The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1916-11-23
WRACK OF
MEMRHIS.
Narrowing Experience Of Young
Lieutenant Who is Known
in Port Gibson.

III R&S~l 80 GAA%%(@ 80 49, 00NN%(S--@ y
Memphis which was wrecked on
the island of San Domingo early
in September. Lieut.. Dupree is =
grand son of Mrs. M. R. Naasson
of this place, and visited Port
Gibson about a year ago:
"To give you an idea of how
deep the waves were we struck
bottom in the troughs of the waves
in 90 it. of water. The ship itself
draws AZ feet. That means that
the waves were over 80 feet high.
"About 4 O'Clock | went down
in the engine room to get measure
ments for a drawing. The ship
was rolling somewhat at the time,
but not unusually so. While l
was getting the measurements the
ship took an awful lurch. This
was the first | thought of a storm
being on. l noticed then that the
regular detail bad been stationed,
the chief engineer was down, and
that preparations were being made
to get under way. We had begun
to roll worse than bad ever seen
her do before. l went out into
the fire room. All the forced draft
possible was 90, but water was
pouring down the smoke stacks
and putting out the fires.
81 went back into the starbord
engine room and was standing near
the desk under the blower when
water shot down the blower knock
ing me about IS feet.
"I reached the berth deck whea
the lights went out I started up
the steps to the guu deck uhen
wave burst through s ioch gun
port aud down the steps ! was COM
ing up, knocking me clear 70 the
bottom. Water was pouring down
every hatch TO the berth deck
When l got up and started aft to
try to get up another way, l found
l 1ad to swim. I finally got to the
gun deck. Il was in an awful fix,
aud | knew then we were doomed.
| didn't know where we we're, nor
how many people were alive. AT
that time / didu't believe that any
one could be on the upper decks.
l felt sure that they were all washed
of. Through a port / saw things
going over the side that | knew
had been battened down to the
decks with iron bands. If these
things could be washed of, / fig
ured that II wouldn't be possible
for men to stay on the upper deck.
''I got together about IS men
and kept themin a bunch so that
if man was Knocked the others
would be able 70 help him. Water
was up TO your waist on the gun
deck, and the snip was rolling 80
or 40 degrees. When she rolled,
this great mass of water, with ta-
bIes, heavy chests, 8 aud hun
dred pound shells, piano, iron
bars, and every imaginable thing
would rush Will thud from one
side the ship ID the other. We
could anticipati the roll and grab
on to a pipe overhead until it
passed. The vater would then be
over your headEor a few seconds
and have you pinned right up
against the deSz above until the
ship rolled bac to the other side.
81 got back own on the next
deck aud to be engine room
hatch. Water %s up to your neck
down there. rhe engine room
hatch had been llosed and ! could |
see that steam MS coming up from
every crevice. knew everything
bad carried ava below and never
once thought th l would ever see
any of the engin room gang again.
'We bad oB 80 pounds of
steam when thigs carried away,
and for steaminl purposes we car
ry aos pounds. Six or eight men
died from scaId:
ssI went back 3 my old place.
| l realized that I'VE STAYED where
We were the CD qpsr,mens would
fill up With wat and We would
drown like rats a cage. We
procured a scanning and proceed
ed to pound a 81 light open. I'm
AFRAID we wonldnever have sue
ceeded, but ourIounding brought