Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-24

was a very center Of fire, a focal point OF
concentrated converging attack, in the
midst Of a battle vortex of destruction.
Steaming slowly ahead like huge wild
boar among hounds she Strove vainly to
ram or shake off her opponents. Although
no shot had penetrated, the damage had
been great. The tremendous battering ana
ramming she had received caused her to
leak badly. Her casemate was being SO
racked by the mighty hammering of the
heavy shot that it was only question or
time before the shell would penetrate, ex-
plode and end it all. Her engines and ma
chinery, bad at best, were working hor-
ribly now, and 1t was as much as life was
worth to stay in the engine room in the
face Of the repeated shocks Of collision and
gun fire. All of the port shutters had been
damned by shot, rendering it impossible
to fire any of her guns. Still she would
not give up.
Admiral Buclra nan and a machinist were
at one Of the ports endeavoring to release
a damned shutter when a heavy shot from
the Hartford struck the port sill and, ex-
ploding, tore the gunner into bits, so that
his remains were actually shoveled up and
put in bucket. A bit of iron driven in
by the shell struck the leg of the admiral,
fracturing 1t, and shower Of splinters did
great damage.
The Hartford at the same time steamed
away from the ram and made a circle to
starboard in order to ram her again. AS
she completed the turn and bore down upon
the Tennessee, out of the smoke enshroud-
ing the bay came the bows Of the Lacka-
wanna, also endeavoring to ram second
time At full speed she bore down upon
the port quarter of the Hartford. There
was terrible sound of crashing timbers
heard even above the roar of the guns as
the two ships came together. In the awful
on her beam ends and was cut down to
within two feet Of the waters edge. It was
thought for a moment that the flagship was
sinking.
The old admiral, with the agility of a
boy, ran across the deck, leaped into the
mizzen chains and clambered down the sides
to take in the extent of the damage. Find
ing that the Hartford would still foat he
sprang back to the deck and repeated his
former order that she should ram the Ten
nessee again.
AS the Lackawanna struck the Hartford a
cry had arisen all over the flagship which
touched. Farragut more than perhaps any,
thing that ever happened in his career.
..Save the admiraln "Get the admiral out
of the shipv' "Save the ADMIRAL" rang
out all over the Hartford.
But the admiral was in no need of saving
then Shattered and battered though she
was, the Hartford was still rapidly ap-
preaching the Tennessee, by this time re-
duced to a mere wreck. The ram had not
discharged single gun since those she had
fired into the Hartford at the moment of
impact. Several of them had been disabled,
and others had been put out of action by
the jammfng of the port shutters. The ex-
posed rudder chains had been shot away by
the Chickasaw, and the relieving tackles.
with which an attempt had been made to
steer the ship. had met the same fate.
The decks of the Tennessee were swept
by a perfect storm Of shot from dozen
ships No one could have ventured out
there to repair the rudder chains without
meeting instant death. She could no longer
be steered. She drifted on completely sur
rounded by the ships which were pouring In
broadsides upon her with relentless and in
creasing fury. Then the last misfortune
overlook her. A shot from the Chickasaw