Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 27, Number 22, Jasper, Dubois County, 20 March 1885 — Page 7

'WEEKLY COURIER C JXA-iNJi:, Ihibllwlier. JASl'KU. INDIANA

1THE SONG OF A SNOWiALL. I'm h worry little snowball, A I Ml I ('Hit kH(H(k J'H Ht, Or take riKht wir arHUburt . Your tfylleh beaver bat. iMgt hljfht a little urehln ftvitlv! In the yard, .AmI throw him In the waler-pelt Tt) f I1NMHI We IXHIIHl MHH hard At early morn he grab)) me, , AihI Mit me akltamtwt ekr Arr the JilKhwHV, where I took . The milkman In the ear. I'm sure (hut when I hit him 1 brought him little Joy teeuae,lKftil of klokln me, lie went and kloked the boy. Ami then k man stepped on me, And Idlkxl to crush mo Hut; I don't know what he dkl It lor, liut, tomebow, down he sat. Hljrht oft lie wl;.wl ukvh me imraffe watt wlkl and vain AihI hurled rae wlklly thrmiKH his own liiff iwrlor window-pane. The thrifty housewife ifl me TO chM) H VHJtTHllt hoti; .She newly brok her shoulder-blade Why can't they throw like men A younger brother found me, And played with me awhile; With wmklHK t'lillblHinh off his hands ill Moure he'll beguile. 1 lie sent the dog to fetch we From out h lixht How-wreath The dotr hi now u sufferer from Netirahjla 1b the teeth, t Uut4niny falryouHK lifetime The Jay, the most intense, I fait when Jokuny made uie knock The towoat off th f eeee. I'm Rieltlnjc smaller, hoi all ?r. Hut ikhlo in death is tnlno: 'They'll drop me down some fellow's Hook To dl along Mt spine. Though a merry little snowball A kiioWImII light and gay 1 think I Khali have some fun Before I melt away. CMean Tribunu "MONITOR AND MERRIMAC. Union and Confederate Aocounta of Their Fight The Uulcm flfleer'n Story. The Into Commodore S. D. Greone, In tho Century War Series, writes of the fight between the vessels Monitor and Morrlmac from which is taken the following: "It was at the close of this dispiriting trial trip (her voyage from New York), in which all hands had been exhausted in their efforts to keep the novel craft Afloat, that the Monitor passed Cape Hoary at foHr p. m. on Saturday, March 8. At this point, was heard the distant booming of heavy gum, which our Captain rightly judged to bo an engagement with tho Merrimac, twenty miles away, Ho at once ordered the vessel stripped of her sea-rig, the turxet keyed up, and every preparation made for battle. As wo approached Hampton Honda we could see the fine -old Congress burning brightly, and soon x pilot came on board and told of the arrival of tho Merrimac, tho disaster to the Cumberland and the Congress, and the dismay of tho Union forces. The Monitor was pushed with all haste and roached tho Roanoke (Captain Marston) anchored in the Roads, at nine p. in- The dreary night dragged slowly -on; the officers and crew were up and -alert, to he ready for any emergency. At daylight on Sunday the Merrimac nd her consorts wefo discovered at Anchor near Sewall's Polut At about half-past seven o'clock tho enemy's vessels got under way and steered in tho -direction of tho 'Minnesota. At the .same time the Monitor got under way, And her officers and erew took their stations for battle. "Wordeu took his station in the pilothouse, and by his side wens Howard, the pilot, and Peter Williams, Quartermaster, who steered the vessel throughout the engagement. My plaee was in the turret, to work and light the guns; -with mo Were Stoddard and Stimers and sixteen brawny men, eight to each gun. "Wordeu steered direct for tho enemy's vessels, in order to meet and onfage them as far as possible from the linuesota. As he approached, the wooden vessels quickly turned and left. Our Captain, to tho 'astonishment' of Captain Van Hrunt (as he states in his official report), made straight for the Merrimac, which had already commenced firing; and when became within short range he changed his course so aa to come alowsido of Iter, stopped tho ngine. and give the order ".Commence tiring!" I ttksed up the iiort, ran outthe gun, an4 taking dcliWate aim, pulled the lock string. The Merrimac was nuick to reply, returning a rattling broadside (for she had ten guns to our two), and tho battle fairly began. Tho turret ami other parte of the ship were heavily struck, hut the shots did not penetrat; the tower was intact, and it continued to revolve. A look of confidence passed over tho men's faces, mid we believed the Merrimac would not repeat tho work she had accomplished the day before. "The -light continued with the exchange of broadside as fast as tho guns could be served and at very short J"go, the distance betwecu tho vessels frequently being not mora than a few yards. Worden skillfully maneuvered Ins qulok-turningyossel, trying to find some vulnerable point in his adversary. Once he made a daeh at hor stern, hoping to disable his screw, which he thinks be missed by aot mere thaa two feet.

Our shots riiHKHt the iron of the Mem

mac, while the reverberation of her shots against the tower caused anything luit a plewsant sensation. While Stoudard, who was stationed at the Mtaohiue whioh controlled the revolving motion of the turret, wan incautiously leaning against the side of the tower, a large shot struck In thu vicinity and disabled him. " As thu engagement continued the working of the turret wa not altogether satisfactory. It wa difficult to start it revolving, or, when onoe Htartod, to stop it, on account of the Imperfections of the novel machinery, which was now undergoing iU firt trial. Stiraers wa an active, muscular man, and did his utmost lo control tho motion of the turret; but, in spito of hie effort, it was ditlicult if not impossible to secure accurate iiriug. The conditions were very different from those of an ordinary broadside gun, uudor which wo had been trained on wooden shijw. My only view of tho world outside of the tower to over tho muzzles of tho guns, which eloarod the porUby a few inches only, When tho guns were run in tho port-holes wero covered by heavy iron pendulums, pierced with small holes to allow tho iron rammer and sponge handles to protrude while they wero in use. To hoist these pendulums required the entire gun's crew and vastly increased tho work inside the turret. "Tho effect upon one shut up in a revoking drum is perplexing, ami it is not a simple matter" to keep tho bearings. White marks had been placed upon the stationary deck immediatoh below the turret to indicate the direction of tho starlxmrd and port sides, and tho bow and stern; but these marks wero obliterated early in tho action. I would continually ask the Captain: ' How doos tho Merrimac bear?1 He replied: On the starloard beam,' or On the port-quarter,' as the case might be. Then the difficulty was to determine the direction of tho starboardleam or port-quarter, or any other bearing It finally resulted that when a gun was ready for firing the turret would be started on its revolving journey in search of tho target, and when found it was taken 'on tho fly,' because the turret could not lie accurately controlled Once tho Merrimac tried to rara us, but Worden avoided the direct impact by the skillful use of the helm, and she struck a glancing blow which did no damage. At tho instant of collision I planted a solid one-hundrod-aud - eighty-pound shot fair and square upon flic 'forward part of her casemate. Had thu gun been loaded with thirty pounds of powder, which was the charge subsequently used with similar guns, it is probable that this shot would have penetrated her armor; but the charge being limited to fifteen pounds, in accordance with peremptory orders to that effect from the Navy Department, the shot rebuuaded without doing any more damage than possibly to start some of the beams ot her armor-backing. " Soon after noon a shell from tho enemy's gun, the muzzle not ten yards distant, struck the forward side of the pilot-house directly in the sight-hole, or slit, and exploded, cracking the second iron log and partly lifting the top, leaving an opening. Worden was standing immediately behind this spot, and received in his face the force of tho blow, which partly stunned him. and, filling his eyas with owder, utterly blinded' him. The injury was known only to those in the pilot-house and its immediate vicinity. Tho flood of light rushing through tho top of the pilot-house, now partly 0mjh, eaused Wordeu, blind as lie wa?, to believe that tho pilot-house was seriously injured, if not destroyed; he therefore gave orders to put the helm to .starboard and sheer off.' Thus the Monitor retired temporarily from the action, In order to ascertain the extent of the injuries she had received. At tho same time Worden sent for me, and, leaving Stimers, tins only officer In the turret, I went forward at once, and found him .standing at tho foot of the ladder leading to the pilot-house. "Ho was a ghastly sight, with his eyes closed and tho blood apparently rushing from evwry pore in tho upper part of his face. He told me that he was seriously wounded, antt directed me to take command. I assisted in leading him to a sofa in his cabin, where ho was tenderly oared for by Dr. Logue, and then'l assumed command. Blind and suffering as he was.Worden's fortitude never forsook him; ho fro(iitcntly asked from his lcd of pain of tlie progress of affairs, and when told that tho Minnesota was saved he said: Then I can die happy.' "When I reached rav station ia the pilot-house I found that the iron log was iracturou ana the top partly open, but the steering-gear was intact, and tho pilot-house was not totallv de stroyed, as had been feared. In the confusion of the moment resulting from soHcriousan injury to the commanding officer, tho Monitor had been moving without direction. Exactly how much time elapsed from tho moment that Worden was wounded until I had reached tho pilot-houso'and completed inu examination oi me injury ai mat point 'and determined what course to pursue in tho damaged condition of the vessel it is impossible to state: but it could hardlv have exceeded twenty minutes at tno utmost, curing this time tho Merrimac, whioh was leaking badly, had started in the direction of Elizabeth River; and, on taking my station in tho pilot-house and turning the vessel's head in tho direction of tho Merrimac, I saw that slio whs already in retreat. A few shots were tired at the retiring vessel and she continued on to Norfolk. I returned with the Monitor to tins side ef the Minnesota,where preparations were lie lag made to abandon tke skip, whioh was still sgrettiMl.

Shortly afterwwd Worthm wax trans

ferred to a tug. and that night he ww earried to Washington, "The right was over. Wa of th Monitor thought and still think, that we had gained a great victory. This the Confederates have denied. Ifctt k has never lieeu denied that the object of the Merrimac on the 9th of March was to complete the destruction of the Union fleet in Hampton Heads and that in this she was completely foiled and driven off by the Monitor, nor has it been denied that at the close of the engagement the Merrimac retreated to Norfolk, leaving the Monitor in possession of the field." The CttHfrderate OSInr'ii Aeeeunt. From the article by Colonel John T. Wood, an officer of the Merrimao during the fight with the Monitor, in Uie Century War Series, Is quoted the following: "At daybreak we discovered lying between us and the Minnesota a straugo-lookhig craft, which we knew at once to be Ericsson's Monitor, which had long been expected in Hampton ltoads, and of which, from different sources, we had a good idea. She could not possibly have made her apjKJKranee at a more inopportune tinw for ug, changing oer plans, which were to destroy the Minnesota, and then the remainder of the fleet below Fortress Monroe. She appeared but a pignu compared with the lofty frigate which she guarded. Hut in her size was one grout element of her success. I will not attempt a description of tho Monitor; her build and peculiarities arc well known. "After an early breakfast, we got under way and steamed out toward the enemy, opening lire from our bow pivot, and, closing, we delivered our starboard broadside at short range, which was returned promptly from hor eleven-Inch guns, lioth vessels then turned and passed again still closer. The Monitoi was firing evory seven or eight minutes, and nearly every shot struck. Our ship was working worse and worse, and aftot tho loss of the smoke-stack, Mr. Ramsey, chief engineer, reported that the draught was so poor that it was with great difficulty he could keep up stoam. Once or twice the ship was on the bottom. Drawing twenty-three feet oJ water, we were confined to a narrow channel, while the Monitor, with only twelve feet immersion, could take an; position and always have us in range oi lier guns. Orders wero given to concentrate our fire on the pilot-house, and with good result, as we afterward learned. More than two hours had passed, and we hud made no impression on tho enemy, so far as wo could discover, while our wounds were slight Several times tho Monitor ceased firing, and wo were in hopes she was disabled, but the revolution again of her turret and the heavy blows of her eleven-inch shot on our sides soon undeceived us. "Coming down from tho soar-deok and observing h division standing at ease,' Lieutenant Jones observed: Why are you not liring, Mr. Eggkston?r " 'Why, our powder is very precious,' replied the Lieutenant; 'and after two hours' incossant firing I find that I can do her about as much damage by snapping my thumb at her every two minutes and a half.1 "Lieutenaut Jonos now determined to run her down or board. For nearly an hour we maneuvered for a position. Now 'go ahead;' now 'stop;' now 'astern;7 the ship was as unwieldy as Noah's Ark. At last an opportunity offered, Go ahead, full speed.' But before the ship gathered headway the Monitor turned, and our disabled ram only gave a glancing .blow, effecting nothing. Again she camo tip on our quarter, her bow against our side, and at this distance fired twice, lioth shots struck about halfway up the shield, abreast of the after pivot, and tho impact forced th side bodily in two or three inches. All the crews of the after guns were knocked over by the concussion, and bled from tho nose or oars. Another shot at the same plaee would have penetrated. While alongside, loarder.s were called away; but she dropjKjd astern lefore they could get on board. And so, for six or more hours, the struggle was kept up. At length tho Monitor withdrew over the middle ground where we could not follow, but always maintaining a positlo to protect the Minnesota. To have run our ship ashore on a falling tide would have been ruin. We awaited Iter return for an hour: and at two o'clock p. m. steamed to Su wall's Point, and thence to tho dock-yard at Norfolk, our crew thoroughly worn out from the two days' fight Although tltere is no doubt that the Monitor first retiredfor Captiin Van Hrunt, commanding the Minnesota, so states iu his official reportthe battle was a drawn one, so far as the two vessels ongaged were conoerned. , "Tho Monitor was well handled, and saved the Minnesota anil the remainder of tho fleet at Fortress Monroe, liut her gunnery was poor. Not a single shot struck us at the wator-llne, where the ship was utterly unprotected, and whero one would have been fatai. Or had the fire been concentrated on any one spot the shield would have been pierced? had larger charges been used the result would havu been the same. Most of her shot struck us obliquely, breaking the Iron of both courses, but not injuring the wood backing. When struck at right angles the backing would be broken, but not jenetrated. We had no solid projectiles except a few of largo windage, to be used as hot shot, and of course made no impression on the turret. Hut in all this It should be borne In mind that lotk vessels were oa their trial-trips, both were ex perimoatal, and both receiving their baptiem of ire.

GENERAL GORDON.

The L'h4h OfcrmttrUHi mt Me If ere ef The life of GjmmwI Gordon k whMot parallel in history. t He had a will as imperious as Napoleon's; he had a nature as inflexible as Cromwell's; no had Clive's genius for war and fertility of resource; he had Jan Lawrence's capacity for governing semi-civilized races; he had Francis Xavier's overmastering love of humanity. Hut with tbwe traits were combined a chivalrous devotion to the races for whom ne labored, with a contempt for the statesmanship of Europe, an unquestioning reliance upon the law of his own conscience, and an intense religious nature that reflected at once the mysticism of the middle ages, tlie austere virtues of Puritanism and the fatalism of the Eas A man of commanding genius in achieving great results bv means of insignificant instrumentalities, and in conciliating the prejudices and overcoming the resistance of barbaric hordes, he was at once a hero among men. and a solitary figure removed from them by unique characteristics. There is, perhaps, no other country, in tlie world where such a character as General Gordon's would be so easily misunderstood as England. His sombre genius, his mediaival piety and his devotion to the interest of semi-civilized races, had little in common with the intensely practical instiuctsof the Nation. His contempt for the tcdious processes of diplomacy, and his indifference to the fate of ministries and the policy of governments, marked him out as a mysterious idealist, whose judgment was not to lie accepted without hesitation and reserve. lie returned from. China to face a storm of obloquy and reproach from the humanitarians who mistook him (or a cold-blooded butcher of the Chinese population. His work in tlie equatorial provinces and his battles with the slave-hunters were neither understood nor appreciated by Englishmen, while he incurred the hostility of the ring of pachas at Cairo through hi& administrative reforirs. At Mauritius, in Hasuto-Land and in India he found it impossible to endure official restraint His mission to South Africa was a complete failure, and it was not until as an Arbitrator he had personally decided that China should not declare war against Russia that the English eoi)le began to comprehend the genius of this grim Puritan warrior. His roving commission as miracle worker in the Soudan was regarded at first with enthusiasm, but the moment he arrived at Khartoum every proclamation that he issued, every proposal that he made, was criticised and miseoustrued. The Government whioh had dispatched him across the desert refused to follow his advice. The humanitarians denounced him as the slaveholder's ally. Practical politicians condemned his nomination of Zebehr hs his successor as tlie actof a fanatical madman. Rut even Englishmen awoke at last to a consciousness of General Gordon's heroic qiuilitic. For nearly a year that solitary Euro)ean has held his ground against a horde of barbarians. He has raised armies and paid tltem without money. He has conducted a marvellous campaign bf promising liberty to several thousands of blacks and by mounting rusty artillery on a fleet of leaking hulks. He has stood on the broken rampant, a solitary English sentry refusing to desert those who had trusted in him, and awaiting an army ot rescuers which never came. And there he will remain in the memory of the nation a sublime figure, never to LIFE IN IT. new a Ceupln et Tramp l'layed It en the Ceeiltit'tnr. About eighteen miles above Centralia, 111., the engineer began to blow toot! toot! toot! and to slacken his pace, and by and by the train came to a standstill. The male passengers rushed out, as in duty bound, and iu time to see a man lying on the rails in front of the engine, and another man bending over him. When the rowd, headed by the conductor, reac etl the spot the man on his feet explained: "I discovered him about ten minute ago, and as 1 didn't want to see the truin run over him 1 gave you the signal." "Hut why didn't you pull him off the track?" asked the conductor. "I couldn't be hired to touch a dead bodv." whs the reply. "What! is he dead?" "Reckon hd is that." We examined the body and found life, in it. He was a oorIy-dressed man, 'seemingly in hard luok and for the matter of that so was tho other. "1 think," said the stranger who had stopped tho train, "that he's taken pawn and laid down lie re to wake sure work of it. If you are a mind to take him on to Centralia I'll kind o' rub him info life and get a doctor to pump him ont' ,Tho conductor assented, and we lugged the body into the baggago-car. The case created coneklorable talk ;among the passengers, and , purse of ;icven dollars was made up for the unfortunate. However, as wo slowed up 'for Centralia, ami before the purse was presented, there was a great yelling from the baggage oar, and we reeked out to see the two tramps ttnetiag it .across a Meld. It was a game they had iplaved to get a tweaty-milt lift. Zirk Frw rrw. 1

be forgotten; ins heroism, lortittute, chivalrous loyalty and Christian faith understood at last. A. J'. Tribune

PERSONAL AND LITERARY. Graee Greenwood elalms that "Lit rary women live happier Uvea Uuur fashionable women." George Augustus Sala thinks n matt has a right to consider -himself a journahat until he has worked at tb bttsmess fifteen or twenty years. Daniel Stewart, of Allegheny City. Pa., says he hi the oldest brother of, General Stewart, the hero of Abu Khw and Saabaoat Wells. C'Meaye Inter Ocean, Senator Aid rich, of Rhode Island, is one of the wealthiest and one of the youngest men in tlie United States Senate. He was originally a boy ia a Providence grooery. Jrovidetw JWrHfU. It is said that Congressman Phil Thompson, when a Prosecuting Attorney in Kentucky, onoe asked iiis twin brother to try a case for him. He did ' so. ami the Court did not know the difference. Cameron, tlie correspondent whc was killed in the Soudan recently, wa4 unmarried, but his aged mother was dependent on him for support. The London Standard, for which he wax working, has granted her .a handsome life pension. Rookmaking, five hundred years ago, was a costly business. The bill for designing and writing a manuscript in 1102 has just come to light The parchment, tlie writing, the miniatures, the silver nails, gold-plated and enamelled, ink figures, seventy smaller gold-plated silver nails, a gold-plated saver olasp, sky-blue satin, and binding together cost, according .to present value, $186, tho miniatures alone eosting f0. N. Y. Sun. Last Wednesday, in Irwin County, while Miss Allie Pridgea was at the spring, near the house, washing, Mr. Doode Nash, who had been paying bin addresses to her for some time, came up, and after passing the usual compliments between lovers, made a proposal of marriage, which was accepted by the young lady. Leaving the washtub she went with the young man to a neighboring house, where the nuptial knot was tied. Atlanta ConriUutieH. On last Thursday evening, as Mis Parlce Daniel was making preparations for a buggy ride with Mr. Will Wages, she remarked to her mother that she was going to bo married to Mr. Wage before they returned. Her mother, thinking she was jesting, remarked: "Well, then, you must come baok to see us some time," True to her word.they drove to Parson See's, where they stood in the presence of 'the family, and before God she solemnly promised to work for Wages as long as she lived. Atkcns ((7a.) Banner. ft mm HUMOROUS.

It is announced that Vanderblltdees. not drink coffee. Since hearing thWt. we have also ceased to Imbibe. We are bound to be a millionaire if possible Through Mail. When a clergyman remarked thore would be a nave in the churoh the society was boiling, an old lady wkisteredthat she knew the partv to whom lie referred. y. 1'. Independent. "What do you do when a cyclone wafts a few farms and a village or two over your section?" asked a New Englandcr of a visitor from the West "Do?" was the reply. "Nothing. I just sit still and wait till the affair blows Over." Motion. Budgtf. Pedestrian (who has lost his way) "Why don't you have guide-board round here, so that a stranger can tell where ho is going? Now, in the city, we have plenty of guide-boards one on every corner." rarmer "Why didn't you bring a few along with you, then?" Chicago Journal. "How strange Mr. McSwilligen must look without a mouth," remarked Mrs. Podsnap to Mrs. MoS. "Ne mouth?" replied Mrs. McSwilliren "What do you mean?" "Why, Mr. Podsnap said last night that Mr. McSwilligon had shot off his mouth at the club. 0il City Derrick. Little Pauline had been reproved for soma misconduct and was sitting on, a small chair by the window, looking very disconsolate. "Halleo!" said papa, chancing to cone in as twe big tears were about ready to fall. "Leek at Pauline! Why, what Is going to happen?" "It has happened," saMPanllne, solemnly. Harpefa Beutnr. "Ah!" saki Saroaetieus to his f4lew boarder who was shoveling bash into his mouth with his knife, "yen must be descended from either the Athenians or the Spartans." You flatter me," blushingly responded the putative barbarian. "What niskesyo think 1 had such distinguished ancestors?" "Because the use of the fork at table was unknown to the anolent Greeks." JV. Y. Journal Not long ago a lady who had just returned from Europe was asked by a friend if she had seen tho lion of St Mark. "O, yes," she replied, "wo arrived just in time to see the noble creature fed." Tlie late Dr. Readle, of Philadelphia, must have encountered the same lady. He spoke of the beauty o! the Dardanelles, and she replied. "0, vos, I know them well. They are intimate friends of mine." Ar. 1. Sun. A story is tbld of a shrewish Seekshwoman who tried to wean her huslwnd from the dram-shop by employing her ibrotltcr to act the part of a ghost, and frighten John ou his way home. "Who are you?" snkl Uie gumnian, as the ap-; Karltion rose lieforo him from behind ush. "I am Auld Nick," was the reply. ''Come awa man," said John. nothing daunted. "Gio's a kake o your hand. I am married tae a sssrtec ' yours."