The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-27

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| full effect on the Confederate cruiser On
the seventh rotation on the circular track
the Alabama winded setting her fore staysail
and two jibs with head in shore. Her speed
| slackened, while the port broadside was pre-
sented to the Kearsarge, with only two guns
that could be brought to bear. She was now
practically at the mercy of her active foe,
who, with few well-directed heavy guns,
| brought down her flag 1t was impossible to
ascertain whether it had been shot away or
lowered il token of submission, but white
/ flag having been displayed over the stern,
the fire from the Kearsarge ceased. Two
minutes had not elapsed before the Alabama
| renewed the action with her two guns on
the port side, which was promptly returned.
The white flag was flying during the entire
incident At 1910 p NJ. a boat containing
an officer pulled alongside and surrendered
the Alabama, with the information that she
was rapidly sinking, and requesting assist
ance. The launch and second cutter were
/ Immediately dispatched, the balance of the
boats having been disabled by the enemy's
! fire,
The English yacht Deerhound, owned by
John Lancaster, of Hindley Hall, Wigan,
Lancashire, having approached within hail,
was requested by Captain Winslow to assist
/ i'll rescuing the survivors of the Alabama,
that vessel having sunk, to which ready as
sent was yielded In the midst of the labors
! it was reported to Captain Winslov that the
Deerhound was steaming rapidly away with
large number of the Alabama's people on
board. That officer took no notice of the puny
crafts movements. The conduct of Semmes
was cowardly in the extreme. He effected
his escape as follows: One of the boats be-
longing to the yacht, commanded by man
named Adams, was in the midst of a strug-
| gilng group, when person wearing an Of
ticer's cap was observed struggling in the
water. One of the men in the boat recog-
nized him as Semmes. At the same instant
the man called out:
81 am the captain of the Alabama Save
mel l cannot keep up any longerl'
Adams dragged him into the boat and
| Semmes begged:
For Gods sake, don't put me on board the
| X earsarge, but put me aboard the yacnt"
! The redoubtabie commander of the Ala
bama stretched himself in the bottom of the
| boat, shielded from the gaze of the Kear-
sarge's crew. who were looking for him anx-
| iously on all sides. And this was the man
ner in which the rebel chieftain took leave of
| his enemy, alter losing his ship and casting
his sword into the sea that it might escape
the indignity of falling into the hands of the
| Yankee. Comment is unnecessary. Pre-
viously to leaving the Deerhound Semmes
| generously presented Mr.. Lawrence's son
with one of his officers swords, together with
| a pistol in remembrance of the episode
| Great stress has been laid upon the fact of
the manipulating of the Kearsarge by inter-
ested parties who assumed but for that fact
the contest would have been decided
differently. The true facts regarding the
much-talked-of plating are as follows: In
| the wake of the engines, on the outside the
Kearsarge had stopped up and down her
| sheet chains. They were stopped by mar
| linspikeS to eyebolts which extended some
! twenty feet. The whole were covered with
light planking to prevent dirt collecting
| all OF which was accomplished by the crew
of the steamer. The Alabama had been five
! days making her preparations, had taken on
| board 800 tons of coal, bringing her we'll
down in the water, while the Kearsarge had
but 100 tons on board, presenting a much
! larger surface to her antagonist Semmes
| had the same opportunity to utilize his
cables and with superior facilities to adjust
the same, but the difference in the caliber of
| the two executive officers was very apparent;
hence the howl over the Yankee trick" as
| it was denominated.
The Kearsage expended 1873 projectiles; the
Alabaa 80 or more According to a pris-
oner's account one she'll from the Kearsage
killed eighteen men and disabled gun. An
other en- cred the coa-bunkers and exploded.
completely blocking up the engine-room
| The number of officers and men on the Kear-
sage was 1853; on the Alabama, $50. The Ala
bama fought seven guns; the Kearsage five,
| both exercising the starboard battery until
| the Southerner winded. Such stuffas the Ala
| bama firing when she was going down, US was
reported. is simply the widest twaddle.
| With the commanding officer skulking in
| the bottom of boat, seeking safety and shell
ter on board yacht it is not to be expected
that subordinateS would remain by the guns
of sinking vessel The Alabama represented
the best marine effort of the most skilled
English workshops. Her battery was com
posed of the well-tried thirty-two-p pound
ers, of fifty-seven hundred weight;
of the famous sixty-eight-pounders of the
British navy, and of the only successful
rifed 100-pounder made in England at that
time. The crew were generally recruited in
Great Britain and many of them received
superior training on board Her Majesty's gun
ming ship, the Excellent The Kearsarge was
one of the first gunboats built at one of the
! navy yards at the commencement of the re-
bellion, and lacked the improvements of
vessels constructed later in the war. The
| principal guns composing the battery had
never been previously tried or tested, yet in
one hour they sunk their opponent. ending
her predatory career, without the loss of a
| man. Honorable mention is due Lieuten-
ant Joseph ID. Wilson, connected with the
Alabama He came on board the Kearsarge
and surrendered. when it was in his power
to have gone on board the Deerhound. He
was paroiled, with all the privileges
that could be given a prisoner of
war Captain Winslow was ad-
vanced a grade and his executive
Lieutenant james d. Thornton who was the
executive OF Farragut's flagship the Hartford
In the passage OF the forts on the MISSISSIPPI,
was also advanced. His splendid and skill
| full handling of the Kearsarge deserved and
received high praise Down under French
waters, fathons deep, resting on the bed OF
the ocean, lies the Alabama, with all her
guns on board and some of her crew, waiting
for the judgment day, when the sea shall
yield up its dead. Down with her Kissed the
| commanders sword. The emblem ofauthor-
| ity lies beside the bloodstained ship. But
the guiding and controlling spirit the naval
commander, who had been reared and edu-
Gated ut the expense of government which
he had sworn to defend, lacked the courage
and fortitude to follow the track of his dis
graced saber, preferrng to follow in the track
of the maxim that "a live ass is preferable to
%, .Iond ian,