The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-11-29


Ing from the pilot house, through the
sight holes which had been made by
chipping out beveled spaces between the
iron logs of which the little structure
was built. Our turret revolyed so
much we could not tell which was bow
or stern When a shell exploded out
side the pilot house powder was flung
through the sight holes into the COM
mander's eyes, and this, together with
the fact that the ammunition in the
turret was all gone, and it was neces-
sary to get the tower into a certain
position in order to hoist more out Of
the hold, caused us to withdraw from
action. When we were ready to go at
back TO Norfolk.
'She came out six weeks later while
we were bombarding Sewell's Point
and defied the Union fleet, which i'm
mediately scattered back for Fortress
Monroe, and remained constant
source of menace until President Lin
coin and Secretary Stanton came down
from Washington In the old revenue
cutter Miami, formerly the English
yacht Lady Marchand. They went over
to Lynnhaven bay and spent the Gay.
and when they came back orders were
given that no boats should leave For
tress Monroe except under orders, but
that the Monitor must go up to Nor
folk.
1.-The officers of the Monitor, some
time before, had Joined in petition to
the President to be allowed to find the
Merrimac and destroy her, but be had
replied that we had only one Monitor
and could not risk her Norfolk, how
ever, had fallen in the meantime, and
the Merrimac, thus without a base, still
remained in the Elizabeth river. IL
was on May 8 that we got orders to
proceed to Norfolk early the next
morning. The Merrlmac's officers, Il
turned out, finding that Norfolk was
lost, had returned to make an effort
to pass our feet and go up the James
river to Richmond, and had lightened
their craft by throwing overheard al
ballast, spare stores and everything
movable but powder and shot
"Just after we had gotten under way
we made out the Merrimac passing
Sewells Point. Nearly everybody that
could came on deck to watch her. Inn
mediately after we had caught sight Of
her 1t seemed as II the whole vessel
was suddenly lifted from the water.
and, bursting apart. scattered In every
direction That was the end Of the
Merrimac. We captured two OF her
midshipmen later In the day and learn
ed that her commander, finding that.
with the westerly wind blowing. the
tide would 60 down so that he would
still be unable to get up the James
river. had determined to blow her up.
I'VE lay at Washington until Decem-
Der, think 1t was. when we sailed
under sealed orders for Hampton
Roads. On Dec. % the steamboat
Rhode Island took us In tow and we
got as far as Hatteras. when 1 left the
vessel in considerable state OF dis
habille"
How was that?-
well, / have seen weather just "a
bad In those parts many times since.
but it was blowing pretty hard from
the southwest. and the Rhode Island.
being a powerful steamship. lowed Us
faster than our engines could keep up
with. and the sea beating under our
fifteen-foot overhang at the bow. ripped
us apart, notwithstanding Col. william
F.. Church, who gives another reason
for the disaster that overlook us. The
Monitors upper psrt was separate
IS ructure from the tower, to which IL
was riveted, and the big seas body cut
ting towline?" suggested Capt. New
comb, who was present at the. inter
View
well. that was nothing" was the re-
ply. You see. was pretty sure r
was going down anyhow. so when Capt
Bankhead. who was In command, sang
out that he wanted the towline cut 1
decided minute or two wouldn't make
much difference, and, picking up
Ratchet, made my way forward, hold
ing on to. the rail-. followed by two
men. They were swept overheard and
drowned. but got up to the bow and
began to hack at the line, a, thirteen
inch hawser. IT was not an easy lob,
and while was hacking at it big sea
came over the bow. 1t did not wrench
me. from my position, but 1t lifted an
1900 pound cover from the anchor well
and carried II back against the pilot
house.
at was on deck all the time, with
nothing on but a flannel shirt and a
pair OF trousers. and slgnaled 10 the
Rhode Island that we were sinking and
to send boats. The boat that came got
some. Of our men OF. but II was flung
against the Monitor. scattering the men
in the water. and it was hs:f an hour
before they were ali picked up. We
were. eventually taken of. all except
sixteen. three OF whom had drowned
before help came, and the other thir-
teen OF whom had taken TO the top or
the. turret. where they could not he
reached. That is all, \ guess. st
Louis Republic.
Deafness from CennOnadfng-
same OF the newspapers" said the
Major, ARE making light OF the con-
plants If the British soldiers In South
Africa, to the effect that cannonading
caused them to lose the sense Of hear
ing This is no laughing matter. I
know good many men who after q
battle would be as deaf as a post for
five or six days. On others the effect
or cannonading would be to make the
ears extraordinarily sensitive to sound.
After the hot work at shiloh the break
ing of twig sounded to me like the
shot of a rife, and a blow with az
ak in chopping down a tree sounded
like the explosion Of a bombshell. In
all such cases there was improvement
after three or four days, but some men
are deaf to this day because of the can
nonading at Stone River or Gettys-
burg.
II remember several cases In which