Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-12

plated with iron armor varying in thickness from four to six inches. The plating was carried in an unbroken slant below the water line and then bent back inward to the hull, the knuckle angle so formed being filled with solid wooden backing, which was a great protection against ram- ming From the bows of the Tennes- see a formidable iron spur projected below the water line. No wooden ship that fioated could have survived fairly delivered blow from that ram.
 There were two or three fatal defects in her construction, however. Her en- zines were taken from an old iron river steamer and were woefully weak and inadequate; the method for closing her gun ports was faulty and the shutters working on pivots were liable to jam; but the most serious error of her de signers had been in exposing the rud- der chains by which she was steered, on the open deck, without protection of any sort. In spite of these things, how ever, she was without doubt the most formidable vessel afioat.
 By the time her inspection had been completed and the few minor repairs necessitated by the action had been made Farragut's fleet had reached the deep water above the middle ground, a shoal extending westward across the deep water, some four miles from Fort Morgan.
 It was now about S:45 in the morn> ing when the lookouts discovered the Tennessee standing up the channel from the direction of Fort Morgan. The old admiral meant business, it was quite evident. The black smoke was belching from her tall stack as she came on single handed to attack the twenty three vessels in the Union fleet which had already successfully encoun- tered the gunboats, the fort and her own prowess.
 At first sight this would appear to have been foolhardy action, with so few chances of success as to render it virtual suicide on the part of the Ten nessee, but Admiral Buchanan may be relieved of any charge of recklessness. He had commanded the Merrimac when she had routed the fleet in Hamp- ton Roads. He knew, or thought he knew, what could be effected by an ironclad against wooden ships. He had under him the most powerful ves- sel that had ever been constructed. He had been unable to make use of his greatest power of offense, the ram, in the passage of the ships through the narrow channel, but now he counted confidently upon using 1t to deadly ad- vantage.
 The ships above him were at anchor. He was between them and the open sea. His light draft would permit him to go anywhere. while they were strict ly confined to the contracted deep wa ter area. He had shown himself invul- nerab1e to their heaviest guns. He might now be able to get among them and work his will upon them. No sane man would think of matching wood en ship against such an ironclad. It is true that there were three monitors with Farragut's fleet, but they had and he counted himself more than a match for any or all of them.
 Again, the numbers of the enemy would give certain immunity. There were too many of them for all of them to attack him at once. Then, too, he would have the advantage of having all his forces concentrated under his single hand, while those of the Feder aIs were scattered. These were some of the reasons which actuated him, and there was doubtless another. He had to do something. He could re-. main in safety under the walls of Fort Morgan for time, but there he would be subjected to attack. Farra- gut would certainly attack him with the monitors, and the fall of the fort, which afforded him temporary protec- ton from the investing force, was only a question of time; so that 1t was not without strong hopes for suc- cess that he turned the prov of his vessel up the bay, sent his men to quartersrandf made ready, for shis. part in the most desperate naval engage ment,everf fought in the waters of the United States.
 But there was one thing upon which he did not count, which was his undo ing in the end, and that was the in- vincible courage, the calculated reck- lessness and the headlong dash of Ad- miral Farragut. He was the admiral who did the unexpected thing, and in so doing he took the only possible means to meet and master the danger. Any other course would have ruined his fleet and might have lost him the battle.
 I know of no naval action in the history of the world in which both commanders were so old and so gal lant. Farragut and Buchanan, both past threescore, set an example of headlong, desperate, risk taking valor to the most reckless boy in the squad ron.
 The instant the watchers on the long ships discovered the approach of the Tennessee the signal for battle was flown from the Hartford. The engines were started at once, the ships gathered way, and this time under full head of steam, as fast as it could be made in the boilers they opened out and made