News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-22
SINKING OF THE ALABAMA.
An OGlcer,s Story of How the Ship Went
Down.

From the account, in the April Centu-
rv by John Mcintosh Ken; the second
officer in command of the Alabama, we
take the following: "When the trlng
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 es-
capped damage. l dispatched Masters
mate Fullam with the request. No boats
appearing, I had one of our quarter
boats lowered, which was slightly in
iured, and l 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 If 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 a spar and save
himself from the sinking ship To en-
force the order, l walked forward and
urged the men overheard. AS soon as
tie decks were cleared, save of the
bodies of the dead, returned to the
stern-post, where stood Captain Sem
mes with one or two of his men and his
faithful steward, who. poor fellow was
doomed to a watery grave, as he could
not swim. TIE Alabama's stern post
was now almost to the waters edge.
Partly undressing, we plunged into the
sea, and made an otfing from the sink
ing ship, Captain Semmes with life
preserver and on grating.
1.-THE 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 the
want OF timely aid. Near me l saw a
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 Llewellyn!
he persisted almost in sight of his home.
The young Mid shipman Matft 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 preserver,, 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 some one call out, There
is our first lieutenant and the next
moment 1 was pulled into boat, in
which was Captain Semmes, stretched
out in the stern sheets, as pallid as
death. He had received a slight con-
fusion on the hand, and the struggle in
the water had almost exhausted him.
There were also several of the crew in the
boat, and in few moments we were
alongside little steam yacht, which had
come among our floating men, and by
throwing ropes saved many lives. Upon
reaching her deck, l ascertained for
tie first time that she was the yacht
Deerhound, owned by Mr.. John Ian
caster, of England. In looking round l
saw two French pilot-boats engaged in
saving our crew, and finally two boats
from the Kearsarpe. y