Newbern weekly progress., 1863-01-17
The Loss of the Mentor.

The Monitor in tow of the steamer Rhode
Island, started from Fortress Monroe about 8
o'clock on Monday afternoon, Dec Goth. The
Passaic, in tow of the steamer State of Geor
gia, had gone out some time before, and was
| perhaps ten miles at sea. On board the Mon
itor were 63 persons all told. The sea was
! calm and smooth glass, and the weather
| warm and pleasant The vessel proceeded at
the rate of about five or six knots an hour,
with perceptiele motion less than that of any
other vessel. Everything seemed auspcious
for pleasant trip, and at night all went below
to sleep. They then began to experience the
effects of close air.
membered by the descriptions, few feet for
ward of the smoke stack to the stern is located
the machinery, the fire-room, &c. Under 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 feet, and
four smaller ones, 6 by 9 feet, occupied by the
officers She bad blower engines put in at
Washington, for the purpose of drawing all the
air possible though the holes of the turret and
the blower stacks.
With the exception noticed of the closeness
of the air, which, indeed was almost insup
portable, there was nothing to mar the comfort
of the first night. The next morning broke
beautifully, but with light breeze that
smashed up little waves against the turret,
just enough to make small rainbows when the
sun was shining on the bows. So the weather
continued until Wednesday Cfhursday) after
noon, 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 down but la
ter in the afternoon, about o'clock, it COM
menced to blow.
At o'clock they stood S. s. W. from Hat
teras Light having cleared the Cape the wind
freshening more and MORE but no apprehen-
sions being felt of gale About o'clock
they discovered the Passaic, some three or four
miles to the Northeast. When they saw the
Passaic thus IN her stern, she having been ten
miles ahead at the start, all on board the Mon
itor could not but feel pride that she the
Monitor) was the first there as everywhere
else-that she was the first iron- clad that had
rounded Cape Hatteras, she had led in ma =
val ssoio Tl.~~~s~l.Asion arrir 0d
at that the storm would not overtake them,
and therefore it was not necessary to run to-
wards Hatteras Inlet.
The breeze was blowing pretty freshly, and
increasing in violence, but there were indica-
tions in the west of its clearing off until about
s o'clock, when, in the space of few minutes,
a storm of wind and rain gathered in the
southwest the wrath of the waves augment
ing, with sea so rough that it began to dash
against the tower, throwing up fountains that
leaped 80 or 40 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 manner indescribable.
The rain lasted from a quarter to half an
hour, but the gale ragged even more intensely
than before. The vessel began to leak-they
hardly knew where it came in-but it was
very serious around the forecastle and anchor.
1t 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 to hurricane; the Monitor
reelng and shudering from end to end. Fast
er and faster the water came in. 1t was gain
ing on the pumps. By 104 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 a
report that the vessel could not live more than
two or three hours longer. The water, rapidly
neared the fires; when they were put out the
pumps could not be worked.
When it reported that the Monitor
could not stand it more than an hour or two
longer signals of distress were at once made
Red, white and blue rockets we're thrown up