The morning call., 1894-01-07


sea he ordered Knowles to take up line
and make the admiraPs position more
secure. 81 went uD. says Knowles in his
simple narrative. land made piece OF
lead-line fast to one of the forward
| shrouds and then took it around the au-
miral to the after shrOud. making it fast
there. The admiral said, Never mind
I'm all right but went ahead and Obeyed
orders, for | feared he would fall over
board if anything should carry away or he
| should be struck
The enemy made the Hartford their
special target. For twenty minutes at a
stretch she fought the enemy's fort and
| feet tOgether-timbers crashing and
! wounded pouring down-cries never to be
| forgotten.
Immediately upon the appalling disaster
that befell the Tecumseh (blOwn up by
| submarine torpedo. the Brooklyn, in the
lead, paused and began to back. The YES
sells in thu rear, sailing according to orders,
| threatene a jam. Inextricable confusion
| seemed Inevitable.
| WHATS the tTouble?" was trumpeted
from the flagship.
"rorped0esP was the reply.
| Damn the tOTDedOesp cried Farra-
gut. -Four bells (meaning it is o'clock.
Captain Drayton, go aheadl JOuett. full
| speedY'
go ahead!" was not. it will be OBJ
served. Admiral Farragut's direction to
| the faltering Brooklyn; it was his order
TO the captain OF the Hartford; and full
speed" was his order to JOuett, captain of
the Me;acOmet, the gun boat to which the
| Hartford was dashed. The Hartford now
took the lead. and the ships fell again into
| line, all realizing that sudden destruction
had been averted.
But now the sdmraPs blue flag drew
upon the Hartford ferocious attack from
the formidable ram Tennessee, which pro-
ceeded to ram first one and then another
| n a al
snlns. Again she made dash to ram the
| Hartford, and Farragut signaled the feet,
| Attack the ram, not only with guns, but
bows on, at full speed"
The action that followed. engaging the
| Hartford. MOnOngahela, Lackawanna aud
| Chickasaw, resulted only in damage to our
own ships. The ram had the advantage of
being so surrounded by enemies that she
could fire in all directions continuously,
with the certainty Of hitting somewhere,
while the Union vessels had to observe the
utmost vigilance lest they collide with or
FIRE into one another.
With all their care an accident could not
be averted. The Hartford was run into by
the Lackawanna ana cut down nearly TO
the waters edge. But our monitors now
taking part In the action, the Tennessee
was speedily brought TO terms. Her sur
render, followed by the reduction of the
forts. closed the engagement.
The Hartford having been in the thick
est Of the fight, her loss IN killed was
| twenty-fve-one-third more than that of
all the rest of The fleet together. OF the
one hundred and seventy wounded twenty
eight belonged to the Hartford. Her star
board Storage was literally knocked into
small fragments, and u heavy oak stan
chiOn, broken in two in the middle, was
carried aft into the wardroOm.
AS was BETTING, on her return to the
| North New York, December -, 1860 the
old Hartford with her distinguished COM
mander was the object of much enthusiast
tic attention. A Federal salute was fired
IN their honor and committee of prOmi-
nent citizens OF New York went down to
the NaTrOws to meet the shi p and welcome
the admiral. Crowds of the curious and
admiring visited her. The old Hartford"
and THE dear old Hartford" passing into
the speech of the people as household
] words.
Now, indeed, as she lies-s forlorn, dis
mantled hulk in Rotten Row-more sad,
tender, heroic and happy memories and
! associations connected with her than there
are inches of oak in her makeup, one or
! the other of those terms seems naturally
to fall from every lip that names her.
When we find Admiral Farragut, lust
| one year and one month from the date of
her first battle, referring to her as the ola
! Hartford, we realize what battle-scarred
veteran she had already become. and what
| an age OF service had been crowded into
that short space of time.
! A year later he wrote: II am at work
on the old Hartford to make her ready for
| any work | may have to do"
| Ha, old ship, do they thrill,
The brave two hundred scars
You got in the river wars?
Cries BrOwneli in the spirited verses from
which our pOetical extracts are taken.
Always considered \ lucky ship, the
| Hartford was also one OF the most com
forta BILE. With all the modern warships'
supply OF ingenious cOntTvances for the
utilization Of space and the promotion of
comfort. they bear DO comparison with tn
ease and freedom enjoyed on the Hartford.
To many brave and true heart she is
dear; replete with happy memories of
long and happy cruises.
We shall never see her like again no.
not even when she is restored" Modern
| armament, new style engines, electrical
fittings and improvements In every essen
tial particular. will. it is to be regretted,
| furnish the rising generation a rather dis
tOrted idea of the gallant old Hartford that
| embellished so glorious a page in the his
| tory of the nation.
MY delight would have been to smash
her in true Hartford STYLE" wrote Farra-
gut in reference to the Confederate ram
| Arkansas, with which apt Hartford senti-
ment may Uncle Sam fOrevermore salute
the foe.