Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-11
CHAPTER XXXIv.
"DAMN THE ToRPEDoEs! GO Al

B8A EE Hartford got the idea that the
 8Sss1e@%SV Tecumseh had sunk the Ten
 Ess4SsJ nessee. They leaped on the
 rail and cheered madiy in their exulta
 ton, and the crews of the other ships
 deceived also, joined in the acclaim
 But the admiral was not deceived. He
 had noted the whole disaster. He saw
 the men in the water too. Instantly
 he called to Peyton:
 "Take one of the boats of the Meta comet, Peyton, and try to save those men. Give him boat, Jouettv'
 Aye, aye, sir" replied that cool young officer as Peyton clambered over to the Metacomet's deck, gathered a boats crew as he ran, dropped into one of the cutters dragging along to port, pulled out around the stern of the Hartford right into the hell of bat tie to starboard.
 That was not the only disaster of the morning, however, for the Brooklyn, which was in the lead, suddenly stop ped.
 Whats the matter with the Brook lyn, Freeman?" cried Farragut, hailing the pilot. "She must have plenty of water there"
 rPlenty and to spare, admiral.~
 "Why does she stop then?"
 But she did more than stop. Though that was disastrous enough, she began to back down upon the Hartford and the rest of the fleet Indeed this action of the Brooklyn was the only cloud on the glory of that day.
 Iao the guns of the fort now, few hum dred yards away. The fire from Mobile point was terrific. As the Brooklyn backed her helm was shifted, and she turned her bows straight to the fort Her broadside no longer bore, and her position in a measure blanketed the other ships. The men in the fort and fin the water battery, quick to see the disadvantage of the fleet, sprang to their guns again and, taking deliberate aim at point blank range, began to rake the hapless Brooklyn from stem to stern. The splinters literally flew from her in sheets. Shot after shot beat into her, shell after shell ripped through her, and she could make no reply to this fearful fire. If the gun ners in the fort had only depressed their guns, she must have been sunk then and there Her decks began to look like a slaughter pen. The Hart ford and the Richmond also came un- der a fearful fire. The ships were al- most silent and no guns bearing, while Fort Morgan roared and seethed with hell and destruction.
 n n miral, his face clouded with anxiety. Send me an army signal officer" he shouted in shrill voice that was heard even above the commotion.
 Tn moment the man reported that the Brooklyn was signaling "torpedoes ahead" She had seen line of empty shell boxes thrown out by the Tennes- see and her consorts and had mistaken them for torpedoes. This in conjunc- ton with the loss of the Tecumseh and the narrowness of the channel through which he was expected to pass and it's nearness to the fort had caused the captain first to stop and then to at tempt to back his ship. He was beaten.
 The six leading ships were now hud- dled together in serious danger of col lision under the guns of the fort, which were deliberately ripping them to pieces with heavy shot The high masts of the Hartford and the Brooklyn clearly indicated their position and en- abled the gunners in the fort and of the Confederate squadron to find them easily in spite of the smoke. To hesi- tate was to lose everything. It was that crucial moment of the battle up- on the instant decision of which de- pended success or failure.
 Admiral Farragut used to tell how at that moment he breathed brief prayer to the God in whom he trusted, saying, Shall I go onT' and the an swer came in a voice which seemed to him audible in that storm of battle, "Go on." That was what he did. What he said was vastly different.
 When he learned that it was fear of torpedoes that had backed the Brook lyn and swung her athwart the chan. nel, he shouted out in those sharp tones that could be heard everywhere on the ship:
 Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Drayton! Full speed, Jouett! Back the engines of the Metacomet hard and then go aheadw
 The one backing, the other going ahead, Farragut swung his flagship across the Brooklyn's stern-it was inn possible to cross her bows in the posi- tion she then was or he would have done so-and dashed at full speed up the channel. He was forced to skirt the shoal as he did so, and there were but a few feet of water beneath his keel as he rushed on.
 We cannot pass to the eastward of the buoy now, sir" said the pilot, as they cleared the Brooklyn. "The moni- tors are right in the way in the chan nel."
 Straight aheadr roared the ad- miral. Right at the line!'
 At full speed now the Hartford, en- veloped in flame and smoke from her own guns, rushed for the deadly tor pedo line. Broadside after broadside went smashing into the fort as she swept magnificently on. Would she, too, meet the fate of the Tecumseh? What would happen? A few moments