Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-31


living in the Dixon County poor
house, near POnca, Nebr. He has
Just celebrated his ninetieth birthday. HIS
wife and children are all long since dead. and.
as far as he knows. he hasn't single relative
alive in all the world. He Is James Mckenzie,
Is without money, and while his health is
good for one Of 30 years. he Is too old TO work.
Through q peculiar condition. he Is unable 10
obtain o pension from the Government, and
everything indicates he will spend the remain
der Of his days in the Dixon County poor house
and will be buried in the county cemetery in
the pine box which the county will provide
when he dies. Mckenzie is the last known
actor in an event which changed the whole
course Of naval warfare. made obsolete the
navies Of the world and left It's imprint on
every battIeship Of today, 50 years later.
McKenzie's mind is somewhat hazy On
events that occurred yesterday and the day
before and q generation ago. but Is very clear
when it comes to his experience i'm the single
turret of the Monitor during its four hours
fight with the Merrimac. He has forgotten the
details Of his Indian days in Montana when
the Sioux and Blackfeet were massacrng the
white settlers in all directions. and those years
when he trapped beaver and bear in the Rocky
Mountains and sold their furs down in the
settlements" are partial blanks to him. But
he still wildly recalls how he sighted one OF
the great Dahlgren guns in the Monitors
turret and sent shell after shell against the
iron walls Of the Confederate Merrimac.
~ A LII the battle I saw was through the port
hole" says Mckenzie. when I locked
out. before the shooting started. and saw the
great mass Of iron coming at us, had queer
feeling And did the others OF our crew.
That was the first time we had been IN
battle. 1t was just a question as to what we
would do Our officers thought our little boat
was all right. We men didn't know just what
to expect. But were all ready to give it a
trial. And when we saw that big ironclad
bearing down on US, or cur boat bearing down
on the Confederate gunboat 1 had queer
feeling. So did the others.
The Merrimac about four times as big
as were. 1t was equipped with . dozen
more guns; never knew just how many.
And we had just two We had confidence in
our officers, but. Of course, we didn't know the
plan Of battle.
Down the bay there was q bank Of smoke.
Somebody told US it was the Confederate IRON
clad. coming to destroy the Federal feet.
I'VE of the crew hadn't known anything
about an ironclad up to that hour. We just
knew were going to have fight.
II looked through the port. Coming toward
ms something that looked just about like
n STORY warehouse all covered with iron,
set at an angle SO that shells would glance OF
when they struck the sides.
They tell me there was a big laugh on the
Merrimac when our little boat whirled out
from behind the stranded Minnesota and came
straight at the big ship with the iron sides
and top. They wondered what We thought we
could do against an ronclad four times rs big
rs were.
well they soon found out"
THE men on the Merrimac dubbed the Mon
itOr "The Yankee Cheese Box On q Raft"
The Monitors crew named the MeTimac the
County Meeting House" The Merrmac, as is
well known was . converted Federal
sci which had been Scuttled ut its dock when
the Norfolk Navy Yard was abandoned by the
Federals at the outbreak Of the The
Confederates had raised the old war vessel,
had cut down its sides and upper works, COW
cred the whole thing with heavy iron, and had
zap to that day the most formidable war vessel
ahCat
It's ability as q fighter was demonstrated the
previous day. March Q, 1861, when it had
steAmed uU from Norfolk and had boldly at