Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-02-23
HOLLIYS'S TURTLE.
How e Peaceful Terchant snip was Wade
"a do Daily a. Il TerrIteT of IA
Union Fleet.

Portsmouth q. H. Chronicle A
recent uot3ce Of the confederate Commo.
dore Hoilins calls to mind the career and
end OF one of the unlucky ships" built
on the Piscataqua--the Mary kingsland.
Thi, ship was built in this city by the
late George Rayues, in 1889; she was OF
a fine model, and registered about one
hundred tous-a large ship for those
days After she was launched her load.
ing up and fitting out were carried on to-
g-tbGr, and one day bale OF pressed hay
fell out of the slings when high in air and
struck a man named Pike, who was at
work on the main hatch coamings. The
man was taken to Mr., Raynes's house,
and everything possible done for him,
bus he soon died, 4 post-mortem ex.
animation was held, and the physician
who made it came near losing his
lite from blood.poisoniug, having been
infected through an abrasion of the skin
on his hand, /, was quite a job to get a
crew for the ship when she was ready
Tor the sea, the local mariners declin.
ing to 20 in her, shaking their heads and
asserting that she would always be an
uulucSy ship having caused a mans
death before she ever dropped her keel in
O.ue water. But she went to sea, took her
cargo OF pressedhay, apples and potatoes
to q southern port, and went into the
cotton trade. I'll luck followed her, for
after making many successful trips she
at last took fire while lying, cotton
loaded, at New Orleans, and was burned
to the waters edge, The hulk was sold,
fitted with powerful engines, and made
into a towbOat, and ran for years between
the gulf and New Orleans. On the
breaking out Of the rebellion she was
,eizet By the rebels, and Hollins (who
had deserted from the union navy to
join the confederacy) altered her ma
chlaery to suit her new career, fitted her
VIII a powerful ram, and built a
convex iron shell all over her, so
that she looked not unlike a NAM
moth turtle. Hollins called her
the Manassas, but her popular
name was "Hollins's turtle" It was the
old Mary Kingsland, transferred into
this wonderful turtle" that caused
such a panic among the union men.of-
war blockading the passes of the Missis-
/ sippl early in the war, when they slipped
their cables and put to sea like a flock of
gulls or her appearance-but iron clad
warfare was then new thing. This one
exploit was about all the famous ram
ever accomplished she never managed
to get up another scare, and finally came
to grier and total destruction when
F%arragut's feet fought its way past the
forts to New Orleans. IL flag officer
Farragut's report to the secretary OF the
navy OF the fight with the forts and the
rebel feet, on the night of March % and
q, 1872 he tells how his ship, the Hart.
ford, was crowded ashore by attempting
to avoid a f~ire.raft that was pushed by tHe
Manassas, and which the ram did succeed
nfJrcinga against the hartford, setting hel
'On fire halt way up to her tops" Aftel
the union feet had passed the forts anC
destroyed eleven OF the rebel vessels, thu
Manassas still kept up the fight, anC
Faragut ordered the Mississippi, one o
the big old side.wheelers, to run he
down. The Mississippi went at her will
full speed, but when within fifty yard
Of her the ram lodged and ran ashore
but though she could escape the hug,
steamer she could not dodge her missiles
and two br1adAiies Of nine-inch solid sho
q, cl0.e range riddled her like q sieve
she surrendered, and a boats crew an
engineer went On board her; but tn,
pnH crew was recalled, the prize set Oh
fire, gwen another bsoadkide, and sen
d5Wn the river a wreck. When sh
20. down s5,east Of Commander Porter
mof,zr boats she w2s sbOt ~ again by tw,
s'eamers and come Of the mortar vessels
but Porter soon found she was On FIRE an,
ansiD2, . hsT pipes TWISTED and riddle,
Nth sh0i, and her null well cut up
Porter " tried b ave her a. a curiosity
by getting a hawser around her and se
curing her ~ the bank, but just afte
doing W enc family exploded. Her 0nll
gun went of, aud emitting flames through
her bow port ike some huge animal, shl
gave a plunge and disappeared under thl
water" And thus the formidable ran
Manassas, once the peaceful merchant
shin MARY Kingsland. 6nishedh he career