Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-07-15


poured into her destructive covering broadside,
winch tore through whole section of the Ala
od7ad $ SIDE at the water-line and let the water
through in cascades. Both ships then stopped
firing, and the AlnbaEld, without sIrikingherilag
started toRard Cherbourg, but Captain Ninshow
hosting his flag of victory, started TO head her off
he saw, however, that the 1tabdtno was filing
and at once lowered two boats to go to her aid
and, In effect thsvesse sank before she proceeded
adozen lengths toward the harbor. The KeQy-
sQrQes boats picked up sixty eight persons, Of
whom fourteen were wounded and of whom three
died. The others were picked up by tho English
-1acht, captain Lancaster, AMI landed at south
symptom. The heorsarge steamed at once INTO the
port Of Cherbonrg with her prisoners.
And now here arises two important questions
One relates TO the prisoners brought into Cher
bourg and the other to those carried into South
symptom. The prisoners brought into Cherbourg
many Of whom are Erenchmen, demanded to be
paroled, and Capt. Ninsl0w, who was crowded
for room, also desired TO know Of the American
Minister Il he could not parole them Mr.. Day
ton telegraphed TO his son and 20 Captain Ninsow
that the prisoners could not not be 5aroled, and
thar they must be held till tho ST L0uis arrived
and then conveyed to the Uunited States
In regard 10 Captain SeRmes and the other
prisoners carried into Southampton Captain Win
slow claims them as prisoners, aud Mr. Dayton
has advised Mr.. Adams TO demand their rendition
up all the officers and men of the 1tubanlQ. but
the boats of the English Yacht ran In and actually
stole them away, As II acting upSna pre-arTanged
plan, thus eonstitutingitac clear Intervention
Captain Semmes and party did not, therefore, es
cape. They were stolen away By party who was
indirectly interfering in the fight There was no
Eish on the part OF Capt Winslow to see Capt
Semmes drowned On the contrary be would
have soon taken up Semmes boat load himself
Here let me place a reflection. 1t is not strange
that at her birth and her DEATH aud althreugh the
course OF her short existance, whenever the -Aid-
bdlsG needed help there was always an Engiishman
there TO render itY She was constructed by an
Enghshman in an English port; she was taken
TO sea, armed, equipped ana started on her career
OF pIaage and devastation By Engishmau she
was fed, harbored, petted and protected in Eng
iish ports and, finally, when She arrives at the
last tragic scene in her destructive existence, there
steps in an Euglishnan to steal away her Captain
and officers
The MoajtsRr and other secession sheets gay
that the contest Was an unequal one, and this in
the face Of the boast Of Laird ana bonbastie Eng
lish ship-builders that the Ata5aaG could either
whip or outrun the Ke1rsarse and Captain Sem.
mes demanded nothing better than trial OF the
qualities of the two boats The facts are that the
hearSGrge could both outrun her and whip her,
An officer of the kearsarEe said here the other
day, that II they could get sight Of the Alabama
= IN the morning no matter At what distance, he
before night Both are wooden vessels, the Ala
banla being of 1880 tons, and the Kearsarge 1880
Both carried about the same number OF guns, but
the one carried Yankee guns-and the other Eng
iish, and this gave the Kearsarge great adyanage
a man who viii trust himself to English guns at
this advanced age ought TO have his ship sunk
The heaTsarge carried complement of onehun-
dred and eighty men, and the Alabama one hun-
dred and fifty, The difference was not great as
regards number, for ships of that size can be Just
aswell handled in an open sea fight with one hun
dred and fifty as with one hundred and eighty
men. But the Kearsarge had the great advantage
in the kind of men. She had i Yankee sailors and
some Of the old gunners of the United States Ma
vy-the first sailors and gunncrs in the world
The. officers of the Alabama, | am told, are all
superior men in their profession, bat their crew
volunteered for priyateering purposes, and we're
probably not the kind of men to fight such foe
as they found in the Kearsarge. For it is not the
most clustering man who makes the best fight in
case of life or death.
DR. Gait of Norfolk, Virginia, the surgeon Of
the Alabama, and gentleman who seems to have
been much beloved and respected on board the
vessel, was drownded, SO at least 1t is reported
will soon see
Ii is TO be hoped that our Government viii hur-
~ over here some additional men-of-war They
would be very useful in various ways.-Cor ~
T. Times.