Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-01-08
ID nc Loss on the pIonstor.

W BCL1V41 1AA hSAAs L4AD 1lo 10 Ne--A--
smooth as glass, and the weather warm
and pleasant The vessel proceeded at the
rate Of about five or six knots an hour,
with perceptible motion less than that Of
any other vessel. Everything seemed au-
spicious for q pleasant trip, and at night
all went below to sleep. Then they began
to experience the effects Of close air.
ain the interior Of the Monitor, as viii
be remembered by descriptions, few feet
forward Of the smOke-stsck to the stern, Is
located the machinery, the fre-room, &c.
Uuder the turret, and few feet forward
Of the main hatch, is the place occupied by
the sailors. Still further forward is the
cabin and ward-room. This is lighted by
turret-holes Around this are four large
rooms, say z by 8 feet, and four smaller
ones, G by feet, occupied by the officers.
She had ,blower-engines put in at Wash
ington, for the purpose Of drawing all the
air possible through the holes Of the turret
and the blower-stacks.
HWith the exception noted of the close
ness Of air, which indeed was almost IN
supporfable, there was nothing to mar the
comfort Of the first night. The next morn
ing broke beautifully, but with light
breeze that smashed up little waves against
the turret, just enough to make small rain
bows when the sun was shining on the
bows. So the weather continued till
Wednesday (Thursdsy2) afternoon, when
it became cloudy, and as the sky grew
darker it was thought they might have
rain. Soon, however, the wind cleared all
the clouds away, and they thought there
would be agreeable weather all the way
H., L-sA lat4.. - il.-. fam aasa ahnilf 4
o'clock, it commenced, to blow.
"At o'clock they stood S. 5. w. from
Hatteras Light, having cleared the Cape,
the breeze freshening more and more, but
no apprehensions being felt Of gale.
About Z o'clock they discovered the Pas
sale, some three or four miles to the north
east. When they saw the Passaic thus in
her stern, she having been ten miles ahead
at the start, all on board the Monitor
could not but feel a pride that she (the
Monitor) was the first there, as everywhere
| else-that she was the first iron-clad that
had rounded Cape Hatteras, as she had
led in naval achievements. The conclu-
sion was arrived at that the storm would
not overtake them, and therefore that 1t
was not necessary torun towards hatteras
/ Inlet
WThe breeze was blowing pretty freshly,
and increasing in violence, but there we're
indications in the west Of its clearing of
until about 8 o'clock, when in the space Of q
| few minutes, q storm Of wind and rain
gathered in the southwest, the wrathi Of
the waves augmenting with q sea so
rough that it began to dash against the
tower, throwing up fountains that leaped
80 or so feet in air, washing all over the
turret. The fury Of the storm kept on,
every wave dashing over the whole vessel
from stem to stern, and entering at every
crevice intended for the admission Of air.
! The vessel was thumped about in man
ner indescribable.
g The rain lasted from q quarter to half
an hour, but the gale ragged even more in
tensely than before. The vessel began to
| leak-they hardly knew where it came in
but It was very serious around the fore
castle and anchor. It was about o'clock,
and the pumps were set in motion. They
rapidly gained on the water, but in about
half an hour they kept about even pace
with each other. The gale had increased
| 10 a hurricane; the MoHIUUT EvvIInB anu
shuddering from end to end Faster and
fasee- tl.o water cEme in. It was gaining
on the pumps. By 81 o'clock the water
was reported gaining rapidly. A few
minutes later, and the report was that it
would soon be up to the fires. This again
was followed by the report that the vessel
could not live more than three hours long
er. The water rapidly nesred the fires I;
when they we're put out the pumps could
not be worked.
nWhen it was reported that the Moni-
tor could not stand it more than an hour
or two longer, signals of distress were
made at once Red, white, and blue rock
cts were thrown up, and were answered
by the Rhode Island. This was at IL
o'clock, when it had been decided as i'm
possible to save the vessel, and attention
was turned to saving their own lives. One
Of the hawsers connecting the Monitor
with the Rhode Island had parted between
/ 8 and o'clock. When the Rhode Island
answered, voice on the Monitor cried out
through a trumpet that they were in q
sinking condition. Those appealed to on
the Rhode Island went to work with the
utmost speed to send boats to the rescue.
alt was a most daring undertaking, but
they got out launch and manned her,
and riding on the crests and sinking in
the hollows Of the waves, she made toward
the Monitor At this time the sky was
filed with clouds, through which little
light from the moon appeared, SO that OBJ
jecs could be distinguished. The remain
ing hawser is now cut so that the boats
shall not get entangled; the hawser be-
comes entangled with the paddle-wheels of
the Rhodse Island: the rope clogs the
wheel, and the Rhode Island, large war
steamer, is drifting toward the Monitor;
the launch is between the two vessels thus
nearing each other, and seemed doomed to
destruction: the launch reaches the side Of
the iron-clad.
"The proximity is dangerous to all, for
two or three lurches and the sharp prov of
the Monitor will stave in the wooden walls
of the steamer. All feel that they shall
20 to the bottom. There is q terrible ST.
lence so far as those on the Monitor are
concerned. As two or three jump out of
the boat, the oars are seen to fash in the
air; the launch is heard crashing; in q
second the crew have sprang on the deck
! Ot the M0HIIUr. 5Tu1 1Cr1UssErSvssls7y sA---a
ser is cleared from the psddle-Wheel, and
/ the Rhode Island runs off, without the ia
tai shock, 10 safO distanoe.
awhile the vessels lay alongside, several
Of the Monitors crew sprang for the ropes
that dangled from the side Of the Rhode
Island, and some succeeded in climbing
up, while others were washed into the sea.
The crew Of the launch now sprang back
into her, but those of the Monitor were
reluctant to trust themselves to make the
attempt, as several were washed off the
deck by the great seas smashing over
They clung, therefore, to the top Of the
turret, fearing they might share the fate
they had witnessed overtaking others, pre-
ferring their chance to live little longer,
although there was the moral certainty
that they could not remain and live long.
Finally the launch was filed, having
taken on probably some fifteen from the