The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-25

for many weeks on board the Ten
nessee, in consequence of the prevail
ing heavy rains wetting the decks, and
the terribly moist, hot atmosphere,
which was like that oppressiveness
which precedes a tornado. 1t was,
therefore, impossible to sleep inside
besides, from the want of properly
cooked food and the continuous wet
ting of the decks at night, the officers
and men We're rendered desperate. We
knew that the impending action would
soon be determined one way or the
other, and every one looked forward to
it with positive feeling of relief.
I had been sleeping on the deck of
the admiraps cabin for two or three
nights when at daybreak on Aug. the
old quartermaster came down the lad
der and, rousing us with his gruff
voice, said:
Admiral. the officer of the deck bids
me report that the enemy's fleet is un-
der way"
Jumping up, still half asleep, we
came on deck, and sure enough there
was the enemy heading for the passage
past the fort. The admiral Of sixty
years, with his countenance rigid and
stern, showing a determination for bat
tie in every line, then gave his only or
der:
Get under way, Capt. Johnson
Head for the leading vessel of the enc
my, and fight each one as it passes.
The fort and fleet by this time had
opened fire, and the Tennessee replied,
standing close in and meeting each
foremost vessel as it came up. We
could see two long lines of men-of-
war, the innermost was composed of
| the four monitors, and the outer of the
ten wooden frigates, all engaging the
| fort and fleet. Just at the moment we
expected the monitors to open fire upon
us there was a halt in the progress of
| the enemy's fleet. We observed that
one of the monitors was apparently at
a standstill. 1t laid to- for a moment,
! seemed to reel then slowly disappeared
in the Gulf. Immediately immense
| bubbles of steam, as large as caldrons
rose to the surface of the water, and
| only eight men could be seen in the
| turmoil. Boats We're sent to their res
cue, both from the fort and fleet, and
| they We're saved. Thus the monitor
| Tecumseh, at the beginning of the
! fight, struck by the torpedo, went to
| her fate at the bottom of the Gulf,
| where she still lies. Sunk with her wac
| her chivalric commander II. A. NJ. Cra-
ven. The pilot, an engineer, and two
seamen were the only survivors picked
| up by the Federal boats, and they were
on duty in the turret.
The pilot, with whom / sometime af-
| terWard conVersed at Pensacola on the
| subject, told me that when the vessel
| careened so that water began to run
| into the mouth of turret he and Capt.
| Craven were on the ladder together,
| the captain on the top step with the
| way open for his easy and honorable
| escape. The pilot said:
| mo, sir" replied Capt. Craven. "Af-
ter you, pilot; leave my ship last"
Upon this the pilot sprung up and
| Craven went down, thus sacrificing
| himself through a chivalric sense of
| duty.
There was dead silence on board the
| Tennessee. The men peered through
the portfolios at the awful catastrophe
and spoke to each other only in whis-
pers, for they all knew that the same
fate was probably awaiting us, for we
were then directly over the torpedo
bed" and shut up tightly as We were
in our Iron capsule" in a moment II
might prove oE-'