The record-union., 1898-07-26
SINKING Of The FLORIDA.
RUN DOWN ny THE WACHU.
SETT IN A NEUTRAL PORT.
The Confederate Commerce De-
stroyer Taken UnaWares In the
Harbor Of Bahia.

stroyer Taken Unawares in the
Harbor Of Bahia.
About o'clock on the morning of the
It'll, Masters Mate T. T. Hunter, being
in charge of the deck at the time, heard
the Wachusett slip her cable and saw
at once that she was under way and
standing for US. He had Mr.. Porter
called at once, the Captain being on
shore; but as the latter reached the
deck the Wachusett struck US in the
starboard mizzen-chains, carrying away
our mizzenmast and maintopmast, both
Of which came down on our deck.
crushing our awnings, which were set
at the time down to the deck, and thus,
as it were, enveloping us in a bag. At
this time two shots were fired from
their battery, in order to make sure Of
sinking US, but their guns were de-
pressed too much, and the shot only
struck the water alongside.
Oft-repeated and anxious inquiries
We're now made to know If we We're
willing to surrender; but not until an
engineer was sent below, and reported
the ship was rapidly sinking-a report,
| may add. without a shadow Of truth
did Mr.. Porter and his adviser, Mr..
Stone, agree to surrender the ship; nor
would they have surrendered had they
not believed she would sink before the
enemy could tow her out. During the
time which elapsed between the ram
ming and the surrender Of the Florida,
a constant and heavy fire from small
arms was kept up, but. strange to say,
with only three wounded as the result,
and they We're on the Wachusett.
1t will doubtless be said that We
showed want of vigilance in permit
ting ourselves to be caught unprepared
to give battle as we We're: but there are
some extenuating circumstances. AS
previously stated, it was our intention
to start upon long and tedious cruise.
Our men, with few exceptions, had not
been on shore since we left Brest in
February, and, therefore. greatly need
ed recreation. The moment we sincere
ly gave our pledge to make no attack
upon the enemy, we placed ourselves
at a disadvantage, and it would have
been better to have left the harbOr at
once. When l say we placed ourselves
at disadvantage, 1 mean that if col
begun by the enemy; and the attacking
party, particularly at night. has great
ly the advantage.
Commander Collins gave as an ex-
cuse for thus attacking US in a neutral
port that his Government would never
overlook his permitting the Florida to
escape him; but leave it to the reader
to decide if the conversation between
tn representatives of the American Con-
sui and Captain Morris, and the previ-
Gus interviews between the Consul and
Mr.. Porter, looked as if we intended to
run away. But supposing that such
was our intention, the Wachusett was
heavier ship than ours, and had a
larger crew. The formation of the har-
Dor at Bahia was such that single
vessel could have completely sealed it,
nor can / think that an enemy who
would thus attack us in a neutral port
would hesitate long about blockading
such port
l am glad to be able to say that those
officers of the Wachusett who expressed
themselves to us on the subject depre-
Gated the maniier in which we were
taken; and 1 should also add that our
treatment while on the Wachusett was
uniformly courteous, to the extent even
OF surrendering their rooms to u.s. Had
Captain Norris cared less for his word
than he did, the Wachusett would prob
ably have met our fate, as on the night
OF our arrival, and certainly a portion
OF the next day, a part of the Wachu-
sets machinery was on Shore and this
was known to us at the time
AS soon as the ship was surrendered,
a prize crew was placed on board, and
all our officers and men transferred to
the Wachusett, who took the Florida
IN tow and proceeded to sea, touching
at st. Thomas where we met the Kear-
sarge, with the prisoners taken from
the Alabama, arriving in Hampton
Roads in due course. OF course a de-
mand was made by Brazil to have the
Florida, with her officers and crew, re-
turned to Bahia; but all the beautiful
rhetoric of Mr.. Seward and the Brazil
ian Minister was cut short when a care
less tug accidentally ran into and sank
the Florida while lying in deep water
in Hampton Roads.
After this accident we were released
from Fort Warren on February LIST. and
were permitted to so to Europe in n
Cunarder. We We're not allowed 70
place ourselves under any obligations
10 the enemy, being permitted to pay
our own passage. The captures by the
FLORIDA and her tenders, while under
the command of Captain Maffitt,
amounted to ffty-five vessels; but I
nave no data which would enable me 20
give the number captured during Cap
tain Morris command. They probably
amounted TO twenty or twenty-five yes
sells. 1t was lively and brilliant en-
tertalnment; but John Bull kindly came
IN when 1t was AT an end and paid the
hddler.-E. Terry Sinclair in Century.