The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-10-19
wreck Of the Transport AphroAite.

VIVA - INC AE000ROk1 ARokV0ttCs
I thought is very strange on receiv-
Ing The National Tribune every week
to see nothing about the Navy, and was
agreeably surprised to see the article
from Shipmate Jacob ]. Darfield, of the
Receiving Ship North Carolina at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard. l enlisted on
June 9, 1864, and was on board the
North Carolina from that day, and was
employed as ships printer on the Cob
Dock. l got tired of being ashore, and
got my name drafted for the West
Gulf Squadron. On Sept. 80. 1864, we
went on board the U. s. Transport
Aphrodite, having about $50 men-sea-
marines under command OF Serg't
Connely. All went well till Oct. 3, 1864.
Just about sunrise (4:15) I was lying
on the spar deck. covered with my over
coat. / felt the vessel give three dis
tinct bumps on the beach. 1 rose i'm
mediately, and saw we were hard and
fast ashore; the breakers were dashing
heavily on the beach. They reversed
the screw Immediately. The man at the
wheel was under the influence Of Ii
quor at the time. They got a kedge
anchor and tackle at work to seward,
to try to pull her off, but all to no eff
feet. The Captain had his gig lowered
and pulled to Beaufort, a distance of
about 26 miles, for assistance, and at
l o'clock in the afternoon we were all
ordered to look to ourselves to go on
the beach till assistance came. They
asked for man to volunteer to swim
ashore with a piece of ratlines stuff,
so as to haul rope and kedge anchor
ashore. The mans name don't know,
but he was called by us liverpool Joe. >
The anchor was hauled ashore and
made fast, so that we had a good haw-
ser from the ship to shore to haul the
boats Then we filed the boats as fast
as we could with few provisions and
men in each boat, till all Of us were
ashore on the beach, then saved what
would be Of use to us; viz. provisions,
and sails to lie down on at night, the
weather being quite warm, but as for
saving clothes it was impossible, as the
berth deck was filled with water, the
Aphrodite's back being broken. One
of the boats capsized and four men were
drowned. We spent an uncomfortable
night. Next morning, Oct. "a, we saw
q tugboat and a lead-colored gunboat
approach named the u. S. S. Key
stone State, and try to pull the Aphro-
dite off the sandbank. The tugboat and
the U. 8. S. keystone State worked for
five or six hours, but to no purpose. One
Of the boats from the keystone State
capsized, drowning 10 men.
A boat came to the other side Of the
island Cedar Island, or, as the natives
called 1t, Cove Island) with the body OF
boat said they had picked him up near
the entrance to the sound at the north
end. We dug grave, and on this soil
tary, lonely sandbank we listened to
the burial service Of the Episcopal
Church, read by an officer. After the
words, "Ashcs to ashes and dust to
dust" a sod was thrown on the body
and the grave quickly filled in, and
nothing marks that sailors grave save
rude board carved with a jackknife
stating it was an unknown body
drowned from the wreck OF the Aphro.
dite.-George E. Midgley, Yeoman, U
s. S. Maumee; Lieut.. Commander VIM
B. Cushing, Asatic Squadron.