Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1879 — A Ride on a Safety-Valve. [ARTICLE]

A Ride on a Safety-Valve.

Jimmy Carr came to America in 1835 and took up his abode in this city soon afterward. Liking the country, he settled here to work at bis business of machinist and engineer, and was always a good citizen and a faithful employe. He was rather old to begin the profession of arms when the war began, but he did the next best thing, he went into the navy, enlisting as assistant engineer on the steamer Queen of the West, a freight boat which had been bought by the Government and altered into a “ram” hero in Cincinnati. The vessel, which was under command of Captain Elliott, was ordered South, and it was at the battle of Memphis ihat Jimmy Carr met with this particular adventure, which made him a hero in as peculiar a manner as ever hero gained the title. We give the title as ne tells it: “It was on the 6th of June,” said Jimmy, “that Memphis was taken. I remember it well, for it was a hot day, and I was in a hot place, too, I can tell you. The fleet was lying five miles above Memphis, and the Queen was a volunteer that morning. Early in the day we got orders to move down toward the rebel batteries, but had no sooner got within range than the ‘ Johnnies’ opened fire on us. Our Captain called on Curtis, tho first engineer, to let loose, and he did, and we were soon steaming down the river. “We-weren’t long under way until we had one hundred and fifty pounds of steam on, and still rising. Curtis detailed me to look after the boilers—we had four which were on deck—and I Went off to my post. The first thing I noticed was that the safety-valve wasn’t weighted heavy enough for the extra pressure, and the steam escaped. I couldn’t see anything lying around to weight it down with but a large lump of coal. I lifted that on to the lever, but it was no use, as it was tumbled oil in a minute or two. By this time we must have had fully two hundred pounds of steam on, and on looking out I saw the rebel gunboat. tbe General Lovell, steaming up and firing at us. We had no guns aboard, and only eleven sharp-shoot-ers, and the shot was flying around us pretty lively. I knew it was the Captain’s intention to try to sink the Lovell, and I saw that it would never do to allow the steam to escape as it was doing. I had to think quick—there was nothing near that 1 could weight down the valve with, but I was bound not to be beat, and I just got astride of the lever myself and sat down on it. It was pretty hot, but I stuck it out. I looked out, and the Lovell was only a couple of hundred yards off. She stopped to round-to, but the Queen was too quick for her, and with a rush we were into her, just astern of the wheel, and almost went clean through her. I was so excited that I never took my eyes off her when we were coming up, and just bore my wejght down on the lever, never thinkirg to hold on to anything. When we struck, the shock was so terrible it just knocked me head and heels over the boilers. Curtis was watching me, and thought I was killed, and halloed out: • There goes poor Jimmy;’ but I wasn’t gone. I was stunned for a minute, but jumped up and climbed over the boilers and straddled the lever again, this time taking a good hold. “ The Lovell sank in about five minutes, but we had hardly time to get cleat of her before another rebel crSt, the Beauregard, steamed up toward us. We treated her the same way as we treated the Lovell, but this time 1 kept my seat and clung on for dear life, and the shock didn’t knock me off. Soon afterward the Queen, having nothing more to do, dyew out from the fight, and I got down from my perch. I felt a little sore, and had a few burns—for it was a hot place I was in—but that was all the worse I was for the adventure.”— Cincinnati Enquirer .*