The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-02-07
tEow York TrlbuLel
RAPHAEL sEaIAIEs.
rer.on., no,n.u,.eono. Of .ho Doaa sailor

The circumstances Of the fight be-
tween the Kearsarge and the Alabama
are too we'll known TO need repetition.
The gentleman already referred TO waea
witness to this fight, but did not take
part in it, being at the timo on board
French tug. Ho says that Admiral
Sommes made great mistake in going
out Of Cherbourg 10 meot the Kear-|
sarge at all. He said the Immediate
cause of his going out was n threat Of
} Winslow to go into port with the Unit
ell States Gag flying over the inverted
Confederate flag, and TO sail around the
Alabama as an insult. Semmes sent
back werd that If he wcnld not do that
he would go out and 6ght him.
i The Akabama had been at sea then
abot two years, and her copper hurg.
in "elbows" all over her bottom, which
was also very dirty. When in good con
ditien she could sail twelve or foruteen
knots an hour, but at that time she
could not have made six knota at the
best Besides this, tho powder that
she used was some that had been con.
demned by tie British Government,
and, To make il still worse, portion Of
the condeRAing apparatus of the vessel,
used for producing fresh water, was in
contact with her magazine 80 that much
Of her powder was wet. The result WAS
that the heaviest shells fired by the Aia-
banaa failed to perforate tho sides Of the
Kearsarge, and somo of them were seen
to drop in the water before reaching her
enemy, although the vessels were a.
the time not over three hundred yards
apart.
The same gentleman expressed the
opinion that Admiral Semmes, in tho
book describing the cruise Of the Aka.
Jdma, does himself great injustice when
he asoribes his failure to disable
the Kearsarge 70 the fact that tho
latter hung chain cables upon her sides.
These cables were only placed upon her
bows, and had the powder OF the ALa-
banra been in good condition. ho ex-
presses il as his opinion that she would
have sunk the KearsarJs in spite Of ali
such protection. Ono of the shells Of
the alabama. which lodged in tho storm
spot OF the keaTsarge, but did not ex-
, plode, is now in this city Ifit had ex.
, plodod it would undoubtedly have de
stroyed Winslow's vessel
y Scmmes displayed the grcateat cool
l ness in the handling Of his vessel dur.
; ing she whole Of tho fight with the
Z KeArsarge and whom the Alabama was
, about to sink, no was the last man 20
leave her. A sailor namel Marrs who
hadshown very great bravery during the
/ combat, and who had picked uP a shell
= fromthe KearsArget that fvn on the deck
of tho Alabama and thrown IL over
/ board--it exploded before il reached
the water-brought lifs.preserver 70
4 Semmes, and insisted that he should
! put it on. Semmes refused 20 do so,
q snd told the sailor that his life was
4 worth az much 20 him as tho Admirars
! and that he must put il on himself.
He had in his hand some vAuablc pa
, pers, among them the bonds Of mum
:, ber of ships that had boen captured, and
these he gave to Marrs directing him
D. to save them at all hazards. Subse-
= quently some Of the officers and sailors
persuaded Semmes 10 use n life presor.
a yer. Mars Was picked up by one Of
,t NA0 OOANS W NnG AAGAka4AiEcf Dhb atAHpA
= overheard. He was then picked up q
second time by another Of the Kear
IA sarge's boats and a second time leaped
Il into tho water. and was finally rescued
81 by French boat, saving the paper
80 which had been committed to his
: care.
n Semmes was very strict discipline
a rian. This was especially necessary il
20 the service in which the Alabama wa
- engaged. Tho line between that kin,
n Of service and piracy was 80 narrow
that but for the strictest discipline, tn
~ crew Of the Confederate steamer woul,
ii have been guilty Of all sorts of excesses
- Whensan American vessel was captures
- If il had on board an American cargo
u it was burned. If the cargo belonged t
foreigners, the Captain was made to sig
al bond for the value of the vessel. N
a. officer or member of the crew of tn
NJ Alabama was allowed to take any art
Gle from the prize. The gentleman VIII
describes the service says that he wa
H. once very severely punished by tn
n Captain Of the Georgia for taking fror
~ the cabin of a vessel that was capture
sewing bird, worth only fe'
,ad cents.
he by q 10" Oh tne Oohiederate CohgreS
ice the officers and crew of the Alabam
were to receive from the Cenfederat
all Government one half the value Of a
American vessels destroyed, and th
.ha whole value of all that were bonde
,sv but their cleims were, of course, new
r;s- paid. The reason why prizes were d
"a stroyed was that the Alabama was n
allowed to take vessels which she ca
h a tured into the ports of any foreil
ar- country to be condemned. The office
-;ss and crews of all captured vessels we
,rv very kindly treated while on board Il
Alabama. During the day half of the
ins were allowed to go on deck at all time
ods mingling with the crew, while the 1
an mainder were kept below. At mig
bos all of them, of course, were confne
The officers and crews of captur
vessels were also allowed to take wi
them all their private property, b
my none that belonged to the vessel.
Ma The gentleman already referred
ION says that a very erroneous idea preva
hes in the North that the crew Of the A
ran bama was composed of English a
Southern men. On the other hav
'ket during the most of the time they We
peo- almost exclusively Yankee sailors fr'
be captured vessels. In some instant
, IN the entire crew Of whaler desired TO