Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1895-07-26
RUNNING THE MONADNOCK.
A Memorable Trip with the Monitor
to the Pacific Coast.

bunce, then lieutenant commander
In the navy. had command of the mon
ltOr MOnadnock, which sailed FROM the
Delaware capes around Cape Horn To
San Francisco. She was not the Mon
adnOck of to-day, for she was a wood
en- hull, and of different dimensions.
although the present ship is modelled
after her, and is the old Monadnock re-
built. This vessel was conveyed by
the Vanderbilt, a big side wheeler,
loaned TO the Government for the Dur-
pose of running down and destroying
the rebel ram Merrimac G5ut which
never got the opportunity, the Powhat-
tan and the TuScarOra. This fleet was
under the command of Commodore
John Rodgers, and was quite Il for,niI-
aDle-lookinS squadron for those days.
At every point on the route where the
fleet stopped the monitor was the mar
vel Of the people. and especially of The
eeamen. The British sailors had heard
something of monitors, but had never
seen one like this. She was only about
eighteen inches above water, and her
heavy armament looked as if it might
sink her in gale.
An officer who was aboard the Van
derbilt said that in the heavy seas and
gales off Cape Horn they would occa-
sionaliy lose the Powhattan and Tus-
carora, but they never lost sight Of the
MOna'ln0ck. Lieutenant Commander
Bunce answered every signal and ham
~ In l,o 1,o
was.
Dir. BGnce, and in fact all the Ameri-
can sailors, lost an opportunity for 4
nice little brush with Spain which they
hoped to have and which at one tine
looked as if they were TO enjoy. Spain
had never recognized the independence
of Chill, and out of this and hOt-haad-
ed Spanish admiral grew a difficulty
which brought on the now almost for
gotten Chilian-Spanish war. The
squadron commanded by Commodore
Rodgers was in Valparaiso when the
Spanish fleet bOmbarded that place. 1t
was just before the bombardment that
the admiral in command of the English
feet and Mr.. Rodgers determined that
it should not take place, or that the
combined American and British fleets
would lie between the city and the
Spaniards, and if hOstilities were be-
gun attack the Spaniards. Before this
plan was carried out, however, the
British Minister advised the Admiral
not to Interfere, and he so notified
Rodgers. The Commodore pulled his
fleet out to sea, and very disappOint-
ed lot of officers and sailors saw the
bombardment. 1t has always been
very delicate question whether the
Commodore should have attempted to
prevent the bombardment. Without
the aid Of the English he would have
had what sailors term n bully fight"
and perhaps have lost his feet.
The most disappointed of the officers
was Lieutenant Commander Bunce.
He wanted very much TO try his little
monitor. There was metal worthy Of
him in the Spanish fleet, too the Nj
mancia, an irOn-clad. heavy for those
days. -Four to six inches of iron over
her made her look quite formidable.
But the Monadnock carried fifteen
inch guns, and the plan of her battle
had been carefully arranged. She was
to get right under the Spanish iron
clad, where she would be out of range
Of her guns and then ill the Spaniard
with heavy fifteen-inch cannon Slot.
However, lie was not to have the honor
Of testing Il monitor ON foreign foe
in, hi low hot
his present command expires he may
have an opportunity TO try some YES
sells of our new navy in actual warfare.
The officers on board the Vanderbilt
expected 10 have Il part in the fight.
The plan for the ship was to run down
one of the enemys vessels. 1t was
thought that if she accomplished this
much she would have done we'll. 1t
was not believed that she would stand
for Il moment against any heavy firing,
but she could have been put to the Use
for which she was originally loaned to
the Government. The Nanderbilts al
forward gave the ship to the Govern
ment. The Government kept her for
short time and then sold her to a
firm of three brothers in San Francisco.
This firm called her The Three Broth
crs." shipped Il cargo of wheat iii her
to Liverpool, and made enough on it
the first trip to pay for her She is said
10 be tied up somewhere now on the
Pacific coast and used for storage
Commodore Bunce, also on this yoy-
age, with the others of the squadron,
saw Spain lombard Calloa, Peru.
Spain was in the business of lombard
ing the Spanish American towns in
South America in those days.
The men who were with the squad
ron say that Mr. Bunce was the ideal
young officer Of the navy in those days
He was never so cool and collected,
and yet so eager, as when discussing
the plan Of battle and suggesting and
accepting the share he was to have I'm
it. The survivors OF that trip around
the Horn are very glad Mr.. Bunce is to
have the best command aflOat in the
navy, and in memory of the days when
he took the monitor around Cape Horn
they are glad that he has in his squad
ron the foSteSt and best ShiDS oflO1t in