The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-09-30

Ell took out with him twenty-four of these
iron powder cylinders. He used only twelve
of them. They made toothpicks of the
Missouri's hull. His divers descended in
their armor, pointed the cylinders properly
these were turned by shafts worked from
above, and when under the vessels bottom,
were fired by an electric battery.
The great quantity Of forty-three thousand
pounds of powder was consumed in the
work. Of this full two-t thirds were used in
blowing off the iron centers and arms from
the salts. She was a side-wheel steamer,
and had upon each of the outboard shafts
ninety-six iron arms, which weighed three
hundred and fifty pounds apiece. To break
up this complicated mass of powerful iron
work, and get it detached and reduced so as
to be lifted, was really the labor our Yankee
ocean engineer had to do. This part of the
job it was that the English engineers had
fooled with and injured. But Mr.. Cowen
knocked shafts, arms, centers, braces, and
bolts9rght and left, down there forty-one
feet below his hand, and took up and car
ried away the great steamer, to the utter
most stick and last visible spike. Nothing
was left for the sand to form bar upon,
and in five months from the day Mr.. Cowen
began the work he fully completed and per-
formed his contract.
He raised about one thousand six hun
dred tons of iron, and some eight hundred
tons of oysters that had grown to the iron.
1t is interesting TO know that the oysters
that grew next to copper, or upon copper,
were poisonous. Three men of Gibraltar
died from having eaten them. The iron, Of
course, was converted into plumbago, by
the action Of the sea-water. In the heavy
pieces this action extended in to the depth Of
an inch. Many pieces were cut out entirely
by the salt, save a few threads Of resisting
metal, running lengthwise. and looking like
the large fibers of cocoanut husks. The iron
was mostly worthless.
The management Of Mr.. Governs subma-
rine armor was so perfect that not an acci-
dent happened TO one of his divers, in all
this great work; and without any incon-
venience, the men could remain under water
for the space of twelve hours.
Can anything better illustrate the Yankee
resource, the Yankee energy, the Yankee con-
iidence, than this hastily sketched history of
the removal of the wreck of the Missouri ?
We think not. The gentleman, who, with
out diplomas, can thus teach lessons in the
great art of submarine engineering to the
GRADUATES Vi llG hONdl w OOlWICl SOlleSe,
is now in this city, closing up his accounts
with the steamer Erie, whose remains by his
agency have lately been lifted from the bot
tom of our lake, and brought into the Buffa-
10 harbor.-L Buffalo Democracy.
A Sunday paper says: eve heard of a
dodge to raise the wind the other day, that
does credit to the sharpers whose wits got
it up. There are three gentlemen engaged in
this new enterprise, and we are told that
they have collected some thousands of dol
lars within the past few weeks. Their plan
of operation is: Two of them dressed as
laborers visit a grocery store, buy pound
of some cheap article, take it off to cor
ner and weigh it with a standard scales
which they carry with them. If it falls
short of the full and correct weight, (Which
it does in 9 cases out of l0,) they kick up
grand breeze with the grocer, threaten
prosecution, and finally, through the inter
vention of gentleman (the other partner
who steps in just at the nick of time, the
trouble is compromised by the payment OF
an X or V by the grocer to settle the mat
ter. In one instance, $50 was paid to hush
up one of these cases the article bought
was sugar, and the pound only weighed
! thirteen ounces r
The Maryland colony in Liberia is now 6
free and independent State. The new con