THE LOSS OF THE " MONITOR."



the Moistor would be saved, or at least that the
captain would not leave his ship until there was
no hope of saving her. I was sent below again to
see how the water stood in the wanr-room. I went
forward to the cabin and found the water just
above the soles of my shoes, which indicated that
there must be more than a foot in the vessel. I re-
ported this to the captain, and all hands were set
to bailing-bailing out the ocean an it seiemd,-
but the object wan to employ the men, as there
now seemed to be danger of excitement among
them. I kept employed most of the time, taking
the buckets from them through the hatchway on top
of the turret. They seldonm would have more than
ai pint of water in them, however, the remainder
having been spilled in passing from one man to
another [see font-note, p. 7 42 ].
  The weather was clear, but the sea did not cease
rolling in the least, and the Ihlode islnd, with the
two lines wound up in her wheel, was tossing at
the mercy of the sea, and came drifting against
our sides. A boat that had been lowered was
caught between the vessels and crushed and lost.
Some of our seamen bravely leaped down on deck
to guard our sides, and lines were thrown to them
from the deck of the Rhode islald, which now lay
her whole length against us,  floating off astern,
but not a man would be the first to leave his ship,
although the captain gave orders to do so. I was
again sent to examine the water in the ward-room,
which I found to be more than two feet above the
deck; and I think I was the last person who saw
Engineer G. H. Lewis as he lay seasick in his bunk,
apparently watching the water an it grew deeper
and deeper, and aware what his fate must be. He
called me as I passed his door, and asked if the
pumps were working. I replied that they were.
"Is there any hope" he asked; and feeling a lit-
tle moved at the scene, and knowing certainly
what must be his end, and the darkness that stared
at us all, I replied, " As long as there is life there
is hope." "- Hope and hang on when you are
wrecked " is an old saying among sailors. I left
the ward-room, and learned that the water had
gained so as to choke up the main pump. As I
was crossing the berth-deck I saw our ensign,
Mr. Frederickson, hand a watch to Masterns Mate
Williams, saying, "H Here, this is yours; I may
be lost "-which, in fact, was his fate. The watch
and chain were both of unusual value. Williams

abandon their stilt, they would burn a red light as sig-
ual. Alou.t to o'clock the signal was given. When the
steamer stopped to allow the hawsers to be cast off,
the M"isil',r forged ahead under the impetus of her
headway. and came so close up under the steamer's
tern,. that there wan great danger of her running into
:ad cutting the steanier down. When the engines of
the Rhode Isl-ad were started to go ahead to get out
of the wary, it was discovered that the hawser had got
afoul of thi' pa ddle-wheel, and when they were put in
-otion, iWstead of getting clear of her, the rope wound
upw on the whi'e l and drew the vessels together. This
was an extremely dangerous position, for they w ere be-
ins pitched tod tosel sbout so much by the heavy Pea  
that if the irin-chlad had oee struck tMe steamer they
mnus.t enith have gone down togethi-r. However, a fire-
man went into the wheel it the risk of hlis life, and with
an axe cut the hawser away so that the steamer wan



received them into his hand, then with a hesitat-
ing glance at the time-piece said, " This thing may
be the means of sinking me," and threw it upon the
dleek. There were three or four cabin-boys pale
and prostrate with seasickness, and the cabin-eook,
an old African negro, under great excitement, was
seolding them most profanely.
  As I ascended the turret-ladder the sea broke
over the ship, and came pouring down the hatch-
way with so much force that it took inm off my
feet; and at the same time the steam broke from
the boiler-room, as the water had reached the
fires, and for an instant I seemed to realize that
we had gone down. Our fires were out, andil I
heanl the water blowing out of the boilers. I re-
ported my observations to the captain, and at the
same time saw a boat alongside. The captain
again gave orders for the men to leave the ship,
and fifteen, all of whom were seamen and men
whom I had placed my confidence upon, were the
ones who crowded the first boat to leave the ship.
I was disgusted at witnessing the scramble, and,
not feeling in the least alarmed about myself, re-
solved that I, an "old haymaker," as landmeln
are called, would stick to the ship as long as my
officers. I saw three of these men swept from the
deck and carried leeward on the swift current.
  Bailing was now resumed. I occupied the turret
all alone, and passed buckets from the lower
hatchway to the man on the top of the turret. I
took off my coat-one that I had received from
home only a few days before (I could not feel that
our noble little ship was yet lost)-and, rolling it
up with my boots, drew the tompien fronm one of
the guns, placed them inside, and replaced the
tompion. A black cat was sitting on the breech
of one of the guns, howling one of those hoarse
and solemn tunes which no one can appreciate
who is not filled with the superstitions which I
had been taught by the sailors, who are always
afraid to kill a eat. I would almost as soon have
touched a ghost, but I caught her, and, placing her
in another gun, replaced the wad and tompion;
but I could still hear that distressing howl. As I
raised my last bucket to the upper hatchway no
'one was there to take it. I scrambled up the lad-
der and found that we below had been deserted. I
shouted to those on the berth-deck, " Come up; the
officers have left the ship, and a boat is alongside."
  As I reached the top of the turret I saw a boat

enabled to get away at a safe distance.-From aletter to
the Editors from H. R. SXlITv, then of the Rhode Isltnd.
   The boat lowered wan not lost, an I well know,
since I wan in command of her. The gunwale on the
starboard side was crushed by the Rhode Island as she
tossed belplessly about with two lines wound up In her
wheel, but the boat kept above water, and brought off
sixteen men, among them Surgeon Weeks. The men did
not leap down upon the deck to guard the side, which
would have been sheer folly. but remained in the turret,
and were with difficulty urged to -ome on deck and be
taken off. The stern of the ifontor lay under the Rhodc
1sf mids quarter- at no time were the vessels parallel.
The 3Montor should not have been lost. She was going
against a head-sea. Had she turned back before dark
she would have had no) difficulty. an all the ofiers of the
Rhode Island thought. - A. 0. TAvLoR, Actng Ensign
of the Rhode Island.