The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05
now THE MONITOR SANK.
n STORY MADE TIMELY M THE
PROPOSITION no RAISE HER.

YhA 7httie with n Stnrn WhInh the ConaurroF
OF the sthrritnao Made On tnps uatteras-
Ber Coinina ndsr the last to Leave Her
Two omcers Rnd Twelve srn Drowned.
A. tho national encnmpment OF the Grand
Army OF the Republic recently, I. W. Koyes, one
Of wisconsin's delegates. made u proposition Tor
united sction 80 urge tho Government to raise
the ironclad Monitor, which defeated the rebel
ram MerrimRo Tor Virginia. as the ConfedGrRtcs
bad named hor) in March. 1862, md which yes.
sci found orsd OF Cape Hatterus Dec. 81. 1862"
n was estimated that the cost Of ralsing her
would DO about 100000. or course the ldti.
tude and longitude where the vessel sunk Isl
matter OF record, but no ono knows how deep
the vessel has settled in tho bottom In these
thirty-hv e years, nor has any ono knowledge ss
TO how much the vessel has doterIorated from
rorroSion.
On Doc. az, 1892, the Cheese boz on q raft
81 the Monitor was dubbed, sailed from Hemp-
ton Roads for Beaufort N. e., In company with
the steamship Rhode Island. her convoy, and
with CapA John P. Bankhead In command
There was q light southwest wind, and tho
weather was clear and pleasant, with q prospect
Of It's continuance. At 8 o'clock on the follow
!ng morning q swell set in from the southwark.
with an increase in the wind. and tho sea
broke over the pilothouso forward. striking
the base Of tho turret, but not with sum.
Client force 20 break over It. But IL was
found that tho packing Of oakum under and
around the base of tho turret had worked out as
the Monitor pitched and rolled, and water was
making Its way into the vessel. though for
some time tho bilse pumps kept her free. This
making of water 30 fast may also DO attributed
to the fact that tho vessel had lain all summer
exposed to the hot sun Of the James River.
The oak timber which had been ittod to the ton
edge Of the iron hull had shrunk SO badly that
shan In thA han ~ Al thara IA vvnfar fN tha
depth Of two or three feet over 1t on the weather
eide most Of tho time; and tho water found itn
way through tho space. and flowed in great vol
ume into the ship.
c~reasing al. tho time. the vessel towing badly
and yawing about yer, much. by 8 o'clock In
S Sass sEen IN Me M,ne u, @1 nlu o19w'd dee vSTy i iSe any,
washing over and into the turret. and at times
into the hAwso pipes, Commander Bankhead
SiRnalled several times to the Rhode Island TO
stop towing In order to sec whether that. would
prevent the inn x Of water into The vessel. but sho
only foil off into the trough Of the sea ana made
matters worse. tho water coming on board so
fast that It became necessary to start the centrif.
SSeessd that the last days of the Monitor had
come unless tho wind should sbate, and the sea
enthusiasm OF the officers and the crew kept
them them A. to th iSs R PSsts Y T,Ian d for sses sasp.t asSss' W5,t 10
Capt. stephen D, Trenehard commanded tho
Rhode Island, and his officers and mon did nor
hesitate I, jump into their boats IN that tenn
Fellows. In order to keep the Monitor afoat as
E ISns to aS R0 ~as sa sh' T rSFee Of f the RS SS Sf is!an shs
boats reached tho Monitor and the commander
msnder Worden's First Lieutenant in the hSh,
!, Nth ib. the :. Me sbaT sonI 10 put sSf. rs many many Of T The % Msa
sweeping over the deck with tremendous force
s sna {ssr g. w ce sEsHss 1 snPs ,bs IF iro the boat" Tss bs s1,E
two boats reached the Rhode Island safely amid
the storm and derknese, and again returned TO
tor, which was most dihiculft 70 lind in the gale
and the darkness, In the meantime Capt. Bank
been washed everbosfd and lost. by THIS
the captain gave orders to let 20 an anchor in
hopes that IL might bring the Monitors head to
, %ind s and that tt the s.s eh tSs c wsSi dr. hoy. H. her Ma' there re
t ,Pas s Shpus a. this Il I'll time was si'% up pow over the T furnace ee
s sihs aosm sP had i1 &c Ss RS.s g ssssIdlTT S that M ths sn;
fortunately came head to wind when tho cable
brought her up.
sottisd 50 that il was even With the surface Of
the water. and all the men left on the turret
as soon as a chance offered and spring for the
Thisb boa, 5os!' a,s a. ,s so9n e.1 az they r sHpDfTSs on3f6;
IN such a aea. At this time there were about
1srs w %sR on o Ssaf S spa in se' s6sir Of as. s :
s to se. Ss r shs boats fl. only syrt sns Of Who wh Ssd
done all that a commander could do to
helping the men into mo boats. After he had
Ueen to 1t that all of tho men had been taken
heavily laden boat Tho boats had scarcely
sank to tho bottom. In mastering the people on
The Rhode Isltn eftorvard 1t was found that
been swept overheard and drowned.
Lieut. Green and Acting, Master Lonis \.
Etodder twho is yet alive and 10 now a Captain
In the reyenue marine seryicel stood by tha
Captain to the last. as did also Quartermaster
Richard AnjiSr, who remained At his post until
the Captain to jump into, the relief boat, said:
nnNo, cir, not unit! you do SO" One OF the
people OF OF tho Monitor, was driven or by tho
Storm and was given up for lost. But. fortu.
sfterward restotei 10 the Rhode Island.
Of The d s Iss' q ar HI I 11 ve.ssi, T but p IN aS f9lX saG ,h less
wore associations connected with this little
Pref which m ABE sds h ne. name oDI n dear to q. avery ta Ds GnIon,
The Great aervice for wh.ch she was built, an
event ~ that made her name .n ss t FAMOUS .S as That o,
Wac, on the bottom. 81 fsst wide AZ
bull. and SO foot deep from that point. Tho
Prmor raft, or ov.rhang. was l73 feet I inches
~ depth. Tho low projected is feet beyond the
hull. tho stern oyerhuny 81 feet I inches. Tho
f Pee S ss%ST ba S { up v Gs ny II .1 enst aH Of os piate fh .
deck. armor was I inohes OF timber laid on
wooden beams 10 inches square, the whole GOV.
cred with two plates of one-haltinch iron. Tho
turret was 20 feet inside diameter. formed
Of eight one-inch plates. 8 feot In height.
The top Yves covered with railroad bars,
and o plate Of iron perforated full Of holes for
the egress Of air. Tho pilot house was formed
pr eightinch square bars. with corners notched
Lighthouse fashion. Tho guns were placed In
wrought iron carringev, The power consisted
Of a pair OF steam .ow pressure engines. oper.
kting the screw shaft by means OF boil crInks,
Btoam was supplied 10 tho main engines. the
turret, blower engines and cenlrlfuEal punp De
by two boilers With horizontal tubes.
The keel OF tho vessel was laid Oh Oct. %,
aa8l. and she was launched at Greenpolnt at
pas A. N, on jam. 80. 1882. During tho time OF
her construction Capt Ericsson, the designer,
was at tho works from early IN tho morning .tli
90, 1862, and she loft tho lower hay OF Now
York for Hampton Roads. in cominInd OF Lieut.
John L. Worden, on the aft ernoon o. March O,
as62. In tow Of tho tug seth Low; Ahoyt4P.
passed Cape Henry light, ana when Midway, 10.
tween Cape Henry and Fort Monroe a pilot
from him THO advent, Of tho Merriinac and The
Cumberland and Congress- on that dAy.