Monday Mac

By tk
Monday, November 11, 2002

Civil War P 82.

burning nicely.

Waddell continued into Bering Strait flying a Union flag, but still believing the South was forming a legitimate Government.

The whaler Brunswick, had run into an ice berg, and her Captain Potter was seeking another ship to take his oil cargo, in the area were another 10 whalers, and negotiations were in hand with the nearby Congress. Now two more ships drew near, Hillman and Martha, a fog had lowered visibility, on lifting the ships saw a black steamer slowly moving amongst them all.

Potter in his whale boat came to seek assistence from Shenandoah, to be told the ship was presently busy, but would attend to them soon, he returned hopefully to his ship, unaware that this black steamer was preparing five prize crews to grab the lot of these ships.

There is a rather bizarre twist to the capture of the whaler James Maury, when at Ponape:

Waddell had heard that her master S.L.Gray had died, his wife and three children were sailing with him. Mrs Gray had arranged that her husband's body be preserved in a cask of whiskey, so she could take him home for a proper burial.

Remembering this story, Waddell instructed his boarding officer Lieutenant Chew, to assure Mrs Gray that both she and the ship would be spared, after the First Mate Cunningham signed a ransom bond for $37,000, the ship was filled with prisoners and released.

Shenandoah proceeded slowly through the whaling fleet, removing any thing of value, then burning, burning, burning.

The bark Favorite, the 399 ton, Isaac Howland, Covington of 350 tons hailing from Baltimore, Martha and Hillman skippered by the Macomber brothers, Nassau, a forty year old ship all torched, and Master Daniel Wood saw his third command Congress destroyed. An old bark Nile, who had known 11 masters over a mixed two years of operations was used to take the remaining prisoners to safety.

On the 29th. of June, Waddell took his ship through Bering Strait, on his port hand was Siberia, and Alaska was in sight to starboard as he sailed into the Arctic Ocean.

He had heard a story that only 10 days earlier, 60 vessels had headed this way, and he was looking for them, but an impassable ice field blocked the way, he was afraid of being locked into the Arctic Ocean, and decided to retrace his steps, three ships he had released, were on their way to California, they would report his activities, it was time to gain the freedom of the open sea.