Horrible now was the position of the American frigate. Her commander, in his desperation, persisted in the almost hopeless conflict, and succeeded, by bending a hawser to the sheet-anchor, in bringing his ship’s head around; the few remaining guns of his broadside opened once more, and, strange to say, the _Phoebe_, which received this last and almost expiring effort, was beaten off; but the hawser parted, and with it failed the last hope of the _Essex_. The flames that had started on her gun-deck and in her hold were bursting up the hatchways; a bundle of cartridges exploded, killing two men; and word was given out that the fire was near the magazine! Every boat was cut to pieces; it was three-quarters of a mile from shore. Thinking that the ship might blow up at any moment, Porter gave orders to those who could swim to jump overboard and make for land. The few remaining on board with the commander extinguished the fire. Porter immediately summoned a consultation of his officers, and was surprised to find that only one responded--Acting Lieutenant Stephen Decatur McKnight; the others were killed, or below, disabled by their wounds. The late Admiral Farragut, who was a midshipman on board the _Essex_, had displayed wonderful courage throughout the engagement. He was one of the few midshipmen who were able to keep the deck. Nothing could be done. The enemy in the smooth water had chosen their distance, and were firing by divisions in a deliberate, careful way, with coolness and accuracy. Almost every shot struck, and at twenty minutes past six Captain Porter, almost weeping from the excess of his grief, gave orders to strike the colors. It is probable that the enemy did not perceive his action; for ten minutes longer the terrible destruction continued; and once more, thinking that Hillyar was going to show no quarter, the brave American was about to hoist his flag again and fight until he sank, when the fire of the enemy suddenly ceased. [Illustration: THE “ESSEX” BEING CUT TO PIECES] Thus ended one of the most bloody and obstinately contested actions in naval record. Out of the 255 men composing her crew, the _Essex_ had but 151, including some of the wounded, able to stand on her decks; 58 were killed outright, 50 wounded, and 31 had been drowned. The inhabitants of the city during the action had crowded to the shore. Their sympathies had been all with the American. When they had seen the various times when the _Essex_ appeared to gain a slight advantage their cheers could be heard coming across the water. So close had the action been fought that many of the round shot from the _Phoebe’s_ guns had struck the land, and some of the spectators had been wounded. When the first British officer boarded the captured vessel, so shocking was the sight that met his eyes that, used to scenes of carnage though he was, he staggered back and almost fainted, struck with the sickening horror.