The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-21 00:00:00

Attempt to Blow up a Federal Ship.

At a quarter to 10 o'clock on Tuesday, April 19,
while the Wabash was at anchor off Charleston Bar,
the moon being bat slightly obscured by clouds, a
rebel torpedo boat was distinctly seen about 100
yards astern, approaching the ship's starboard quar-
ter against wind and tide. The peculiar whale-
backed shape of the objtct, with the small batch
amidships, was easily distinguished, as was the
break of the water upon her sides, and left no
doubt of the nature of the visitant. The alarm was
instantly given, and the muskets of the lookouts
were fired at the enemy, while the broadside guns
were being trained upon him. Finding himself dis-
covered, the enemy, now abreast of the mizenmast,
and some 70 yards distant, turned in his course and
made straight for the ship. The cable, however,
had now been slipped, and the word given to
the engineer to "Go ahead." Rapid discharges
from the 9 inch guns, with solid shot dashing into
the water all around him, again caused him to:steer
for the counter, hoping to put into operation the
same tactics that had been so successful in the case
of the Housatonic, but the notion of the propeller
here about kept him off, and he was seen to pass
across the wake of the ship. At this point he was
so near that those who had only come upon deck at
the giving of the alarm now saw him so plainly as
to leave no doubt in their minds of his true charac-
ter. The ship was kept under way in a circle, until
her consorts, the Canandaigua and the Flag, warned
by her guns and signals, came to her assistance.
The people of the Flag saw nothing in the water,
but the wardroom officers of the Candandaigua are
confident that they saw and fired into that or an-
other torpedo boat, as well as the buoy of the Wa-
bash's anchor. The officer of the deck at the time
of this occurrence was by no means a novice in the
matter of torpedoes, having made their acquaint-
ance in February last, when the Housatonic was
destroyed.—New 3 ork, Times.

THE LATE BOAT ACCIDENT,

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Nigh'

This evening Mr Edward Coxwell, the coroner for South-
ampton, held an inquest at the Ship Tavern, Northern-road,
into the circumstances attending the accident on the river
Itchen last evening, whereby Sarah Woodhead, aged 27,
Elizabeth Woodhead, 21, Henry Woodhead, 17, and James
Parnell, 27, were almost momentarily drowned.
David Jones, who was the first witness, said he had
known the deceased persons for many years. On Thurs-
day evening, he, his wife, and son, went out on the river
Itchen with the deceased persons, but in a different boat.
The boats in which they were were constructed to carry
three persons only, but Henry Woodhead, who made the
fourth person in the boat that Was upset, was taken in by
Mr. Parnell after the party had left the northern docks.
At the time of the accident witness had pulled about 40
yards ahead of his, and while resting on his sculls waiting for
them to get up to him, he observed Henry Woodhead and
James Parnell suddenly stand up in the boat as if in the
act of changing seats, and at that moment the boat cap-
sized. Witness was sure the boat came into collision
with nothing, as it was situated in mid-channel and in deep
water. He felt confident it was the act of the men attempt-
ing to change their seats that caused the boat to upset.
They were quite sober, but were both big men. Directly

the boat went over the two men and the two women clung

to her sides; but before witness, who instantly "backed
water" to rescue them, could do so, tho two men and Eliza-
beth Woodhead went down, and just as he was reaching to
get hold of Sarah Woodhead she lost her hold, and also
sank to rise no more. All four went down within four feet
of each other. Sarah Woodhead was the only one who
seemed to keep up a little, She was picked up twenty
minutes after the accident, and in his (witness's) opinion
life was not then extinct, as she trembled slightly and
moved her eyes. Through the kindness of Mr M'Norton,
just off whose estate the accident happened, every remedy
to restore animation was in readiness and applied, but with-
out effect. The other bodies were picked up during the
night. Theta was no infant in the boat, as had been stated.
Other witnesses were called, whose evidence in every
respect confirmed the foregoing statement, and the jury re-
turned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned."

THE AltilDEß OF A POLICEMAN AT WILLEN-
HALL.—Laet night the coroner's jury at Willenhall
Staffordshire, returned a verdict of wilful murder against
five men for the murder of a policeman near that place.
CENTENARIANS.—The Gateshead Observer re-
cords the death of an inhabitant at the age of 108 years. A
woman named Martineau has just died at Mirabeau
(Vienne), aged 105. At the age of 70 she left off the use of
spectacles, her sight having recovered wonderfully. She
soon was able to read the smallest print.

isten