THE KEARSAGE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 283, 24 August 1908, Page 9

THE KEARSAGE.

—I——«—- —- , HER VISIT TO WELLINGTON. INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. (by TEr.liGltll'H.—SMCUr, COKttESrONDEttT.) Dunadin, August 21. To-day I had a chat with one of our Dun* ,edin merchants, Mr. G. L. Sise, about the visit of the United States corvette Kearsage to Wellington in 1869. Some mention was made of this visit by. Admiral Sperry when up north the other day, and I have the proper story from Mr. Sise, who knew thai the Koarsage was to call at Wellington, and went up from Dunedin to meet her and see his brother-in-law, who was ono of her officers, and at tho same time renew acquaintance with Captai'i Thornton, who on this trip was in command of the Kearsago. There was no ceremony about the visit of tho Kearsage to Wellington. She had been on tho South American station, and "was- ordered to the Islands, thence to Sydney, and upon tho rumours of trouble over the Cuban question she was recalled to South America, via Cook Strait. Thus it came about that Mr. Sise had tho opportunity of meeting his friends. Ho awaited tho corvette's arrival in Wellijigtpn, Sho entered ~0110,. evening about dusk, .and at once sent a i; £oat ashore in; charge of two officers. One.'.'of these officers was charged with the duty of hunting ud Mr. Sise, but as he was on .tho loot out sat caused no trouble, and ho was ai once taken on board, and spent the nigh; with his friends. ■ They showed him ove; tho ship, and in conversation mentioned thai in-the historic fight at Cherbourg,'on June lE| 1864, the Alabama fired quicker than the Kearsage, but the hitter's aim was the truer, and ; that was. in their opinion the determining factor. As to the chain protection, tho facts were that tho Kearsage was so constructed as to have her engines protected by her coal bunkers, arid as tho bunkers wera at the time pretty well empty tho machinery, was exposed, so Captain Winslow hung tho cables round the sides, tricing them up with tho ( chain topsail sheets, 1 and thus improvised a kind of light armour. Admiral Sperry was on the Kearsago at tlio time sho called at Wellington, being then a junior lieutenant. Mr. Sise remembers him well. The ship stayed at Wellington for about thirty-sis hours, and Sir Georgo Bowen, then Governor, ■ ontortaincd tho Of this, however, Mr. Sise does not speak. He went on board merely as a personal friend, and when ho :. loft one of • the officers threw a poncho over his slnuldcrs, another gave him a pair of pistols, a third a pipe, and so on. These mementoes, together' with photographs of the vessel and her officers, Mr. Sise still retains as pleasing reminders of an incident which many have forgotten,' and' the majority- of our Now Zealanders know' nothing about. 1 may add'that Captain Thornton was tho executive officer of the Kearsago under Captain Winslow at the time of the light, and in that capacity laid the guns, and since it was. tho suDerior aim of the Kearsage that settled the Confederate ship, it may bo said that tho man who brought the Kearsago to Wellington was the man whos« skill sunk tho Alabama.