Arizona republican., 1898-04-21
SIGSBEE IN BATTLE.
Story of the Maine's Commander at
 Mobile Bay.

New York. April 20.-F5w persons know that Capt Charles D. Sigsbee, lately of the Maine, was one of the favored graduates from the naval cad emy who took diploma and mounted a brand new frock coat one day. took ship the next day for the gulf, and a month later had the glory of serving with Farragut at Mobile bay. This story of him is told by fellow officer:
 There were two of those youngs- ters of the class of 1864, who came to the gulf squadron and were temporar- fly assigned to the Hartford, FarTa- gut's flagship" he said. They were w. s. Dana, since dead, and Charles D. Slgsbee. 1 was an ensign on Far ragut's staff, and was chiefly instru- mental in bringing the two young off cers to the flagship. In preparing for the great battle in Mobile bay, Capt Drayton, chief of staff, assigned duties to every soul on board. To Ensign Sigsbee was given command of the forward powder division, while my humble self received charge of the af- ter powder division. For the benefit of landsmen it might be we'll to say that the old fashioned powder divis- ion consisted of lines of old men, boys, people from the sick bay cooks, wait CTS, etc. Their duty was to pass pow der and shell from the magazines to the shell whips in the forward and af- ter matches, to do it as rapidly as pos sible, and to make as much noise in the yelling of Hurry up!' Pass that along!' Don't go to sleep, as it was possible for human voices in varied conditions of adolescence, convales- cence, and decay to accomplish ir rapid-ire breaths. I never have heard Sigsbee speak of the vocal success oi his command that day, the awful roal and the crash of shot and shell, and perhaps shriek and groan or two may have suppressed some of it, but I can say of my own division that ii the nautical traditions of Nelson an6 the glorfes of Trafalgar and Aboukil were dependent upon powder division noise for their preservation, 1 would like to submit some notes on req American vocal effectiveness to Capt Mahan for incorporation in his mex book
 ''The Hartford had 'damped the tor pedoes,' had gone ahead-'four- bells Drayton, had seen the Tecumseh g. down with more than 100 souls, an, had turned grape, canister, and shrap mel loose upon Fort Morgan's rampant and escarpments. No human nerv could stand so fierce storm Tn forts fire was suppressed for the time Sigsbee's men forward, hushed b death in many forms, had caught tn Hull in the battle, but my division be ing yet bloodless, though by no mean voiceless, kept up it's vocal interest i the conflict.
 ''I never did hear whether the musi from the after powder division ha caught Farragut's ear in his lashmer up in the main rigging and whether disturbed his ocular understanding ( the enemy's movements, but I do kno' that just then Sigsbee came from fol ward and said 'Drayton wants you t stop that internal noise' Then | asked if there were any casualtie and being told that there were non he said, Poor Hegenbotham is killed Hegenbotham was also an ensign c the admiral's staff While talkiI Sigsbee stood up against stanchio in the wardroom- it
 called. My division by this time, lii many other choruses, had yielded public pressure and was still.
 "The next moment there was a cras against the side of the ship within te feet of where we stood. It seemed if everything gave way. I saw the il ner pIanking break and saw tn planking drive out the junior officer messrocm bulkhead. I saw men al boys knocked down. The air was fl of dust and splinters and flying fra ments. I saw the stanchion again which Sigsbee was leaning come dov