, 1911-03-01
MORE ABOUT THE WEBB.
National Tribune IJM Dee. I9I0)

Il served three years III the navy, and was
doing duty as ward room steward on tire
u. S. S. Femblna, then lying off New Or
leans, whittier we had been ordered for re-
pairs, when the Webb ran by the city. |
kept q diary, and noted the aforenamed epi-
6ode. l also had q scrapbook of newspaper
clippings, some relative to the Webb. AS [
unfortunately lost both i'll the riot at this
place of 1878, | write entirely from memory.
eve arrived off New Orleans March p,
1865, and made fast to the U. S. S. Chocura.
L left the ship early on the morning Of April
Is, and went ashore for supplies. While busy
there a newsboy ran into the building, shout
ing astounding intelligence ! Assassination
of the President - | bought a newspaper,
and ran to the ship with it. All flags flew at
Aalf-mast for six weeks after, and |, with my
s%hipmatos, wore a band Of crepe around my
left arm.
with due dcf1roDce to Shipmote Robbins,
l think that the Webb passed us a few days
after ApriI Is. At any rate, W. occupied our
berth alongside the Chocura Just astern of
the flagship Lackawanna Our captain re-
turned on board in the forenoon Of Lhe day
OF the incident, and, mounting the bridge,
commanded Cast loose and provide There
is a ram in the riyern The news was sud-
den the ship was under repair and not in
fighting trim. Our battery was in fair shape.
We had done blockade duty, SO took in the
situation, and were soon ready with at least
five guns covering the river.
II was advanced to No. 3 in my guns
crew, but we knew the gunnory cnteehism
and how to change positions. The order
was to level the gums and Ere when they
could be brought to bear. 1t was soon re-
ported that the escaped ram was the Webb,
Il large, wooden, high pressure steam tug
with a working beam, built in New York,
and that she was very fast, had run the
blockade OF the Red River, cut the.telegraph
wires and was coming down the Mississippi
ahead Of us at a rapid pace, burning pine
knots and throwing black smoke. Her ca
pacity or other qualifications were not
known, but as we were taught to be eau
tious and watch out for everything danger
Gus or suspicious under the sun, it made no
difference to us whether she was protected
or carried torpedoes.
"Orders were issued to aim at her work
ing beam, which was her most vulnerable
point. Within half an hour afterwards l
saw u low craft swiftly rounding the upper
bend of the river, heading downstream, with
a dense volume of black smoke issuing from
her smokestock. A working beam, going
rapidly, loomed high above her hull, and
HIC ~ q NIHl Will C4C CA0
about Is degrees, having a black object at
tached to the upper end rugged forward
The Stars and Stripes foated at half-mast
from her flagstaff, and she was to all APP
pearance a Union vessel. This was embar-
RAISING, for we could not fire on q vessel
dying our own flag, and at alf-mast, too.
''She seemed to accelerate her speed as
she neared the Warships, but kept we'll in
the middle Of the river, and sent the water
foaming and rolling from her bows. When
she was within $50 yards Of us a Quarter
master told the Commodore hat it was the
Webb, as he knew her full vol. The
order now came to fire. Several shots
immediately followed from the Lackawan-
ma, one from the Chocura, five from
the Pembina and some from the ships lower
down, in rapid succession, all of which went
directly over the Webb, except one each
from the Lackawanna and the Rimeo, which
took effect respectively above and below her
water line.
''Ihe shot from the gun Mt which I was
stationed struck a bale OF cotton Just ahead
Of her working beam, for we saw the cotton
hy. More firing WIS prevented by other
craft and the Portsmouth coming in line
with or ahead of the fugitive, and, owing to
H. ~-I - H. -. A. -L 4 Al