Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-03-30

steam, and. the M onitor' rode much
easier and made better weather.
Every seafaring man knows that the
safest place for the Monitor that night
was astern of the Rhode Island and
under her lee, and there was not the
least doubt in the minds of many of the
officers of our ship, all of whom except
| the captain were from the merchant mar
inc service, that we could easily have
held her there, in that position, head to
the wind and sea, with our ship under
easy steam, had the Monitors people
not cut the hawser aud thereby cast
themselves adrift from our snip. Besides
this unfortunate proceeding was the
cause OF an accident that placed the
| Rhode Island herself in the greatest
| peril. No aliusion is made in ofiic
| reports to the entang cement of the big tow
| line in one Of our side wheels, neither is
any reason given for allowing the two
vessels to approach each other so closely
as to crush boat between them; nor to
the brave conduct of the men from the
engineers department who went into the
paddle box with their axes and cut the
hawser. These stirring events were not
officially known.
1.-The mistake in cutting the hawser
was very unfortunate; but it WAS soon
followed by one which, / have no doubt,
cost the lives of sixteen men, and was the
immediate, il not the principal cause, of
| the sinking OF the Monitor.
"Soon after the separation OF the yes els
and the danger OF collision had passed,
the Monitors people let go her anchor,
with the hope and with the result it APP
pears from Capt. Bankhead's report, of
bringing their craft head to the wind and
sea, a position which they had a short
time before abandoned when they cut
Themselves adrift from our ship, although
when was alongside of her about mid
night, she lay in the trough Of the sea,
with the waves beating across her deck.
In dropping the cable the packing
about the hawse pipe had been torn away,
and the water WAS pouring in through an
eight-inch hole. 1t is my conviction
now, after careful study of all available
records, and a review of all the crcum-
stances attending her loss, that not only
all of the creW hut poSsihlv he vessel
hersell coulu nave peeh saved, had hef
otfirers-pll men who would have stood
bravery pS thelr guns III open pdttle-eA-
erclsed better judgment and seamanship.o
These facts as given by DR.. Rogers
about the causes which led TO the de-
struction of the worlds first irOn-cIaG
'"5 ~ " S'S WI ~ must
III the luture otcoi'e hl Important part
OF the history Oh the American navy.
Dr. w llllHm Rogers WIS born In flHmp-
den in IS TO- and Is the son of the late w
w Rogers VINO WI. . fan,oijs .bin-bnita-=
or ~ I, Ia, ,,,,u iia .,,,.r.,4 : t,,it,,
States navy in the fail of 1862 a. masters
mate. and WAS assigned for practice 10
the Old fripale sMacedouiau the same
capturpd nv Americans from the Rrftlsh
duringthe war of 1872. From Mace
donna" he went to the sRhoat I,lardn in
| December. 1862. where he served until
Aurust, 1868.
I Ii WAS " hle 7erviug on board the
'skhode I,landn that Young RD5ers was
| promoted to ensign for courageous con-
I duct" The following report of Conn
I mander rrenchard t. navy. viii
show the gallant act for which Young
| Rogers was promoted: