New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-07-18
THE KEARsARoB AND THE ALABAMA.


SIR: Having Just returned from Cherbcurg,
the following account OF the KearsaTge and the damage
done her In her late engagement may prove Of some
interest TO your naval readers:
The KeafsarCe is a vessel Of $50 tuns and lies very
low in the Her armament consists ~ two j.
inch Dahlgrens four 32-pounders, and r.hed -
FOUNDER which she carries on her topg an forcastc
Her engines Of 3OO-horse power. working up 10
200 having IA furnaces the staff Of which consists Of
20 stokers five engineers and one chief engineer ana
never witnessed engines In more perfect and compcc
order or kept more beautifully clean. Her two Dahl
grens throw shell and hollow shot OF l3s pounds The
gun weighs eight tuns, and, owing 10 the simplicity OF
the carriage and its slide Is most easily worked.
Her officers and crew consist in al Of loo She IS very
lightly rifged spars very small aDd carries her boots
yery high above her bulwarks. Her speed Is very
great having steamed 10 knots for 4s hours consecu
lively and her chief engineer informed he has got
Is knots out VI her. When boarded her found she
had plates OF protection OF any kind beyond
having used Der chain cable about ~ fathoms on eah
side IL the wake of tue engines, stopped up and down
10 eyebolts driven in outside the ship and covered
by very thin piankng found she had had some eight
shots in her hull Two had struck this on her sarboard
side and had merely broken the links but had not pen
etrated A shell 90 had entered her starboard main
chains and exploded close 70 the llinch gun, but only
woundng three men. since dead one ~ shot took
OF the top Of her hurricane house over the engine
roo carrying away her port deadeye IN the main rig
ging A shot ~ struck her inbOard near TIE IiSen
mast on the port side passing cupboard and doing but
little damage. shot % struck her under the star
board counter. merely starting deck plank shell
a struck and remains two feet above water In her
stern post which they have merely covered over WITH
piece Of painted and this IS all the damage
done to her, beyond three shots through her funnel and
her rigging cut up little alon.
She has not been into dock does she require 1t,
and need have gone into port FOR repairs 50 little
effect has the Alabama IRE Ead On her. The following
account of the action j heard from Old friend d
French cartain who witnessed every mAneuyer nom
the center furt Of the break but rust premise
by saving that very strong feeling existed against the
NortherleTs CheTbourg during lie late rara engage
nent: The Hcarssrge days previously entered a.
the cost end II 0reakvAtr and passed through the
west end without anchorinS. the Alabama beng then
al anchor sni shy could see her outside pr0tectO7
On the morning VI Sunday tue Alabama steamed
straight toward her enemy who steamed 10 an IN
tack with the evident intention Of forcing toe Alabama
D. attack her her stsrbosrd side aud kept that side
toward her the whole action working round N circles
The Alabamas are very fast, bGt very bad, shots
going over and over her antagonist and her shells
seemed O. explode. Not 50 the kearsarge nearly
every shot told, and they terrific explosions f-Om
her shells splnters being plainly visible. The hight
in this way lasted one hour and ten minutes. when
Tie Alib INA struck her dag To their astonlsh-
ment they the kearsarge FIRE four 70 I've
shots after the ship had struck. The Ees-sarge
then steamed past the Alabama and remained aSterD
Lot lowering boat til she in the act Of sink
iac and 10 exactly eighteen minrtes nom the time
the saot fred TIL she sank. The average speed
was eight Aag.s .aIiHg iLs action. sgea = ~ nead