The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-01
CRAVEN'S FAME ENDURES.
TORPEDO BoAT 70 TO RECEIVE
HIS NlME
his FINAL ACT OF Herolsm In Attacking the Teu-
nessee-'Arter Nou. Ftiot,n mts Last Weros
a ne Gnxa Another the One Chance for lire.

his Final ACT Of ueroism In Attacking the Tee"
neasee-.Auer Neu, Piiot, m,s last Weras
as Ho Gave Another the One Chance for Hdre.
BATH. Me-, July 31.-The shipbuilders at tbs
Bath Iron Works here are rapidly pushing for
ward the work on Uncle Sans torpedo boat 10,
which was placed under contract last October.
she is named the Craven, in honor OF the hero
Of Farragut's memorable SEQ battle In Mobile
Bay on Aug. 5, thirty-threo years ago. Thurs
day will DO the anniversary Of tho battle. Capt
Tunis Augustus Craven met death in attompt-
ing a brilliant exploit with the ironclad Tecum-
sch. He lost his vessel and HIS life while trying
to send to the bottom the Confederate ram
Tennessee, the destruction Of which was the
sole object Of Farragut's raid into Mobile Bay.
The Tennessee lay near Fort Morgan. Farrn-
CUTS feet, led by the Tecumseh, steamed up
opposite the fort, and Capt. Craven fred the
opening gun Of the battle, sending a 11-inch
shell from tho Tecumsoh into the fort. Capt
| Craven had asked for the position OF honor In
attacking the terrible ram Tennessee. The
bay was planted with torpedoes. and tho line
marking them buoyed out, yet when the gallant
commander saw q chance to closo with tho ram
he drove the Tecumseh hastily over tho Line.
The Tennessee was lying In the rear Of the tor
pedo distractions, and therefore beyond the line
Of buoys, and the Tccumseh struck upon o tor
redo, careened, and almost instantly sank to
the bottom, carrying down ninety three officers
and mon. Only twenty -one were saved. among
them John Collins, a pilot.
Collins said that he and Capt Craven woro
alone in the turret at the time Of the disaster.
and feeling the vessel sinking beneath Thorn
hurried to tho ladder to climb out. Craven
reached the foot of the ladder first, but instead
OF going up he stepped aside and with q chival-
rous wave Of tho hand said to Collins, After
you, pilot" There was nothing after me" said
Collins, ..for when / reached the uppermoet
round Of the ladder the vessel dropped from
under me- The waters closed over the ship
and her noble commander, whose deed that day
was comparable to that Of the dying Sidney
upon the field Of Zutphen, when passing to o
wounded soldier the draught Of which he him.
self was in sore need.
The loss of the Tecumseh brought tho whole
Federal fleet to q standstill directly In range of
al the guns Of the Confederate forts and ships.
Under that terrible fire the scuppers Of Farra-
CUTS leading vessels literally ran blood. It
was then that the fighting Admiral arose TO tho
occasion and placed his name by the side OF that
Of Nelson. In order to get above the smoke
which hung around tho decks of his flagship
Hartford. he climbed into tho rigging and was
dashed to the ratlines by som of the sailors.
The Hartford was q wooden ship and was in tho
rear of the ironclads. but seeing the monitors
timid about going ahead Fsrragut ordered his
ship forward at full speed. While passing tho
monitors an officer cried out from the decks Of
one of them to beware of the torpedoes which
had proved 30 fatal to the Tecumseh. Farra-
gut then shouted @Ipa the e, histo5 5iG, Damn the tor,
owing to some defect in tho Eliminates they
Seeing The Hartford speed up the bay toward
Mobile, Admiral Buchanan set out for Q chase
against flagship, Admiral against Admiral.
The Hartford turned and tho vessels came To-
seived only a. gi G%S 1H0 blow blow 'n Tse H aaa { asi
gave - The Te M tr"a, 3 ss solid brS9a .h,Ils, but the
the Hartford. killing and wounding thirteen
In that crisis Farragut determined upon tao
tr'Si 90 d sGia' Of tn The 14 rsm. f HPs1 no eoi 1o Sul Rr Of
e enc anse1,fq but M'V With b sP Rold f FUN Sr OF %ste sr s shs
would weigh down the Tennessee and send her
avoid. tho blow made it the more evident that
the plan was.feasible, and Farragut ordered his
FOR fnt' the Confede s"S ssG ral%. tho h@9 monitor hSstp haees,
wanna came steaming up on the same hazard
s oHS erE rnods; and + cut in.9 the Hartford amid.
% mo adn|E.} nearly ear GroS II IT, on a,, board Tndsah,ed
the I%acKawanna, Which, had backed pe er. came Ins
up'onthe other side and barely escaped giving
Hartford and Lackawanna she dropped into the
bile Bay began in earnest. The ram was the
target at close range for 100 guns, the concen'
tfsted ip t,rs Of TWO %6ie Of i 5sss ao .G tell n on he n,o vTlnsr
under he her .S stern and PoaTsd 4 ;tnsh solid sho'
"eainss them }s1H.D and q Only I'VE With hS ditzes shS's eo shiPf S9
buchanan and the pilot were both wounded
and, as a finishing disaster, the rudder chains
, were cut IN two by an 1l-inch shot from the
Buchanan was FRUSTRATED with a broken leg
q The ship. He said quietly, They We " got me
Johnston. You'll have to look out for her now
!; TINS i yEo%HnT r asht' you f kM y, t,J Johnston hna res
t how" At that instant the vessel careened 81
as to throw Johnston OF his feet. The Lackn
I wanna, in a third attempt, at least, that morn
Ing. had at last put in her blow. She strucl
5 the ram while running at full speed, cut int
distance OF three feet above the waters edge
to five feet below. The only perceptible effec
: Of the shock upon tho ram was to cause her Il
. The loss Of the smokestack made 1t impossible
: for the engineer Of the Tennessee to Keep VI
ting against her at the rate Of four miles al
hour. There was no rudder to keep the vesse
wounded Admiral, Capt, Johnston Vent on
upon the top Of the shield with = white Gas
d the ossipee, was then steaming rapidly forward
Intending to sink the helpless ram. Seeing. tn
t nag OF truce S2mmander 10 TOY OF the Ossipe
s her heavily against the Tennessee. At tina
moment the commander hailed and said
This ID the United States steamer Ossipee
Hello. Johnston, how are youf Le Roy-don'
you know met III send q boat alongside 10
you Johnston and Le Roy had been bosom
friends in the old navy.
= So the redoubtable RAM, the last of her kind
t struck to a, vessel that had scarcely been or
I gagged in the combat. Tho fortunes of wa
!, might have given the victory to Craven wit
y hif ship alone. had she Tecumseh been spare
o to close with her in that first bold dash.
nnnEan az LILO rro.