Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-11-17
We opened fire with one gun.

| closed in ana fought each other until
after noon Most Of the time We were
not more than 2O0 yards apart and
/ through the portfolios as we were g)-
/ ing 10 fire | caught glimpses of her
/ crew as they loaded their guns. Find
! iGg she could not iuiure us with her
/ ire. the Merrimac attempted to ran
US down, but in doing so she swung
right alongside of us.
Il had careleSSly placed my knee
| against the wall of the turret while
| leaning over for something, and when
Il shot struck the outside | was flung
by the conclusion clean over both guns
TO the floor of the turret. They picked
me up unconscious ard took me below,
where it was fully an hour before
came to-
Lieut.. Worden directed all the fr
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 50
much we could not tell which was bow
or stern. " hen she'll exploded out
side the pilot house powder was flung
through the sight holes into the com
manders eyes, and this, together with
the fact that the ammunition in the
turret was all gone, and 1t was neces-
sary to get the tower into a certain
position in order to hoist more out of
| = tn aptfh Il Puy
action. When we were ready to go at
1t again the Merrimac was on her way
back to Norfolk.
she came out six weeks later while
we were bombarding Sewells Point
and defied the Union fleet, which i'm
mediutely scattered back for Fortress
Monroe, and remained "A constant
source of menace until President Lin
com 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 60 ny to Nor
folk
The officers of the Monitor, some
time before, had joined In petition 20
the President To be allowed TO find the
Merrimac and destroy her, but lie had
replied that we had only one Monitor
and could not risk her, Norfolk, how
ever, had fallen In the meantime, and
the Merrlmac, thus without base, still
remained in the Elizabeth river, II
was on May that we got orders &c
proceed to Norfolk early the neNt
morning. The Merrimac's officers, II
turned out, finding that Norfolk was
lost, had returned 10 make an effort
to pass our fleet 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
Sewelrs Point Nearly everybody thai
could came on deck 10 watch her. I'm
mediately after we had caught sight OF
her Il seemed as If the whole vesse
was suddenly lifted from the water
and, bursting apart, scattered In every
direction. That was the end OF the
Morrimac. We captured two of her
midshipmen later i'm the day and learn
ed that her commander finding that
with the westerly wind blowing, the
tide would 20 down 30 that he would
still be unable TO get up the james
river, had determined to blow her up
1--WE lay at Washington until Decem
Der, think it was. when we sailed
under sealed orders for Hampton
, Roads. On Dec. 20 the steamboat
Rhode Island took us In tow and we
got as far as Hatteras, when lett the
vessel in a considerable state of dis
= habille."
. How was that
, well. | have seen weather just rs
, bad In those parts many times since
, | but 1t was blowing pretty hard Uom
the southwest and the Rhode Island
I being a powerful steamship, towed us
, faster than our engines could keep up
! with, and the sea beating under oul
fifteen-foot overriding at the bow, ripped
us apart, Notwithstanding Col. william
f. Church. who gives another reason
for the disaster that overlook us. The
Monitors upper part WAS a separate
structure from the tower, to which IL
was riveted, and the big seas body cut
ting towline" suggested Capt New
comb, who was present Mt the inter
view.
We'll. that was nothing" was the re
ply. You see, | was pretty sure !
was going down anyhow. so when Capt
Bankhead. who was in command. sang
out that be wanted the towllue c1ut