Neptune's Needle

His father dies at sea in 1774, leaving his mother nearly destitute with six small children. In 1783, Elijah packed his wardrobe in a gin case and set out for Boston, where he signed as cook and cabin boy on a ship to Surinam. He continued at sea and by 1794 he was captain of a ship bound for Cadiz. After dodging the Algerine pirates, he was captured by a French ship and taken into Brest. With his characteristic determination and acumen, he hurried to Paris and secured the release of the ship from Robespierre, whom he later saw guillotined. He returned to France again with a cargo of grain and then engaged in rum-running off the Irish coast, droppoing hogsheads of run into the Cove of Cork and hoisting aboard a bag of guineas in return. Loading at Malaga, in 1808, he first heard of the Orders in Council and his ship was held up by the British at Gibraltar, but he escaped by bribing an official. In 1812 he arrived at Norfolk, VA to learn that the Embargo was to go into effect in thirty-six hours. Hastily unloading his ship in a storm, he rushed aboard a cargo of flour and secured a last-minute clearance from the collector of customs who vainly pursued him into Hampton Roads on the hour when the act went into effect. The flour sold at Cadiz at a very high price. On a return voyage he received his first news of the War of 1812 off Newfoundland, when his ship was seized by the British and he was carried into St. John's, later being released on a cartel. After this he remained ashore at Brewster until the end of the war, when he resumed trade with Europe and then made two trips to the African coast in 1818 and 1819. His cargo seems to have been oil and ivory, with no trace of rum or slaves.

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Peter Richards