Tales of Whalers in the Civil War 391 



"As fast as each ship was emptied, she was 

 fitted for convenient scuttling. About two inches 

 above the light-water line a two-inch hole was 

 bored in the counter, running completely through 

 the side of the vessel. Into this from each side 

 was inserted a plug turning to a loose fit and 

 provided with a flange head sufficiently large to 

 close the opening. These two plugs were bolted 

 together by a bolt, passing through the centre, 

 held by a head on the outside and by a wrench 

 nut on the inside." At the proper time the nuts 

 were unscrewed, the bolt knocked out, and the 

 two plugs were allowed to fall out and let the 

 water pour in. One James Duddy, having the 

 contract for supplying the stone for the fleet, 

 "started into the country and soon had all the 

 farmers tearing down walls and loading stone on 

 drays." So says the New Bedford Mercury. 



Crews having been shipped for the voyage to 

 Charleston, seventeen of the twenty-four were 

 anchored in the bay below the city. The captains 

 of this fleet then met and elected Captain Rodney 

 French (he who had been convicted of fitting 

 out the Margaret Scott as a slaver) as their com- 



