Captain Kell's Confederate Account of the Alabama Duel
A Confederate captain recalls the 1864 battle off Cherbourg between the Alabama and the Kearsarge. He describes the repair delay, the clash at 500 yards, heroic bravery, catastrophic damage, and the Alabama's sinking with Semmes and Kell among the last to leave.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta Constitution
John McIntosh Kell
Alabama
Sunnyside
Kearsarge
Cherbourg
France
United States
Semmes
Biarritz
Paris
Flushing
Breakwater
Sermmes
Kell
Europe
Confederate States
Kearsage
Winslow
Nelad
Couronne
Deerhound
Lancaster
Hatteras
Admiral Semmes
Mr. Kell
Ward
Admiral Semmes and
Father and Son in the Wood Shed
Saladin faces his father’s chase after a truancy, hides a tomato can full of worms under his jacket, and plans to help by sawing sticks to comfort a neighbor while reflecting on his father’s failed ice fishing. The scene blends humor with a boy’s wary affection and mischief.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Saladin
Hannen Toomy
Sluggard
Queer gambling stunt on Broad street brokers and cab horse
In a Cincinnati Enquirer letter, a New York scene unfolds on Broad street where about 100 brokers bet on a chalk-mark horse race up a hill. A cab horse, driven by a whistling cabman, climbs the hill stopping near chalk marks as brokers wager and a timekeeper records the race amid a dusty, chaotic crowd. The winner takes a share of the pot, and the cabman earns ten dollars.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Cincinnati Enquirer
Broad Street
Stock Exchange
New Street
Broad
Wall Street
Ava Pnton
Delmonco’s
New Jersey
Cpment
Co By
Kathleen Mavourneen and the Loyalist’s Compassionate Rescue
A Greenville Alabama Advocate feature recounts James Marion Roche Crouch aiding elderly musician Frederick Nicholls Crouch, composer of Kathleen Mavourneen, in poverty after civil war hardship. The piece portrays their bond, Crouch’s wartime service, and Roche’s act of filial care, matching Irish sentiment with Southern loyalty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Portsmouth Navy Yard
Pawpee
Harriet Lane
Northern Virginia
Lee
Appomattox Court House
Adelaide
Victoria
Buckingham Court House
Adam
Eve
Pradise
Rechmond
Baltimore
Payue
America
Crouch
New Ross
Kilkenny
Erin
Green Erin
James Marion Roche
Kathleen Mavourneen
Hat Maker of Leeds in Puritan Style Hat Fame
In 1680 a mother lacking a hat inspired a unique steeple crowned headpiece. Dame D platted straw into a hat and, earning notice from rank ladies, built a workshop and trading success later noted in the Annals of Leeds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Hatters’ Gazette
Dame D
Leeds
Polite Telephone Etiquette Across Cultures
The piece contrasts direct American phone manners with the refined Cas Allan style. It notes that officials in the central office reply with a courteous phrase "Mande usted" meaning "At your command."
Fragmentary dialogue excerpt from unknown historical text
A dated dialogue scene describes a formal exchange as a caller requests to speak with Don So-and-So, No. 7772. Polite introductions precede business, illustrating period social ritual in conversations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Senorita
Don
Fishes Light Deep Ocean Depths Lanterned by Night
Deep sea lore describes fish dredged from nearly three miles down showing extreme structural simplification yet alive under two and a half tons per square inch. Eyes, luminous organs, and sensory appendages adapt to darkness as species like Chanllodus and Chiasmodus emit light and hunt prey. A French Morocco find reveals a head heavy form with a large mouth likely scooping prey from sediment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
India
France
Morocco
Jersey Folk at Long Branch and the Rabbit Hounds
A Detroit Journal piece sketches Jersey life in winter and summer near Long Branch. It paints a humorous picture of backwoods Jerseymen with rabbit hounds, stubborn horse sense, sharp bargaining, and a knack for knowing neighbors’ business.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Times
Long Branch
Fifth Avenue
Sons of Toll
Poplar
Van Ness Salons and a Palazzo of Penny-Stocked Love
Charles K. Jones frets over a meager $100 monthly salary as his fiancée Claire Sueccotash flaunts a new opera outfit and plans to see Patti while budgeting— or failing to budget— for a matinee. A courtly farce unfolds with comic misreading of accounts and social ambitions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco
Charles K. Jones
van Ness Avenue
Claire Sueccotash
Il Trovatore
Claire
Mr. Jones
Charles K
Nescoss
Tereres
C.S
Wytiro
Maison de
Galance
Ton Williams
Boca
Wec
Patti
Grangers
Billy Crockery
The Gorilla at Home in Gaboon Forests
Accounts describe gorillas building hammock nests high in trees using parasitic stems and fern fronds, living in small family groups and avoiding humans. They clash with elephants and defend their families, with humans reporting bites and weapon damage from encounters.
Faith in liquor drives Chicago man to wild tale
A nervous man with whiskers recounts a drunken spree costing about $300 across fifty saloons. He describes waking on trains and ending up in Evanston and Chicago with no money, claiming a mysterious envelope of his own deposited funds helped him buy drinks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Journal
Antistie House
Odd Fellows
John
Jubn
Chicago News
Evanston
Northwestern
Millwaukee
Chicago
The Elephant Tail and Buddhist Temple Mock Scene
Two young ladies observe a white elephant in a temple setting as priests worship. They debate missionary duty while a stray tail flick injures a Buddhist priest, provoking exclamations before they move on to see the monkeys.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Moses
Paxton Hotel tests roller skater waiters in Omaha
Chicago Hotel Reporter notes Paxton Hotel proprietors in Omaha piloting a novelty whereby trained roller skaters serve tables. The head waiter trained the staff and recently conducted a trial in which most trays were carried smoothly aside from two performers who slipped.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Paxton
Omaha
Kitchen Brothers
Fragmented miscellany of poems and notes from 19th century humor columns
A collage of verse snippets and light anecdotes. Quips on love danger and courage mix with parlor jokes and a Western weather forecast vignette. Bright dreams of turkey and wine float amid moral postcards and playful dialogue alike.
Yet thou art kind I never knew thee mule
A rustic verse laments a mule's stubbornness and endurance, contrasting rough experiences with patient labor. The speaker notes the animal's hard schooling in pain and perseverance, while the beast continues to watch with restless energy despite fatigue.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Captain Kell
Mad
Victor
Mr. Lancaster
Southampton
Admiral
Gen- Yemen
England
Burlington Hawkeye
J. B. Stanley
Greenville
Ala
Mavourneen
Frederick Nicholls Crouch
Isle of Green Erin
Royal Coburg Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre
Rossini
Koscha
Drury Lane
Aime Tree
Madame Malibran
Payne
Society of Poesy and Song
Chapman & Co
Kent County
O’donnell
Nora
Dermot Astore
Maretzek
California
Virginia
United States Navy Yard
Pensacola
Kathleen
Kathleens
James Marian Roche Crouch
Professor Crouch
Jonathan
David
Damon
Pythias
Heaven
Jerseymen
River Styx
Pines
Oceanville
Lou Hyere
Hyere
London
Bill Henry
Mer
Warshin
York
Gorilla
Nobeyro
Carver
New York Graphic
Inquirer
George Birdseye
Louisville Courier-Journal
Mary F. Robinson
Love
Jones
Mrs. Bangle
Mrs. B
Bangle
Charles W. Foster
Pretzel's
van de Mark
Byron
Moore
Luttrell
Charon
Robert Burdette
Geome Mula