The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-05-07
The Sinking OF the Alabama.

From the account, in the April Gem
tu7y, by John Mcintosh Kell, the second
officer in command of the Alabama, we
take the following: when the firing
ceased, Captain Scmmes 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 dingcy. our smallest boat, had es-
capped damage. / dispatched Masters
mate Fullam with the request. No
boats appearing, had one of our quar-
ter boats lowered, which was slightly
injured, and / ordered the wounded
placed in her. DIR. Gait, the surgeon
who was in charge of the magazine and
shell room division, came on 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.
81 now gave the order for every man
to jump overheard with spar and save
himself from the sinking ship To en-
force the order, walked forward and
urged the men overheard. AS soon as
the decks were cleared, save of the
bodies of the dead, i 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 offing from the sink
ing ship, Captain Semmes with life
preserver and on grating.
''rhe Alabama settled stern foremost,
launching her bows high in the air.
Graceful even in her death-struggle, she
in moment disappeared from the face
Of the waters. The sea now presented
a mass of living heads. striving for
their lives. Many poor fellows sank for
want of timely aid. Near me l saw
float of empty shell-boxes, and called to
one of the men, good swimmer, to ex-
anime it; he did so and replied, 1T is
the doctor, sir, dead Poor Lewellyn!
he persisted almost in sight of his home.
The young Midshipman Maffit swan to
me and offered his life-preserver. My
grating was not proving a very buoyant
float, and the white caps breaking over
my head were distressingly uncomforta-
BILE, to say the least. Maffit said: Mr..
Kell. take my life-prcserver. sir; you are
almost exhausted The gallant boy
did not consider his own condition, but
his pallid face told me that his heroism
was superior to his bodily suffering, and
l refused it. After twenty minutes or
more heard near me some one call out,
There is our first lieutenant and the
next moment was pulled into the boat.
in which was Captain Semmes, stretched
out in the stern-sheets, as pallid as
death. He had received during the
action slight confusion on the hand,
most exhausted him. There There; were RE" also
several of our crew in the boat, and in
few moments We were alongside a
little steam-yacht, which had come
among our floating men, and by throw
ing them ropes saved many lives. Upon
reaching her deck, asccrtained for the
Itlnrs ss,t time that she was the Deerhound.
owned by Mr.. J5 DIN Lancaster, of Eng
land. In looking round | saw two
French pilot-boats engaged 1iiff> soy
ing our crew, and finally two boats from
Tho Koo ,o.,,rn