The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-29
A ROUGH SEA.
Oh BOARD THE MONITOR EN- ROUTE
TO HAMPTON ROADS.
The Iron Cia6's Battle with the Waves
Narrow Escape From a Watery Grave
Commander S. Dana Green's Let
ter-Extracts.
United service.I


UNITED STATES STEAMER MONITOR,
HAMPTON ROADS. March IA, 1862. MY
DEAR MOTHER: l commence this now,
but don't know when | shall finish, as
have to write it at odd moments when
can find a minutes rest. When bid
Charlie good night on Wednesday, the
5tb. | confidently expected to see you the
next day. as / then thought it would be
impossible to finish our repairs on Thurs
day; but the mechanics worked all night,
and at II a. m we started down the har-
Dor, In company with the gunbo as
Sacnem and Currituck. We went along
very nicely, and when we arrived at CO..
ernOr's island the steamer Seth Low came
alongside and took her in tow. We went
out past the narrows with light wind
from the west and very smooth water
The weather continued the same all
Thursday night | turned out at o'clock
Friday morning, and from that time until
MONDAY at z p. IN. think lived 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 a great rate, and coming in
our bawse pipe forward in perfect floods
Our Lerth-deck hatch leaked in spite Of
all we could dc. and the water came down
under the tower like a waterfall. 1t
would strike the pilot-house andAgo over
the tower in most beautiful curves. The
water came through the narrow eye-holes
in the pilot-hOuse with such force
as to knock the helmsman completely
around from the wheel At 4 p. m. the
water had gone down our smoke-stacks
and blowers to such an extent that tbe
blowers gave out and the engiue-rOom was
filed with gas.
"Then, mother, occurred scene | shall
never forget Our engineers behaved like
heroes, every one of them. They fought
with the gas, endeavored to get the blow
ers to work, until they dropped appar
emily dead. ! was nearly suffocated with
the gas. but got on deck. after every one
had left the engine room, just in time to
save myself. Three firemen were in the
same condition as the engineers Then
times looked rather blue. We had no fear
as long as the engine could be kept going
to pump out the water, but when that
stopped the water increased rapidly.
Immediately rugged the hand pump on the
berth-deck, but as we were obliged to lead
the hose out over the towers there was not
force enough in the pump to throw water
out Our only resourse now was to bail,
and that was useless, as we had TO pass
the buckets up through the tower, which
made it very long operation What TO
do now we did not know. We had done
all in our power, 9ud must let things take
their own course. Fortunately the wind
was off-shore, so we hailed the tug-boat
and told them TO steer directly for the
shore in order to get in smooth water.
AT 8 p. n. we marAged to get the en-
gines to go and everything comparatively
quiet again. The captain had been up
nearly all the previous night, and, as we
did not like to leave the deck without one
of us being there. l told him / would
keep the watch from to ~, he take il
from 10 TO 4, and / would relieve him
from to S. Well, the first watch passed
OFF very nicely; smooth sea, clear sky,
4 knw,l Inn
along five and six knots very nicely. All
l had to do was to keep awake and think
over the narrow escape we had had in the
afternoon. at IL 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
l would turn opt and attend to it. He
said Very weli, and ] went to my room
and hoped to get little nap
I" / had scarcely got to my bunk when
was startled by the most internal noise
had ever heard The Merrimac's firing
last Sunday was music to il. We were
just passing shoal, and the sea suddenly
became rough and right ahead. 1t came
up with tremendous force through our
| anchor-well and forced the air through
our hawse- pipe where the chain comes,
and then the water would rush through
in a perfect stream, clear to our berth
deck, over the wardroom table. The
noise resembled the death groans of
| twenty men, and was the most dismal,
awful sound l have ever heard. Of course
| the captain and myself were on our feet
| in a moment, and endeavored to stop the
| bawse pipe. We succeeded partially; but
now the water began to come down our
| blowers again, and we feared the same
accident that happened in the afternoon.
We tried to hail the tugboat. but the wind
| being dead ahead they could not hear US.
and had of SIGNALING them.
as the Steam-whistle which father had
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 itSwas dangerous for
q man to go on them so we could do moth
ing to the blowers. In the midst of all
this our wheel ropes jumped off the steer
ing wheel, owing to the pitching of the
ship. and became jammed. She now be-
gan to sheer about at an awful rate, and
we thought cur haWser would certainly
part Fortunately it was new, and held
on we'll In the course of half an hour
we freed our wheel.ropes. and now the
UlONGIS W Z INT OllA9
About o'clock Saturday a. m the sea
became a little smoother. though still
rough, and going down our blowers some
what. The never failing answer came
from the engine-roOm, Blowers going
slowly, but can't hold out much longer
From a IN. till daylight was The long
est hour and half ever spSIt GER
tainly thought Old Sol had stopped in
China At last, however, we could
make the tug boat understand to go nearer
in shore to get in smooth water, which
we did about a. N. Things again were
little quiet but everything wet and IN
comfortable. The decks and air-ports
leaked, and the water still came down tho
matches and under the tower. was busy
all day making out my station bills and
attending to different things which con
stantly required my attention.
when fhe Rudder Il Gone.
Boston Transcript
The steering of a vessel by the rudder
of a second vessel which it has in tow, as
in the recent case of the Alaska and Win