Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-08

till the muZZles were actually under water,
and the last shot from the doomed ship was
fired as she was settling down. When her
stern was completely under water, Captain
Semmes gave orders for the men to save
themselves as best they could, and every
one jumped into the sea and swan to the
boats which had put off to their rescue
Those of them who were wounded were
ordered by Captain Semmes to be placed In
the Alabama's boats and taken on board
the Kearsage, which was, as far as possi-
BILE, obeyed.
'sCaptain Semmes and those above mem
toned were saved i'm the Deerhound's boats;
and when it was ascertained that the wa
ter was clear of every one that had life left
and that no more help could be rendered,
the yacht steamed away for Cowes, and
thence to this port.
"The Kearsage, it is known, has for some
time been in hot pursuit OF the Alabama,
which vessel Captain WinslOw was deter
mined to follow everywhere till he over
took the enemy. Very recently she chased
and came up with one of the vessels Of the
Chinese eXpeditionary force returning to
England, and ran alongside with her guns
pointed and crew at quarters before she
could be convinced of her mistake, for the
eXpeditionary vessel was very much like
the celebrated Confederate cruiser. The
Kearsage was then described as likely to
prove formidable Overmatch for the Ala
bama, having higher steam power and rate
of speed q crew nearly double that under
Captain Semmes, and, unlike her sister ship,
the Tuscarora, carrying ten, instead of
eight, very heavy eleven-inch shell guns
the so-called Columbiads of the American
navy. The Alabama, on the contrary, is
stated 20 have had only two heavy rifled
o.,I ~. 1,sI 80, ,,.,I
erS.
"The crew of the Alabama comprised in
all about one hundred and fifty when she
left Cherbourg. OF these ten or twelve
were killed during the action, and num-
/ber were known to be drowned, the differ
ence between these and the number brought
home by the Deerhound being, it is hoped,
saved by the boats of the Kearsage, or some
French pilot boats which were in the vicil.-
ity. The French war vessel Couronne did
not come out beyond three miles. The sur
geon of the Alabama was All Englishman,
and, as nothing has been heard of him since
he went below to dress the wounds of some
of the sufferers, it Is feared that he went
down with the ship.
"The wounded men on board the Deer
hound were carefully attended to until her
arrival here, when they were taken to the
Sailors Home, in the Canute road. Several of
the men are more or less Scared, but they
are all about the town to-day, and the only
noticeable case is that of man who was
wounded in the groin, and that but slightly.
"Captain Semmes and his first lieuten
ant, Mr. j. NJ. Kill, are staying at kelway's
Hotel, in Queens terrace, where the gallant
commander is under the care of DR.. Ware,
a medical gentleman of this town, his right
hand being slightly splintered by shell.
. hon fh.,h
hound they had nothing on but their draw
ers and shirts, having been stripped to
| fight, and one of the men, with a sailors
| devotedness insisted OH seeing his Captain,
who was then lying in Mr.. Lancaster's cab
| in in very exhausted state, as he had been
entrusted by Captain Semmes with the
ships papers, and to no one else would he
give them up. The men were all very anX-
| ious about their Captain, and were rejoiced
to find that he had been saved. They ap-
peared to be set of first-rate fellows, and
to act well together in perfect union under
the most trying circumstances.
"The Captain of the forecastle on board
the Alabama, Norwegian, says that when
he was in the water he was hailed by a boat
from the Kearsage, Come here, old man,
and we'll save you;' to which he replied,
Never mind me, l can keep up half an
hour yet; look after some who are nearer
drowning than am He then made away
for the Deerhound, thanking God that he
was under English colors.
"Throughout the action the Deerhound
kept about mile to the windward of the
combatants, and was enabled to witness the
whole of it. The Kearsage was burning
Newcastle Goals, and the Alabama Welsh
Goals, the difference in the smoke (the north
country coal yielding so much more) en-
abling the movements of each ship to be
distinctly traced.