The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-04-28
TIE ALABAMA.
Her Sinking Described By the Second
OmCor In Command.

Ass Sinking Described By the Second
Omoer In Command.
When the firing ceased, Captain
Semmes ordered me to dispatch an
officer to the Kearsarge to say that our
ship was sinking, and to ask that they
send boats to save our wounded, as our
boats were disabled. The dingey, our
smallest boat, had escaped damage. l
dispatched Master's-mate Fullam with
the request. No boats appearing. I had
one Of our quarter boats lowered, which
was slightly injured, and I ordered the
wounded placed in her. DR.. Gait, the
surgeon who was in charge of the mag
azine and shell-room division, came or
deck at this moment and was at once
put in charge of the boat, with orders to
''take the wounded to the Kearsarge." ;"
They showed off just in time to save the
poor fellows from going down in the
ship.
now gave the order for ''every man
to jump overheard with spar and save
himself from the sinking ship" To en-
force the order, I walked forward and
urged the men overheard. As soon as
the decks were cleared. save of the
bodies of the dead, l returned to the
stern-port, where stood Captain Semmes
with one or two of the men and his
faithful steward, who, poor fellow! was
doomed to watery grave, as he could
not swim. The Alabama's stern-port
was now almost to the waters edge.
Partly undressing we plunged into the
sea, and made an oifing from the sink
ing ship, Captain Semmes with a life
preserver and on grating.
The Alabama settled stern foremost,
| launching he bows high in the air.
Graceful even in her death-struggle,
she in moment disappeared from the
face of the waters. The sea now pre-.
sented mass Of living heads, striving
for their lives. Many poor fellows sank
for the want of timely aid. Near me l
saw float of empty shell-boxes, and
! called to one of the men, a good swim
mer, to examine it; he did so and re-
piled: at is the doctor, sir, dead"
Poor Llewellyn! he perished almost in
sight of his home. The Young Mid
shipman Maffit swan to me and offered
his life-preserver. My grating was moi
proving very buoyant float, and the
whitecaps breaking over my head were
distressingly uncomfortable, to say the
least. Maffit said: "Mr. Kell, take my
life-preserver, sir; you are almost ex-
hausted." The gallant boy did moi
consider his own condition, but his
pallid face told me that his heroism was
superior to his bodily suffering. and
| refused it. After twenty minutes or
more / heard near me some one call
out "There is out First Lieutenant, "
and the next moment ! was pulled into
boat, in which was Captain Semmes
stretched out in the stern-sheets, as
pallid as death. He had received dur.
ing the action slight confusion on the
head, and the struggle in the water had
almost exhausted him. There were
also several of our crew in the boat
and in a few moments we were along
side little steam yacht, which had
come among our floating men, and by
throwing them ropes saved many lives
Upon reaching her deck, ascertaineG
for the first time that she was the yacht
Deerhound, owned by Mr.. John Ian
caster, of England. In looking round
saw two French pilot-boats engaged
in saving our crew, and finally two
boats from the Kearsarge.-LieSienan
Kcu, in Century.