The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-09-13
THE LAST OF Tas KEA2sAHGE
ccploY&blo Destruction OF the 6ob:c Con
oanror OF The A{e11ana.

DcrloYahao Destruction OF the Noble Con
qaeror OF the Alabama.
Fancy fhat in the middle cf The
month Of March. a few ,ve.e:ls aeter tie
news of TIC loss OF the l.-1es.'i:;c
had arrived. You were with Us on beard
the Steamship '.0c:on,1 with Norfolk.
Virginia ard Fortress AIonro, iefS be
hind, standing out between the capes
of the Chesapeake, headed for :'ol Sal
vador.
We ,.c-o boand fsr Roncada1 Rect.
where the Old keo7s;;r9a c;eFit f.oc'ss.e;
for the cvern;nent. unwilling - ADAM
don such p faithful servant without an
effort il her behalf. sent ont ali e7:pcli-
ton to sec whether the ship could not
be raised and brought triuin2haIatl.- 70
port.
After tho rce,r observation on We'd
ncs,lay. Ais-:h 81, Capt. smith Al
no;,,c,.d TIM. l.s II o'sln':< on the NOR
row we should &C. tbs Kccr>er-c. Az
wore on the lockout the following
morning, bit BY II O'CLOCK. IS Shoe
were no signs Of The Kear,art-'. ths Ell
gi1cs were stopped until the nno:i CD
scrra:ion shorl1 determine tn. l5o>.tto"
; CT t,4e ship. We ;.:cre i,erlnni:c% 10 Teaf
that we had agar gone astra7. ft';:"n .
shout from abo~r. anl then another.
and another proclaimed "i:rca'Scrs az
the stnrboar,! boy
The e.:citou,ant became n tci; @.
"Ies: thcro she lies over t, The ice
ward Of the breaker: on. mat in F'cr-
10! no. that's Il snail Snip ana nc
wrec,e. J cant see any signs Of her.
ycs! yes. there she iie> Of ycnaer' No,
That's not the Hcars1rTc.
Thus the uncertainty continued. On,
in the n,eantimo we i.a'i caught TIE
CLEAN Of the SURF from INC deci1 below,
and before long the whole sweep Of the
! breakers coming into vic'v otfaref; Fl
most magnificent spectacle.
Weapproacfe>l nearer aud nearer, cut
! found no signs Of tho kaarsarge. Sic
ronc!" exclaimed tie licuteran;.
The breakers, rolling in Il mile end q
half away, kept up n continuous roar.
80 that we understood why tho Spanish
should have namcl the reof "Eo:l-
cador,' or "rhe SnOrar
After nc had anchored. q dark mass
in the surf va, seen. It va The only
possible object that cnul.l he the ;Near-
sarge. The scoun,lrels h:id burned her.
No one had been willing TO admit The
truth, though it hal grown more evi-
dent the nearer We approached.
The Kcarsargc WAS gone! Mcr
looked at one aHothc: All 81 !lv shook
their heads rhnS vanished al! hope
of seeing the OLD ship a1oo. once more
and brought safe houe The kcar.
sarge had won iler last h.ttle. breasted
her last storm sailed her last voyage.
Honccgorth she belonged t. history.
Captain Burgess. IL the SIR. boat.
vent at once to explore: b.;s before his
return the dugoats of some fishermen
pulled alongside ani "a" iaon cane on
board.
From them we learned that the lNear-
sarge had lndcc;! been bHrnc;. y III!
vas left was made up Of the boilers and
stem. rising above tho surf. togethci
with one Or two pieces o. tie side, washed
further upon TIC reef. Che OF those
pieces was even then burning, and a.
night came en- The go" ct the lire corio
bo seen above thc yr"rHs. Wi!o bad de-
stroved her no one l,nc". TIC c,;plor
mo party returned ut dark with pre
ciscly the same story t. tell. Th'
!learsargc had evidently been ioote:i
then burned TO the water's edge, and
the storms OF the provials rack had
entirely broken her nm.
Bright AMI early in t,4a morning tax
boats were lowered and inanno'!. "n'
all hands. officers ar,l crew. starred 1ol
the wreck. ..ftcr p1i OF more tfal
a mile, tha water shining to WITHIN
two on three feet. We Left the BOAT
and waaing up to orr ':nees--c2uSl'
now and then By big wave that gave
rs q tumble ia thc s:1rf--;yc reached
the first piece Of the wreck, largS
part OF the port sit'o. }Ting in tn.
water washed b. tic r;.vas "cvera'
hundred feet farther CT an even large:
section OF tho Same side vas OFT Of the
wa$ep. while jnSs beyond, in tbs 'crJ
heart Of the brcA.cer>, "e:l- n'neh IN the
po,ition in which she niuSt have strrck
stood the stem o; the kcarSarge
charred and blac!1oned-this, with the
boilers, being al! that co1!A DC seen -
II. Gilbert Frost, in St. Nlc.'"ics'