Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-06-19
A ROUGH SEA.
ON BOARD THE MONITOR EN- ROUTE
TO HAMPTON ROADS.
The Iron Clad's Battle with the Waves
Marrow Escape From n watery Grave
Commander 5. Dana Green's Let
ter Extracts.
United Service. /


DEAN MnIHER: | commence this now,
but dor know when shall finish, as !
have 10 write il at odd moments when |
lharlie good night on "Wednesday, the
9th, confidently expected to see you the
next day, as | then thought il would be
impossible TO finish our repairs on Thurs
day; but the mechanics worked all night,
aud at II a. m. We started down the har'
Dor, In company with the gunboatS
Sac"em aud ,urrituck. We went a,ong
very nicely, and when we arrived at Gov
ernOr island the steamer Seth Low came
alongside and took her in tow We went
out past the narrows with light wind
from tie west and very smooth wa.er
The weather continued the same all
Thursday night. | turned out At d clock
Friday morning. and from that time until
Monuay at p m. | think lyed ten
good years About noon the wind fresh
ened and the sea was quite rough In
the afternoon the sea was breaking over
our decks at q great rate. aud coming IN
our hawse pipe forward Ia perfect Gods
Cur leTlh deck Latch leaked in spite OF
all We could do, and the water tame down
under the tower like a waterfall IL
would strike the pilot house aNd % over
the tower In most beautiful curves. The
water came through the narrow el choles
in the pilot. house with such force
AS to knock the helmsman completely
around from the wheel At 4 r. N the
water had gone down our smoke sta Ks
and blowers TO such an extent that the
blowers gave out and the engine room was
filled with gus.
"Then, mother, occurred scene shall
never forget Our engineers behaved like
heroes, every one of them They fought
with the gas, endCayOred TO get the blow
ers 10 work. until they dropped appar
emily dead ! was nearly suiluCalcd with
the gas, but got on deck. after every one
had left the engine room, just in time To
save myself. Three firemcn were in the
same condition as the engineers Then
times looked rather blue. Ne had no fear
rs long as the engine could be kept going
10 pump out tue water, but when that
stopped the water increased rapidly. |
Immediately RI cd the hand pump on the
berth deck, but as We were Obliged 10 lead
the hose out over the towers there was uot
force enough in the pump to throw water
out. tur Uniy rCsoursc now was TO bail,
and that was useless. as We had TO pass
the buckets up through the tower, which
made il very long operation. What TO
do now We did not know. We had done
all in our power, and must let things take
their own course. fortunately the wind
was un.shOfe. so we hailed the tug boat
and told them 10 steer directly Tor the
shore, in order 10 get in smooth water.
AIS p. N. we managed to get the en-.
gines 10 20 and every thing Cnmpanliye.y
quiet again The captain lad been up
nearly all the previous night and, as we
did not like TO leave the deck without one
of us being there. told him | would
keep the watch from $ TO IL, he take it
from IL 10 !, and ] would relieve him
from ioS. WelSthe first watch passed
oil very nicely; smooth sea. clear sky,
the moon oul, and the old tank going
along five and six knots very nicely. All
had TO do was 10 keep awake and think
over the narrow escape we had had in the
afternoon. At ~ O'Clock things looked
SO Favorable that told the captain he
need not turn out; would lie down with
my clothes on. and if anything happened
| would turn out aud attend to IL lie
said y cry WE'LL and went to my room
and hoped TO get little nap.
was startled by the most internal noise
had ever heard The Merrimacs firing
last Sunday was music to IT, We were
just passing shoal, and the sea suddenly
became rough and right ahead. II came
up with tremendous force through our
anchor-well and forced the air through
our hawse.pipe where the chain comes,
aud then the water would rush through
la f...at - ~ a.
deck, over the wardrOOm table. The
noise resembled the death groans Of
twenty men. and was the most dismal,
awful sound have ever heard. OF course
the captain and myself were on our feet
in a moment, and endeavored TO stop the
hawse PIPE We succeeded partially; but
now the water began to come down our
blowers again, and We feared the same
AZ cdent that happened in the afternoon.
We tried TO hail the tugbOat but the wind
Icing dead ahead they could not hear u.
and we had no way Of signaling them,
as the steam.whistle which father bad
recommended had not been put on
I'VE began then TO think the Monitor
would never see daylight We watched
carefully every drop Of water that went
down the blowers. and sent continually to
ask the fireman how they were going.
His only answer was Slowly but could
not be kept going much longer unless the
water could be stopped from coming
down. The sea was washing completely
over our decks, and IL was dangerous for
a man 10 90 on them, so we could do moth.
ing 10 the blowers In the midst of all
this our wheel ropes jumped oil the steer
ing whecl. owing to the pitching of the
ship. and le anne ,ammed She now be.
gan 10 sheer about at an awful rate, and
we thought cur bawser would certainly
part fortunately Il was new, and held
on well. In the course OF half an hour
we freed our wbeel-ropes, aud now the
blowers were the only difficulty.
About clock Saturday a m the sea
became q little smoother, though still
rough, and going down our blowers some.
what The never failing answer came
from the cngineToom. blowers going
slowly but cant hold out much longer
From 4 a IN. till daylight was the long
est hour and half ever spent ! Ger.
lainly thought Old Sol had stopped in
China ~ last however, we could
make the tug boat understand 10 go nearer
in shore 10 get In smooth water, which
we did about K a. m. Things again were
q little quiet but every thing wet and un.
comfortable The decks aud air-poru
leaked, and the water still came down III,
matches and under the tower. | was busy
| all day making out my station bills anC