The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-08-30
THE LAST OF THE 'KEARSARCE."
As Told in sketch by Those Who Wen
- Visit the Wreck.


Visit the Wreck.
Fancy that in the middle of the month
cf March, n few weeks after the news OF
the loss Of the "Kearsarge" had arrived,
YOU were with us on board the steam
ship Orion" with Norfolk. Virginia
and Fortress Monroe left behind, stand
inc out between the capes of the
Chesapeake, headed for San Salvador.
We were bound for RUncadOr Reef,
where ,he old kealsargc went down; foI
the Government. unwilling to abandon
such a faithful servant without an effort
in her behalf, sent out our expedition to
see whether the ship could not be raised
and brought triumphantly to port.
After the noon observation on
Wednesday, March u, Captain Smith
announced that by eleven o'clock on the
morrow we should see the KearSargc.
All were on the lookout the following
morning, but by eleven O clock, as there
were no signs of the kearsarge. the
engines were stopped until the noon OBJ
servation should determine the position
of the ship. Wewere beginning to fear
that we had again gone astray, when a
shout from above, and then another, and
another proclaimed Breakers on the
starboard bow"
The excitement became intense.
Yes; there she lies over to the lee
ward Of the breakers; one mast in her.
No. no. that ; a small. ship and no
wreck. | can't see any signs of her.
Yes! yes. there she lies off yonder. No.
/ That : not the Kearsarge."
Thus the uncertainty continued, but
in the mean time we had caught the
gleam of the surf from the deck below.
and before long the whole sweep of the
breakers coming into view offered a
most magnificent spectacle.
We approached nearer and nearer:
I but found no signs of the Kearsarge.
"She 5 gomez exclaimed the lieutenant.
The breakers, rolling in a mile and a
half away, kept up a continuous roar, 50
that we understood why the Spanish
should have named the reef ROncador, p"
or The Snorer."
After we had anchored. dark mass
in the surf was seen. 1t was the only
! possible object that could be the Kear-
sarge. The scoundreis had burned her.
The Kearsarge was gone! Men
| looked at one another and sadly shook
their heads, Thus vanished all hope OF
seeing the old ship afioat once more, and
brought safe home. The Kearsarge had
won her last battle, breasted her last
storm, sailed her last voyage. Hence
I forth she belonged to history.
Captain Burgess, in the surf-boat,
went at once to explore: but before his
return the dugoutS Of some tishermen
! pulled alongside and the men came on
/ board.
From them we learned that the kear-
sarge had indeed been burned. What
| was left was made up of the boilers and
I stein. rising above the surf, together
/ with one or two pieces of the side
washed Farther up upon the reef Gne
! Of those pieces was even then burning.
/ and IL might cams Oh the glow OF tie
/ fire could be seen above the waves.
! Who had destroyed her no one knew.
! The exploring party returned ut dark
! with precisely the same story TO tell.
/ The Kearsarge had evidently been loot
ed, then burned to the waters edge. and
/ the storms of the previous week had en-
/ tirely broken her up
/ Bright and early IN the morning the
boats were lowered and manned, and
/ all hands, officers and crew, started for
the wreck. After pull of more than :,
I mile, the Wator shuaiiug TO within two
or three feet, we left the boat. and.
wadlng up to our knees. caught now
and then by bic wave that gave Us a
tumble in the suIf,-w reached the first
piece of the wreck. large part OF the
port side, lying in the water, washed
/ by the waves. Several hundred itat
] farther on an even larger section Of the
same side was out of the wafer, while
. just beyond, in the very heart Of the
breakers, very much IN the position in
which she must have struck, stood the
stem OF the KearSage, charred and black
eued-this, with the boilers. being all
that could he seen.-H Gilbert Frost, IN
. st. Nicit0ius