The Greenville times., 1906-09-01
$4,000 1N191o-
INTREPID CUSHING.
Warm Words of Praise From An
Old Confederate Who Witnessed
Lieutenant Cushing's Heroic
Action.

| Norfolk, Va, Sept. An old Con
| federate sailor who was present when
the ram Albemarle was blown up at
! Plymouth, n. c., stood on the string
piece of a Norfolk wharf last week.
A few yards away the torpedo boat
Gushing was beating the placid waters
of the harbor into a violentlyt ting
| froth as she tore swiftly out to sea.
There" said the old mariner, goes
boat with the name of the braveSt
man the Hanks ever had III their navy
and one of the braveSt men that ever
| lived On the night on which w. B.
| Gushing blew up the Albemarle
could plainly see his face and actions
| by the light of a bonfire on shore.
He went about his work oblivlous OF
everything using deliberation where
deliberation was necessary and haste
where he could
although a hundred rifles were
trained on him and he could see the
big Brooks Rifle in the bow of the
Albemarle trained directly on him he
never f1inched How he escaped an
initiation is more than | can under
stand. The one chance in a million
saved him.
Gushing was only twenty-one at
the time of this brilliant exploit. He
was made Lieutenant Commander
and received $4,000 as his share OF
prize money for destroying the Abe
marie The story of the destruction
Of the Albemarle is too we'll known
to be repeated here. After its de
struction was verified the world rang
with Cushing's fame. Not only was
his achievement remarkable for the
L -
cause a whole feet of Federal ships
had in vain tried to make an impress
sion on the rams invulnerable sides.
Had it not been destroyed in short
time the land and water operations
of the Federal government would
have been Jeopardized.
]. NJ Batten. NJ. D, who was sur
geon in the United States Navy, tells
in his book os Cushing's behavior in
connection with the destruction OF
the Albemarle. DR.. Batten was
passenger on the steamer Valley City
OF the Federal fleet on October %.
1904. Cushing was also aboard, hav-
ing just arrived with a torpedo launch
which he had had constructed at the
New York Navy Yard. The next
morning DR. Batten found Gushing
had disappeared. On October 2Stn
the day after the destruction of the
Albemarle, the Valley City got under
way and proceeded to the mouth Of
the Ronaoke. AS she was passing in
DR.. Batten says, a voice hailed the
ship from the shore and the Vale,
City sent off a boat which, much to
his surprise. on return brought OH
Lieutenant Cushing with all his cloth
ing gone except a pair of stockings.
pantaloons and coarse flannel shirt
He was wet, cold, tired, hungry and
prostrated He had been absent five
days and most of that time had been
without food His crew had consist
ed of twelve volunteers of whom two
were drowned, one escaped and the
rest captured
On Cushing's return he was re-
ceived witlka national salute OF TWEEN
ty-one guns This IS one of the few
occasions on which a lieutenant, not
in command, has been given a salute
with big guns It was the only oe
casion on which lieutenant has been
saluted with the national salute which
IS reserved for rulers of countries
The Cushing at present forms part
OF the reserve torpedo squadron
which has its base at Norfolk under
command of Lieutenant l. V. ellis
She viii probably be kept in Norfolk
during the life OF the Jamestown En-
position TO be held on the shores OF
Hampton Roads near Norfolk. IN
1907. and visitors can then see the
famous boat.
During the Spanish-American War
she acted As despatch boat and mem
Der of the Cuban blockadng fleet
She was built at the yard of the Her
reshoffs' at Bristol. Rhode Island
She IS I5o feet. 9 inches in length on
the water line. Of II feet. 5 inches
beam. and draws four feet ten inches
OF water Her full load displacement
IS I42 tons. She Is a twin scrcew YES
sci, driven by Thorneycroft engines
capable Of generating 1920 horse
power. The vessel is armed with
three I8-ineh Whitehead torpsdol
tubes and three I-pounder rapid
FIRE guns. The Gushing was the first
torpedo boat built for the new United
States Navy and Was given the nara<
Gushing IN response to per- e5 ii