The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-05-13
The Sinking of the Alabama.

"onA III. heli, III dprn century.
"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. dispatched Masters Mate
Fullanl with the request. No boats
appearing, I had one of our quarter
boats lowered, which was slightly In.
jured, and ordered the wounded
placed in her. DR.. 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.
II now gave the order for every man
to jump overheard with O. spar and
save himself from the sinking Ship
To enforce the order, 1 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 stewart, who, poorfel-
low! was doomed to q 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 Of
fling from the sinking ship, Captain
Semmes with life preseryer and I on
a grating.
'The Alabama settled stern fore
most, launching her bows high in the
air. Graceful even in her death strug-
gle, she in O. 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 the want of timely aid.
Near me l saw a.hoat of empty shell.
boxes, and called to one of the men,
good swimmer, to examine it; he did
so and replied, 1T is the doctor, sir.
dead. Poor Llewellyn! he persisted al.
most 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 uncomfortable,
to say the least. Maffit said: Mr..
Kell, take my life-preserver, sir; you
are almost exhausted The gallant
boy did not consider his own condi-
ton, but his pallid face told me
that his heroism was superior to his
bodily suffering, and 1 refused it. Aft
ser twenty minutes or more I heard
near me some one call out, There is
our hrst lieutenant and the nextmo
ment | was pulled into a boat, in
which was Captain Semmes, stretched
out IN the stern-sheets, as pallid as
death. He had received during
the action q slight confusion on
the hand, and the struggle in the water
had almost exhausted him. There
were also several of our crew in the
BOAT, and in O few moments we were
alongside little steam yacht, which
had come among our floating men,
and by throwing them ropes saved
many lives. Upon reaching her deck,
ascertained for the first time that
she was the yacht Deerhound, owned
Dy MIR: John Lancaster, of England.
In looking round Isaw two French
pilot boats engaged in saving our crew,
ana hInally two boats from the Rear.
sarge" PA