The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-25
GRAPHIC STORY.
OF ONE OF. ......
THE MOST FHMOUS .
SEH FIGHTS
Encounter of the Ram
Tennessee with Farragut'S
Fleet in Mobile Bay, as
Described by the TenneS-
Sc e'S Surgeon.
From the New York Sun.

Iaucbapan of the Confederate navy as
1eet surgeon on the ram Tennessee
in his fight with Farraguts Meet III
Mobile Bay was DR.. Conrad, now OF
winchester, Va. DR.. Conrad recently
told the following story of the expert
ences inside the Tennessee on that oc-
casion:
The bay of Mobile was of infinite use
and Importance to the Confederates,
who guarded and held it by two forts,
Morgan and Gaines, at its entrance.
BY holding it they held safe the city
of Mobile from attack by water; 1t
could only be captured by a combined
army and navy attack, so 1t was safe
depot for blockade runners, easy to go
out Of and enter, and If it was such to
the Confederates how much greater
was It to the Federals? For they were
compelled to keep their large blockade
fleet outside, exposed to all the storms
of the Gulf. They could only be VIC
tualed and watered by going away
one at a time, to Pensacola, their only
port; their sick had to be transported
to- the same place and the wear and
tear both to vessels and crews was
fearful as constant, vigilant and
never-ceasing watch, both by officers
and men, had to be kept up day and
night
The officers were in three watches,
the men in two, guarding themselves
against night attacks by torpedo boats
or assault by the Confederate gum
boats and seeing that no vessel came
out and that none went in. All this
had to be endured or the bay cap
nd hal htyt
finally determined on by Farragut,
and he only awaited the arrival of
ironclads to make sure his end. Find
ing this plan determined on the Con-
federates bestirred themselves. At the
hamlet of Selma, on the river above,
they built one ironclad on the plan Of
the Merrimac, their resources being
exhausted to do even this. Slowly
the wooden structure approached
completion, then more slowly was it
ironed all over above the water line
then towed down to Mobile. where it
was equipped with S-inch rifle guns.
Then, when officers and men, pro-
visions and water had been taken on
board, all ready for action, she start
ed down the bay, nearly thirty miles,
to go outside in rough water and at
tack the enemy's wooden fleet before
the ironclads arrived. On arriving at
the bar Of sand caused by Dog Run
emptying into the bay, 1t was found
that the bar had shoaled to such an
extent that the ironclad, now chris
tened the Tennessee, drew three feet
more water than there was under her.
The only expedient that offered itself
which was safe and speedy was to
build of huge square timbers two enor-
nous alright tanks, each as high as
two-story house. They We're to be
towed alongside of the ram and sunk
to the waters edge by opening the
valves. Then. all lashed together Sc
curely, making one vessel, as it were,
of them, the water was pumped out
of these tanks, and, the air entering,
they, by their buoyancy, lifted the
huge ship clear of the bottom. Then
steam tugs towed her over the bar.
This was done in May, 1864.
Finally one day we were towed over
the bar down the bay. Then, casting
loose, we steamed out to attack the
Federal fleet. Reaching the passage
between the two forts, we encountered
rough water and found that. owing to
want of buoyancy, we We're in great
danger of being waterlogged and sunk
by the amount of water that swept in
board. The ram lay deep in the water,
solid and mOtionless as cast iron
platform or raft, and every sea tum-
bling over her came inboard in such
masses that the fires in the engine
room were nearly put out and the ,0np-
~ vessel Itself filled with salt water
Discounted, We put back under the
fort in smooth water, and all thought
OF attacking the fleet outside was dis
missed Then the defects which this
short cruise of ten hours had deyelop-
ed were looked into Our engines had
been taken from an old river boat
They were weak and old, and could
only force us through the water about
two miles an hour. They could not be
strengthened by any method. The rud-
der chains, by which the ship was
steered, We're found to be exposed to
the enemy's shot, being in their whole
length outside the iron deck; they
were covered over by slight coating
OF iron rail. The capacity of the ram
inboard to accommodate her crew was
fearfully deficient. All officers and
u,
outside on top of the iron shieIu and
decks, but in rainy times it was awful
to endure such close quarters at night.
we bore 1t in June and July, under the
sloping sides of the shield in shape
like the roof of square house about
twelve feet in height and forty-eight
In length. On July 26 Admiral Bu-
chanan and staff came aboard, for,
from his information, a fight was i'm
minent.
on Aug l, 1864, we saw a decided
increase in the Federal fleet, which
was then listlessly at anchor outside of
Fort Morgan, in the Gulf This rein
forcement consisted of ten wooden
frlgates, all stripped to "girt line"
ana clean Tor action, their topmasts
sent down on deck and devoid of every
thing that seemed like extra rigging.
They appeared like prize fighters ready
Tor the ring. Then we knew that
trouble was ahead, and wondered TO
ourselves why they did not enter the
bay. On Aug. we noticed another
addition to the already formidable
heet-four strange looking, long, black
monsters, the new ironclads, and they
were what the Federals had been SO
anxiously waiting for. At the distance
OF four miles their long, dark lines
could only be distinguished from the
sea, on which they sat motionless, by
the continuous volume OF thick smoke
issuing from their low smokestacks,
which appeared to come out of the
ocean itself. These curious-look
craft made their adVant on the aVan
ing Of Aug. 4, and then we knew that