Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-03-19
From The Boston Traveller.

From The Boston Traveller
The Yankee Expedition to Se-
bastepOi - Contract to raise
Sixty-FOur Vessels of War.
Condition of the Vessels.-Mag.
nitude Of the Undertakings
The Rebuilding of SebastOpOl, :,
etc. etc.
A few years since, the combined nations
of England and France dispatched to the
shores of the Crimea a powerful and war
like expedition, to exter,ninate and destroy.
In month or two an expedition will sail
from the shores of this country for the
same destination, but unlike the expedition
first named, its purpose is to rescue and
preserve.
1t has been before briefly stated that Mr..
John E. Gowen, of Boston, had obtained
from the Russian Government the con-
tract to raise from the waters of the harbor
of Sebastopol the numerous vessels of war
which were sunk there when the allied
armies were besieging that spot long ia
nous in the history of the world. The
magnitude of this contract has not been
fully understood in this country. Mr..
Gowen has heretofore been favoribly known
to the world by the success in raising the
U. S. steamship Missouri from the waters
of the Bay of Gibralter, performance
which engineers from England and other
countries had attempted in vain. 1t hap
pened that while at Gibraltar. a Russian
vessel came into the harbor in damaged
condition. To the relief of this vessel Mr..
Cowen sent number of h men, refusing
any compensation, and it is probable that
this act of courtesy, with the fame obtained
by Mr.. Gowen it the bringing up of the
Missouri, induced the Russian government
at the time they contemplated raising their
sunken feet, to send for him, which was
done through the Russian Minister in this
country.
Mr.. Gowen accordingly went to St. Pc
tersburg, had a number of interviews with
the Grand Duke Constantine, and then pro-
ceeded across the country to Sebastopol
for the purpose ofmaking personal inres-
tigation of the condition of the ships. He
was engaged in this business for several
months, having Russian steamer at his
disposal. Here he descended with his sub
marine armor to the bottom of the harbor
and examined the sunken vessels. He
found that the channel of the harbor was
in the middle, with banks upon both sides,
that of the north being of sand, and that
of the south of mud. In the sand there
were no worms; in the mud they were
no worms; in the mud they were quite
plentiful; of course the vessels exposed to
the attacks of the worms are now of but
little value, but it fortunately happens that
but small portion, comparatively, were
sunk where they would suffer from the at
tacks of these worms.
When the English and French approach
ed Sebastopol, the Russians, to protect
their harbor, sunk at the entrance, between
Forts Alexander and Constantine, two of
of the l2O-gun ships, two. of the s6-gun,
two frigates, and two corvetts. The line
occupied by these sunken vessels was about
three-quarters of a mile long, the water
being sixty feet deep. The vessels sunk
here among the poorest in the fleet. In
the great gale which was so fatal to the
English and French vessels in the Black
Sea, this line was so much disturbed, that
the Allies, if they had known it could
easily have obtained an entrance to the har
Dor. This caused the Russians to sink q
second line between Fort Michel and Fore
Nicholas, about mile inward. When tht
Redan was captured by the Allies, all the
balance of the fleet was sunk, preparatory
10 abandoning the place. The following is
list of We ssls sunk.
Is line-of-battle ships, l boom ship.
Z frigates, l ten-gun yacht,
5 corvettes, % transports,
10 brigs of war, Is steamers of war,
5 schooners of war, 19 merchant ships,
tenders.
The machinery of the steamer of war,
before being sunk, was carefully covered
with preparation of tallow to prevent in
jury from the water. They were scuttled
by boring three inch auger holes near the
water line, and all this was done before the
English and French appeared before the
place, for the Russians did not entertain
the idea of defending it. and one division
of the army had advanced nine miles on the
Perekop road, when word was brought that
the English and French, instead of entering
the city, had halted outside, and were for
tifying their position. 1t was then that
the Russian army returned, built the earth
redoubts, and made that long and stubborn
defence which has rendered the name of
Sebastopol so famous. Thus the Russian
officials at Sebastopol now tell the story.
Mr.. Gowen examined thirty ships, made
plan of the harbor and adjacent country,
and returned to st. Petersburg. He found
that there were no less than thirteen COM
petitors for the contracts from France and
England, among the former being the COM
pany known as the Credit Mobilier. The
Government finally concluded to make the
contract with Mr.. Gowen on the most lib
eral terms, which cannot fail, we think, of
being amply remunerative. The value of
the ships sunk is said to be sixty five mill
ion dollars, and lie has certain portion of
the value of each ship raised, at the mo-
ment it is placed in the hands of the Rus
sian government.
The expedition which sails from this
country will consist of two vessels; one
which leaves Philadelphia on or about the
first of April, and the second soon AFTER
The number ofpersons engaged to accom-
pany it from this country is about one hun
dred and fifty, the well-known ship-builder
of this city, S. F. Holbrook, Esq, being
one of the Superintendents. There will be,
also, ship-builders, caulkers, machinists, en-
gineers, ect. Some of the hydraulic machin-