The National tribune., 1898-10-27

under the fervent heat
About nlel and half below the boa
upon which they were lay the mortar-boats
and beyond, gnarding them, was the gunboa
Cincinnati lying we'll inshore to be out o
the strongest current A half mile below he
a bend in the river shut off the view.
As they looked at her and studied TIT
mortar boats (which were new to them
with curiosity, they saw gunboat flying the
stars and bars cone into view around tn.
distant point. Behind her came another ant
then another, until six were in plain view.
The effect on the fleet was electrical. Every
where the men were being called to quarter
and preparations made for action. The fire
men, under the squirting of the engineers
were filling the furnaces with all manner o
quick combustibles, to get up sufficient steam
for manuvering.
Bronson and Karl took their station on the
hurricane deck, where they could at times
avail themselves of the protection of the
ironclad pilot-house against bullets from the
great guns.
The rebel plan soon developed 1t was to
dash i'll upon the Cincinnati, ram her till she
sank, and destroy the mortar boats before
| the fleet above could get up steam and come
to her assistance. One gunboat and three
| rams, all ironclads, steamed rapidly for the
Cincinnati, while the rest of the rebel fleet
opened fire ut long range.
Despite every effort made on the Cincinnati,
she could not be gotten ready to manuver
against her antagonists. Her head of steam
was not sufficient to more than maintain her
against the current. and the drft-wood had
collected around her bows in such way as
TO make her almost wholly unmanageable.
She could only fire her stern guns at her
assailants, off whose sides the shots ratified
like peas upon piece of sheetiron.
The leading rebel steamer the Gen. Bragg
was not incOmmOded for minute by them,
but came with terrible force and struck her
steel Prov against the Cincnnati's side with
an impact that crushed i'll the timbers as if
they were egg-shells. But the gunners on
the Cincinnati did not lose their GOODNESS for
an instant and as their boat swung around
from the force of the blow given her. they
poured broadside into the ram. Their
Captain. running to the hurricane deck with
a rifle, shot the pilot of the Bragg through
the head, killing him instantly, but was
himself shot down moment after
Again and again the rebel ram backed off
and ran with full force against the devoted
gunboat with terrible conclusion and crash,
but as she was coming up for the fifth time a
long-range shot from our flagship pierced her
boiler. The higfI-pressure steam rushed out
with n shrek that sounded high above the
roar of the heavy guns, her decks were seen
to rise, such of her crew as were not instantly
scalded to death sprang frantically overheard
to drown in the eddying current, and the
wreck foated away around the bend
But this mishap did not abate the fury of
the assault by the rest of the rebel feet The
30 h.. loot
ton of the Cincinnati. As the leading one
struck the lasoless boat, she was struck in
turn by the Mound City, which had come up
with all the speed that lard oil and turpen-
tine under heryboiIeis would crowd out OF Ter
engines. The4errible shock of the collision
threw BronsoN and Karl to the deck, hut
when they swang TO their feet again they
saw that the same effect had been produced
upon the rebel sharpshooters upon the rebel
boat who wefe nowyscrambling TO their feet
behind their protection and opening fire on
Bronson and karL fired at the rebel pilot,
but before they could see the effect of their
shot they were thrown upon their faces by
another mighty shock to the boat, which they
discovered was)caused by another boat RAM
ming her. F'Dr a lGw minutes there was q
whirlwind of maddening excitement around
them. The great guns Numbered like Jove
in lis angriest moments. and their shots beat
against each others iron sides like blows from
colossal hammers upon mighty anvils The
escaping steam gwl,istled and screamed, the
officers shouted orders through their trumpets
and the sharpsLooters kept up an inees SAINT
rattle of their pieces. so"af
Then the boats drew away from each other
again to repeat their ramming, and rs they
did so bronson and Karl saw the st. Louis
come dashing out of the smoke, and striking
the second of their boats assaiants amid
Ships cut il literally in two and passed over
the severed remnants. A few OF the rebel
crew came to the surface of the water. and
were taken on board the st. Louis but the
great majority of them went down with their
boat.
This reduced the contest to duel between
themselves and one antagonist, the Gen. Van
Dorm, with which the rebels still fought des-
perately. Again they came together with
crash which seemed to rend the frames of the
two vessels, and again there was mad rag
ing OF the artillery and musketry on both
sides. Again they drew back for another
plunge at each other, when the scale of bat
tie was finally turned against the rebels by
the arrival of the flagship, the powerful
Benton, WHICH, though SHc iidu us yet only
got up enough steam to get her steerage way
in the current, came slowly and grandy on,
swim ing around and around as if on pivot,
that each of her great guns might be fired in
succession as they bore upon the rebels
One Of her huge shells struck one of the
gunboats lying in reserve, and in q minute
she was wrapped in flames, and the crew
sprang- overheard; but, the water was no
refuge, for in an instant more the fire
reached her magazine, and she exploded
with a violence and a hurting abroad Of her
timbers that must have swept all the strug
glef5 out Of existence.
Then the rest of the reserve boats fell back
behind the bend and the Van Dorm turned
and fed swiftly away.
well, dis seems to be Shiloh turnt
arount, said Karl as soon as he compre-
hended that the fight was over and great
victory had been gained.
Il just heard one Of the officers say that
the fight lasted As minutes" said Bronson.
+" Seems to me that they crowded heaps of it
into minute. There was enough to spread
over year"
ITO be continued.I
EDITORIAL NOTE.-The splendid work of