | soundly in his cot. Suddenly the door 1 was thrown open and in walked one of the | Alabama midshipmen and asked if I had | anything to “smile on.” I pretended not | to understand him, being disgusted at the rude intrasion. i *‘Something to drink,” he exclaimed im- | patiently. In order to get rid of him I toldthe | steward to fetch a bottle of spirits, with | water and glasses; and as the latter wnu! about to draw the cork theinsolent young hound—hisname was Anderson—snatched | the bottle and took it away under his coat. | Had it not been for my wife I would have | foliowed up and thrashed him as he de- served—prisoner though I was—but for her sake I let it go. : my shoes, and he would. But to return to | Having been three years in the ship I | her afloat. had accumulated far more clothing than I could take away with me in a hurry, so, | after selecting what I needed, I sammoned my crew and told them to help themselves | to the balance of it. For this they ap- | ously. Ipointed to my baby son sleeping in the cot. “Burely,” I said, ‘‘you won’t insist on taking the child out on such a night?”’ “I don’t know that my children are any better off,”” was the gruff reply. ‘“‘They’re burning everything down South.” | There was nothing for it but to obey. I had a chair rigged, on which I placed my wife with the baby in her arms, whipped | it to the mainyard and hoisted the precious freight clear of the bulwarks down into the boat, while the wind shrieked and the rain fell in torrents. 1t was an awful mo- ment. Then I followed with the nurse and Captain Larabee and the boat was put off. From causes before mentioned the boat leaked so freely that the water was almost up to our knees and it was all that two men bailing with buckets couid do to keep | { Utterly exhausted with anxiety and fa- tizue, only one thing was needed to com- plete our suffering, and, in the sight of my ship in flames, it was soon supplied. It was agrand if a mournful apectuclel to see the flames gradually ascend the lhmp and well-tarred rigging, and very soon, in spite of the drenching rain, illu- minate the sea and sky for miles around. At daybreak little Al was awake, and see- ing the glare, crowed with delight, think- ing, no doubt, that it had been got up expressly for his benefit. He did not know that his birthplace and first home was burning. For about three nours we tossed in that boat—wet, tired to death and heartsick. At length we reached the nearest of the | three ships at anchor—nothing could have induced me to accept the “hospitality” of the genial Semmes—and found that she was a vessel formerly owned and com- manded by Capiain Freeman,who had died | a few months previously at Shanghai. Mrs. Freeman was on board and they were wa- tering ship previous to sailing for London. The chief mate, acting as captair, kindly invited us on board and Mrs. ¥reeman did | everything in her power to make us com- fortable, My launch and all the boats carrying my crew started for Batavia, where I told them to report to the United States Consul. On the following day our hosts weighed anchor, made sail and stood over to the coast of Anjer, where we were landed. We had hardly done so when a gentleman in- troduced himself to me as Captain How- land of the American ship Huzar, then at anchor -in the Anjer roads. He very kindly offered us the hospitality of his | ship for as long a time as we chose, but while thanking him I felt bound to refuse | the offer. Up to this point my wife haa borne up very bravely, but now at last ske utterly broke down under the terrible | strain, so I determined to get her and the little one to a hotel where they could get a thorough rest. Two days later the American sloop-of- war Wyoming anchored in the roads. I went aboard her and was courteously re- ceived by her commander, Captain Mec- Dougal, who invited me into his chart- | room. When he heard that my ship bad been captured and destroyed he was very much excited, as he. had been stationed in the straits on purpose to prevent any privateer from entering the China Seas. I pointed out by cross bearings on his chart the exact position of my ship when captured. He measured the distance be- tween this point and that at which his sloop had been at the same time, and found that we had only been about eight miles apart. It was by the merest accident that he had missed our enemy. He had received intimation from the United States Consul at Hongkong regarding a Confederate coaling station on the Christmas Islands. and while on the inyestigation of this the Alabama must have got into the straits. I was now getting anxious to ascertain that my crew was being cared for by the United States Consul at Batavia, and more | than. anxious to get my family back to New York, so Iasked Captain McDougal ‘for a passage to Batavia, which he kindly consented to give me. He was the more ready seeing that I might be able to point out to him the dread Alabama in the event of our coming across her. When we were all aboard and ready to sail I told the captain that I bad served on the warship Saratoga as A. B., and being shorthanded he was glad to station me at one of the forward guns. We cruised about the Java Sea, carefully examining every bay and inlet which might serve as a hiding place for the Ala- bama, but unfortunately without avail. Arriving at Bataviaon the evening of the second day I found that the Consul had sent my men to Singapore, where they had shipped on various vessels. I then | engaged passages for my family in the German ship Walachran, which was load- | ing for New York. J One week later we sailed, and after an | uneventful passage arrived once agamn in | New York and reported “All well on board.” But the memories of that terrible night- capture off the coast of Java are still vivid | in the minds of my wife and myself, and | will linger with us'to the day of our final | voyage— When He who sll commands Shall give, to call life’s crew together, The word to “Pipe all hands!” Georee CuMmMING. 0944 58E5.8.0.8 F ALL the lighthouses on the Pacific Coast, the one on Santa Cruz Point is perhaps the best known to the people of California. The reason for this is, of course, due to the fact that thousands visit the | many summer resorts near by and look | upon a trip to the highthouse as a part of their vacation. On ‘‘visitor’s days” during the season, there is a steady stream of people passing in and out of the tower from morning to night. The location of the lighthouse is in one of the most beautiful svots on the coast, and within only a few minutes’ walk of the center of Santa Cruz. It is not far from the beautiful Vue de I’Ean Pavilion and right on the ocean drive. For many years the surroundings were of the most barren | description, but some cypress trees were planted some time ago that have attained a good growth and greatly add to the ap- pearance of the place. The lighthouse building on Santa Cruz Point can by no means be considered beautiful. In fact, it is extremely ugly. It is only a square box with a peaked roof and a tower, that looks very much out of proportion, at one end. The tower is the only thing about it that saves it from having the appearance of a down-east meeting-house. Strictly speaking the Santa Cruz light is not intended for navigation, but is only made use of by vessels entering or leaving the harbor. In fact under ordinary cir- cumstances it cannot be seen more than six miles, although on clear nights it can be seen eight. Old marinerssay they have to take a telescope to find 1t. But for all that the light is of the most importance and must be lighted as regularly as those of the first order. The Santa Cruz light is of the fifth order and in general construction the lamp is exactly like most of the others along the coast, but when burning it gives a steady red light. This is necessary on account of the numerous white lights in windows g O D00 0, 8 .9 Miss M. Hicox, Keeper of the Santa Cruz Lighthouse. [Sketched from life by a “Call” artist.) duced by using & colored lamp chimney. The lamp is made of brass, has a circular wick and burns mineral oil. The focal plane of the light is about sixty fect above tide level. The history of the Santa Cruz light be- gins in 1870, in which year the building | was erected and the station established. At that time it was out on the end of the point, but was moved 500 feet inland to its present position in 1885. This was deemed advisable, as during stormy weather the building was shaken badly. The building was moved on rollers and the lamp lighted each night the same as if it were in its usual place. During the quarter of a century thelight has been in existence there has been but one shipwreck on the rocks near by. That was on October 26, 1877, at 4 o’clock in the morning. The weather was exceptionally stormy and the waves rolled almost to the top of the cliff.. The roar of the surf was deafening so that the keeper, who was on watch in the tower hardly a hundred yards away, did not hear the cries of the men on the stranded vessel. He did not know anything about the disaster until daylight came. It proved to be the schooner Active, loaded with pig iron that had been driven ashoreby the force of the storm. The crew had managed to hang onto the rigging for several hours, tut nobody was drowned. The captain was slightly injured. The wreck lay on the beach a long time and numerous efforts were made to float it, but in the end it proved a total loss. ‘When the Santa Cruz lignt was first es- along the shore that might be confusing to navigators. The lenses were made by Sautter & Co. of Paris, France, and are said to be exceptionally fine. The lamp is very small, but capable on these summer nights of burning from sunset to sunrise tablished it was put in charge of A. E. Hicox, who held the post until his death in 1883. His daughter then putin an ap- vlication for the place. It was at once given to her and she has beld itever since. Miss Hicox is given no assistant, but does all the work about the place herself. She is thoroughly familiar with her duties, hving lived in the lighthouse for twenty- six years, and keeps everything in the best of order. Her mother lives with her. The lighthouse seems more like a country home than a Government station. During the years she has lived at the lighthouse Miss Hicox has formed a col- lection of shells anc other curios of the coast that is most interesting. There are hundreds of specimens all properly ia- beled and catalogued that fill one large room on the first floor of the building. On visiting days Miss Hicox leaves this room open to the public. For the last ten years the Government has been contemplating the erection of a large station at Santa Cruz, and also put- tingin a fogbell, But as the traffic to that port has been on the decline instead of the increase it has been put off from time to time so that there is no telling when the work will be done. A PICTURESQUE RUIN. ALL THAT Is LEFT OF ALEXANDER GORDON’S GRAIN CHUTE. One of the first enterprises of any magni- tude, outside of mining, ever undertaken > o 7 s : 1 ) il ( ffl?‘(/”ply‘f SUSPENDED CVER A PANTHER'S DEN, Jim Taylor’s Thrilling Ad- ventures in a Cavern. He Clung to a Swinging Vine for Many Long Weary Hours, While a Pack of Howling Wild Beasts Were Waiting for Him to Fall. The country along the eastern side of the Bierra Nevada, about forty miles be- low Owens Lake, is about the wildest and most desolate in all California. Jim Taylor lives there and is known to everybody for miles. He paid a visit to the town of Keeler a short time ago and said he had just passed through a most exciting adventure. According to Jim’s story, he was pros- pecting among the foothills not far from Walkers Pass. One evening about two weeks ago his burro kicked over the water barrel and spilled the contents. Jim started for a spring three miles away. The spring lay near the head of a wild and rocky canyon and Jim had almost reached the spot, when he saw through the darkness the form of some enormous animal. Jim concluded not to run any risks and crawled behind a rock to give it a chance to pass. As the animal came nearer and nearer it sniffed the air toudly and Jim crawled far- ther and farther back, neverattempting to ascertain where he was going, until he felt himself slipping aown hill. The incline was not very steep. Just enough so to prevent his getting a foot- hold. In an instant Jim wasin total dark- ness and realized that he had slipped into a cave the bottom of which might be at the center of the earth. He continued downward for several seconds and the in- cline kept getting steeper and steeper. Faster and faster he went, expecting each moment to drop off into an abyss, when suddenly his foot bumped againsta pro- jection and in a moment his hand caught a substance like the trunk of a sapling. Jim hung on, hoping it would hold. But no, it slipped out from among the rocks and the descent was continued. Down about ten feet, and to Jim’s surprise and horror he swang off into inky space. He knew then that the supposed sapling was a vine of some kind, one end of which was fast to the roof of the cavern. How far it was to the bottom, top or sides was something past Jim’s finding out. For a few moments Jim thought of dropping off, and then he realized that there was a sort of hook on the end of the vine in which he could stand and possi- bly manage to hold on. It was no trouble to get into the hook and ke really felt comfortable. After standine in this position Jim re- membered that he had a box of prairie matches in his pocket and also found that his revolver and knife were still in his cartridge belt. Jim concluded to strike 2 < - -, 2 4 THE SANTA CRUZ POINT LIGHTHOUSE, [Drawn from a photograph taken expressly for * The Call.” ander Gordon’s grain chute on the coast a few miles from Purissima, in San Mateo County. It was done Bway back in 1860, just after it was demonstrated that the best wheat in the world could be raised on the vast fields of the Santa Clara Valley. It was easy enough to grow the grain, but the trouble was to get it to market. Haul- ing it by teams to San Francisco was slow and expensive, so Alexander Gordon hit on the idea of his chute, and was not long in getting plenty of backing. It took several years to build the chute, and it is said to have cost over half a mil- lion dollars. Whén it was finished 1t was possible for a vessel to lie out in deep water, an eighth of a mile from land, and have the grain poured into her kold froma pipe or come tothe deck in sacks as fast as they could be counted. in California was the construction of Alex- This was accomplished by building a pier of piles out into the ocean the desired without attention, The red light is pro- | A Picturesque Ruin on the San Matco Coast—All That Is Left of Alexander Gordon’s Old Grain Chute, distance, and from the end of an inclined plane, carrying a smooth tube chute which reached to the top of the cliff, 150 feet high, on the shore. The wagons full of grain simply drove to the shore end of the chute and dumped their loads into it. Gravity carried the wheat to the yessel over a quarter of a mile away. To provide for occasions when there was no vessel to receive the grain, extensive warehouses were constructed on top of the cliff, in which it was stored until wanted. There was a little city at the end of the chute ard at least 100 men were employed én the different departments and in keep- ing it in order. The venture proved a failure on account of the dangerous lucality in which 1t was located. Winds, fogs and treacherous cur- Tents sent several vessels that were being loaded ashore. Several men who operated the apron at the end of the chute fell into the water and were drowned. Loss of life was great and after two seasons the grain chute was abandoned. No attempt was made to remove any part of it until a few months ago, and it stood there thirty years at the mercy of wind and waves. Not much of the old pier is left standing now, but stch as is is most picturesque. The old piles rise grimly from the water and the apron at the end creaks and groans dismally. The action of the waves has washed out a large portion of the center of the pier so thac it would be almost impossible to reach the end now even if one desired to. { The work of removing the old ware: houses and other buildings was complete a few weeks ago. All the iron work in th pier that could be reached was taken out; This has, of course, weakened the utmci h \ ture so that it can’t be very long before th Waves wash it out of existence. alight and try to find out where he was. The flash had hardly pierced the aark- ness before the close air of the cavern was filled with the howls of wild beasts. The match burned several seconds, and looking down Jim saw hardly ten feet beneath him a writhing mass of panthers. They snarled and snapped and jumped at him, but could not come nearer than two feet of the end of the vine. The match burned out and Jim lighted another and another. He tried to count the panthers and ascertain what his chances would be of killing them They moved about with the rapid- ity of lightning, jumping over one another and howling continually. The vine by this time had stopped swing- ing, and Jim kept as still as possible lest it break and drop him into the den of wild beasts. When he stopped lighting matches the panthers became more quiet, but occa~ sional howls told that they were still beneath him. For a few seconds there was absolute silence and then Jim detected a sniffling far above him. Beneath him the panthers commenced a nervous, pacing movement, but uttered no sound. Jim could hear the twitching of their tails and the smacking of their jaws and the sniffling sound from above became iouder and louder. Of a sudden there was arattling of stones and the bumping of & huge soft body, and Jim felt sure that a grizzly bear had fallen into the panthers’ den. He struck a match and pandemonium reigned be- neath him. He saw the panthers rush for the bear only to be crushed by its heavy paws, In a short time it was master of the situation surrounded by the whole pack of panthers, bleeding, dying, dead. Jim suddenly felt better and hoped tnat the bear would satisfy its hunger and de- part, if it could. But the grizzly did not want panther meat—it wanted man—and sat among its victims waiting for Jim to drop. Jim, however, had no such inten- tion. He hung on until daylight came through the cavern opening and com- menced to shoot at the bear. He emptied the five chambers of his re- volver into the bear before it rolled over. The rest is soon told. Jim reached the outside world by cutting a series of steps to the opening. He then went back and cut a big piece of bear meat that he cooked for his breakfast. His next job was to skin the dead animals. He then maae his way back to camp feeling that he was about $100 ahead. NEW TO-DAY. cases than any living ing. him. He publishes a valuable work send their P.O.and Express address, From U.S. Journal of Medicina, C Physician ; “red We have on this disease, which he sends We advise anzone wishing a cure ° Prof.W. H. Peeke, who makes a special- ty of Epilepsy, has without doubf treat- ed and cured more his success is astonish- heard of cases of 20 yerrs’ standing cured by with a large bottle of his absolute cure, free to any sufferer who may to address ®rof. W.H.PEEKE, F.D.,4 Cedar St. N.T.