THE LOSS OF THE MONITOR.

Patea Mail, Volume XI, Issue 132, 24 February 1886, Page 4

THE LOSS OF THE MONITOR.

(By a Survivor.) At daybreak on the 29di of Dccombei 1862, ft Fo.t Monroe, iin.; Monitor hov short her anchor, i*ini by 10 o’clock i the forenoon she was uu icr Way It) Charles;on, South Carolina, in cl.arg of Commander J. B. Bankhead, * Th Rhode Island, a powirlul side-wheelf steamer, was to he our coney, and t hasten our speed she took ns in low wit two long 12 n. hawser?. The wcatbi was heavy with da:k, stormy hj okin clou Is and a westeily wind. We passe out of the Roads and foumlcd Cap Henry, proceeding on oik course wit but I tile change in the weather nj> t the next day at nixm, when the win shifted to the sou'll-west and increase to a gide. At 12 o’clock it was m trick at the lee wheel, an I brine a gi.c hand I was kept t.icn-. At d ■?-.•. w Wei’c about sevi nty mils at h- , an directly o : f Onpcs il.stteraf--, ITm sc roiled high and pitched loceile-.- in ill peculiar manner only seen atH-ticw.s The Rhode Island st-Miied slowa siv steadily alien 1. The, sea rolled ever n as if our V' ssel were r. rock in th ocean only a b w inches a eve lh Water, and men who s-ood a: a! on the deck of the Rhone Islam have told me. that s-vial times wwere thought to have gone nown. 1 seemed ihat ior minutes w were out o sight, as tin l heavy -seas entirely su'- 1 Iliei ged the Vessel. Tim wheel had ht.‘ol temporalily rigged on top of the tuna! where all ti.e tdlii.eis, except t.lmse oi duty in the eng in -room, now weK. heani their rctm.iks, ami w-delicd c oseb tlio movements <1 the vessel, so that ox Cl'y mul<‘l stood, our emviiion. xm vi ss. 1 was node mg vc; y heavy weailmi iliing one huge v. r.v- , plunging throngl the in XI as il slue tiag straight for lm Lot tom ol the uoe,.n, ami spb slum; cow: upon another v.i hj mo. hj Imce turn nu hull Would iicmi.le, on 1 who a shod that would sometimes take us olt ou: feel, whde a lolHUil WOill-i leap llpoil 11 .>,nd break Cr ihove the turret, or' tha i( j\ve had not lorn prouvtc • l>y t a r;fl armour that, was secmCy lesletied am rose to tii" In iglit ol a man a chc.-l, w< should li.m 1 i;een Washed aWay, i hj n volunte ted lor sei vice on tin* Moiiito while she lay. at tit - Washington Navj Yard in Nov mb r. This going to set in an honc-aii I began to ihink was tin deaiost pai lof my bargain. I tlmm. hj ol what I had heell ialpiil in the a i vici that a mm aiw ijs gets into trouule i bo volnnter;s. A'•out 8 o’clock, whim I was taking a message from the captain to the en ginger, 1 saw the water pouring it through the co.-l huukeis in suihlci volumes as il swept over the deck About that time ihe. engim m n-portci that, the cO d was ton w. !■ to make itSic,;»uj, which had ran down bom 1,1 usual pn-s.snie of eighty pounds lo ■ wenty The water in the vessel was g ininc rapidly over the stuaii pumps, ami . heaul the captain ordet the chiui en ginecr so slait tire main pump, a V'-n iiowci lul one ol new invention. Tun Was done, and i saw a stream ol vvtilci Sin. in iliame er spoil:iug up irom be neuth the waves-. About half-past 8 til“ first sicllMs o distress to the Rhode Island wen burned. ISiie. lay 10, and we rode tlie sci more comfortably t an when wt Were being towed. The Rhode Islam! was obliged In turn s owly ahead U, keep from (bi ting upon us, and ic prevent the tow-lines from being caught in her wheels. At mm lime, when she « rilTod dose alongside, our captain shouted through his trumpet that we were sinking, and asking the steamer to send us her boats. The Monitor steamed ahead again with renewed diffienUies, and 1 was ordered to leave the wheel and was kept employed as messenger by the captain. The child engineer reported that the coal was so wut that he could not heap up steam, and I heard the captain order him to slow down and pul nil steam that could bo spared upon the pumps. As there was danger of lvdug towed under by on; consort, the low lines were ordered to he cut, ami I s.'iw Janus Fenwick, quartergimner, swept from (he deck and carried by a hc-avy sea leeward and out of sight in attempting to obey ihe order. Our daring boatswain’s mute, John S' coking, then succeeded in reaching the bows ol the vessel, an 1 1 saw him swept by a heavy sea far r.way into the darkness. About half-past 10 o’clock our anchor was lot go with all the cable, and struck bottom in about sixty fathoms of water. This brought us out of the trough of the sen, and we rode it more comfortably. The fires could no longer be kept up with the wet coal. The. small pumps were choked up with water, or, as the engineer reported, wore drowned, am) the main pump had almost stopped working from luck of power. This was reported to the captain, and he ordered mu to set if there was any water in the ward-room. This was the first time i had been below the berth-deck. I went forward, and saw the water running in through the hawse-pipe, an Biu, hole, in lull force, as in dropping the anchor the cable had torn away the packing that 1» h 11 kept this place light. I reported my obsei valiums, and at the same time heard the chief engineer rcpoit that the Water had reached the ash-phs, ami was gaining very raj. idly. The captain ordered him to stop the main engine, and Linn ail s'lv.m on the pumps, which ; 1 noticed soon wotked again. 1 The clouds now began to s-pavatc, a moon ol about half size beamed out upon the sea, and, the Rhode Island, now a miio away, became visible. Bigns were -being exchanged,* " of communication IToiu the Monitor was by writing in chalk ou a blackboard. which was held up to view ; the Monitor had no mast, on which to hoist the regular (.aval code used by the Rhode Island As night appruai hud,the captain f the Monitor wrote, while wo could yet sec, that if (hey were forced to abandon their ship, Iney would burn a red light as a signal, About 10 o’clock the nig. al was given. When the steamer stopped to allow the hawsers to be cast off the Monitor forged ahead under the impetus of her headway, and came so close under the stc mcr’s stern, that there was great danger of her running into and cutting the steamer down Wind the engines of the Rhode Island were started to go ahead

to get on ; of the way, it was found that the hawser had got foul of the paddlewheel, and when they were put in mod" instead of get ing. r'.oav of her. the r i • ’ wound up on the'wheel and drew the vesm together. This was an extremely dangeivu- ) position for they were being pitched and i tossed about so much by the I eavy seas, that , if the iron-c ad had once struck the steamer they must, have gone down together. Howp ever, a fireman went into the wheel at the 1 risk of his life, and whh an axe cut the haw- > ser away at a stroke.—From a Icier to the , Editor from EL 11. Smith then of the Ehoda Island.

' ail’d I I'di ih -t tin' Monitor would be j Saved, or at. le.'ht that die captain would ii o t leave his ship until them was no hope “ of saving her. 1 was sent I clow again j mom. Ivv nt, foiwr.nl (o tlm cabin and , ‘bund the Water bove the so’cs of my shoes, whU hj indie..tad that there must I be nioii than a foot in die vessm. I reported this to tiie eapi; in ni i all hands , wre set to bailing,-- b-ibng out, die ocean as it seemed, —but tide .d juct was to nnnloy the men, as I here now si emed to be danger of excrement among them. | I kepi employed most, of the time taking the bin kets Irom ill cm tli rough the ' hatchway on tile t ]) ol the turret. They seldom would have rnor i than a pinto! water in tin m.however tin: babinc 1 | i : v i 111 jla cn spill-d on in passing from one m-.n 'o aimti.c. The Went hj r Was dear, bill tin; pen did not. cease mi intr in tiro least, and dm Rhode Island, widl the two lines wound up m her wheel, was tossing a! the mercy of U.e .<n>a, and came drilling- ! at msr sins, a Omit Let hid been j. Weed Was (-Might be'ween the vessels ai; i c; nsiied ami I. s', borne id om s. as. o'n hj rely K m cm -'own on deck to gu-.'d o«rr sides, and lines wine tin own to diem 1.-oin do- dec!; ol die Rhode j..-lan , wbieii m w lay her whom b-inlb again s' ns, floating rff astern ; I m no! a man v.i.nd! he dm fir.-1 to leave bis slop, th'.ugh the captain g.i ve o. dels i o i.o s'. I was again sent to examine the watei in the Wardroom, widen 1 found to be more than 2!t above die dec*; ; and I diink i w;.vS the ! si p r.-ou who saw Engineer S. L-wis as lie lay sea-sick in his bunk, appo-ent'y watching the. walci as it grrw deeper and deeper, and aware what. his (Lite must fm. He cubed me as 1 passed ids door, and asked me ii die pumps wore working. I replied that they were. “I- there any lope?’’ he ask'-d ; and fueling a little moved at I i.o scene, Midi knowing re< - tainly what mnst bo his <nb and the . arkiU'SS that stared at us all, I replied, *’ As long ms there is life there is hope.” Hope and ham,' onwhen 3 011 arc wrecked is an old sayin:,; among sailors. 1 left the ward-loom, and icarm’d that' tin- water hud ;.:.in^ : so -s to choke up dm main pump. As I was ciossiiig dm burl! - b ck 1 saw our ensign M'' Frederick-on, imnd a walch to the musti-iT 111 nll W'iili'-.tns, saying, “ Here fc'-is is yoms ; I nicy he lost,” Thu waich and chain weio imiii of unnsnal value, Williams received liiem in'o his hand, then with a in.-11 alii,g glance at tin time piece said, <■ 'i’his thing may be the moans 0} sinking me,” and threw it upon the deck. There were three or four cab:n boys pale and qrosfcrato with seasickness!, and the cabin cook, an oil Al'rican 11 gto, under great excitement, WaS scolding them most profanely. To he Continued .