The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-03


Major Sidney W. Thaxter.
Captain Geo. E. Brown.
Captain W. W. Whitmarsh.
Lieut.. G. Q. Graham.
Major B. M. Redlon.
Captain J. o. johnson.
Captain Hebron Mayhem.
Surgeon S. @. Gordon.
Captain Charles W. Ford. 80
Major Charles II. Boyd.
Major Charles Walker.
Major William H. Greene.
Lieut.. James W. King.
Captain A. L. Turner.
Captain Thomas J. Little.
Captain Thomas Clark.
Lieut.. Charles o. Hunt.
Major Ira Berry.
Captain George W. Verrill.
G. e. Marshall.
II. B. Sawyer.
W. Fl. Anderson.
Edward M. Rand.
John T. Richards.
e. Rowell.
George S. Rowell. US
Francis L. Littlefeld.
E. B. Mallet, Jr.
= L. Fl. Cobb. A.
n. r. Virgin. Il.
E. D. Moves.
After the dinner was finished and cigara
lighted, Commander Allen, raped for
order. Some little business was tran
sacted in regard TO the commandery's re-.
GENTLY published volume of war records,
which the commandery has just pub
Iished, it being voted to furnish as many
copies to each companion as many copies
as be may desire at 81 each; and then DR..
William Rogers OF Bar Harbor. who held
the rank of ensign in tho navy in the war
of the rebellion, was introduced to read q
paper on the "Loss Of the Monitor"
DR.. Rogers's story was the story of an
eve witness, for he was masters mate on
the steamer Rhode Island, which had the
Monitor In tow when the disaster hap
pened that sent the latter to the bottom
with four of her officers and eighteen of
her crew. The Monitor left Hampton
Roads on the twenty ninth of Decem Der,
1862, in tow of the steamer Rhode Island.
All went we'll until the evening Of the
next day, when fresh breeze sprang up
from the south and the sea became rough.
The sea continued to rise, and at about
nine clock the Monitor gave the prear-
ranged signal to stop, and two hours later
signalled that she was in sinking con-
dition. She went down at $50 o. III. on
the morning of the 3ist. DR.. Rogers was
in charge of one of the boats that put off
from the Rhode Island to the Monitor s
assistance. and his description of the
scene was very vivid. The Rhode Island
herself was in great danger Of collision
with the Monitor, which would have
proved disastrous, as the tow line be-
tween them which had been cut wound
in around the Rhode Islands paddle
wheels and made it impossible to turn
them until it had been cut away at the
risk of his life by man from her engine
room. One of the boats sent from the
Rhode Island drifted away in the dark
ness and was supposed to be lost, but
several days later arrived at Beaufort
with her crew all right. DR.. Rogers read
q description of the disaster contained in
a letter written by himself to his father
Immediately after 1t occurred, and also
the official reports of Commander Tren-
chard of the Rhode Island, and Captain
Bankhead of the Monitor. The chief pur-
pose of Dr. Rogerss paper was to show
the real cause of the disaster, which at
the time was believed to be due to the
separation of the overhang Of the vessel
from the hull, causing hrer TO leak and
RAPIDLY fill. This was the explanation
given in the Captains report. DR..
Rogers held that this was not the true
cause of the disaster. He held that It
was due to two fatal mistakes on the mart
of the Monitors commander the first of
which was the cutting of the tow line and
the sec ond the dropping of the anchor
By the first the ship lost the protection
which she would have had under the lea
of the Rhode Island, and by the second
she tore out the packing from an eight
hawser hole and left an opening throngb
which the water poured in volumes IT,
was his impression, he said, on the NIGHT
of the disaster thas all the people on the
Monitor might have been saved with good