, 1861-04-26
BURNING or GoSP0RTNAVY-YARD
Eleven Vessels seuttled and Burned
" Norfolk Nos on Fire.

steamer Yankee, W1lcn WenC TO tAlfiestQn
with the feet Of relief, was obliged to put into
stack having been carried away In Severe
storm. She has Just oil rived at this port, and
q gentleman who returned IN her gives us par
ticnlars OF her further experience.
The Yankee lay at the Navy ynrd until FIJI
day, the 18Th, when the Virginia Custam-house
officers came over in 8 tug and demarded the
surrender Of the Yankee. Commodore Nc
Auley. who Was in command Of the Navy
yard, refused to comply with this demand,
sayin that if they attempted to take her from
the " I'D, he would sink them where they lay.
TIE cumberland immedi ately beat to quarters,
and brought her 1inch pivot gun, which WAS
charged with shell, to bear upon their tug,
and they deemed it advisable to leave forth
with.
Ga Saturday evening, ut 9 O'Clock, the Paw
nee arrived from Washington, with 200 yolun-
teers and 100 marines, besides her own crew;
and at once the officers and crew Of the Paw
nee and Cum 9erland, went to the Navy yard
and spiked and disabled the guns, and threw
the shot and small arms into the river. At 10
O'Clock the marines who had been quaItered
| in the. barracks, fired the1n, and caule aboard
the PaWnee. This movement Was premature
for 1t was the intention to fire all the build
| ings simultaneously: A party Of officers mean,
geF' ana shps dsatibatng wnse
70 to blow up the Dry Dock. They were
! eugaEed In this work until two O'Clock.
when the train Was fred, At 3 O'Clock, the
Yankee, to- the Captain OF which; Charles
| GERMAN, much credit is due, came along and
took the Cumberland in tow, the Pawnee TAX
] ing the lead. AL the vessels beat te quarterz,
the guns were manned, and everything was in
readiness to carry out the threat Of Commo-
dora II Auley, that if gun vas fred from
either shore be would level both Portsmouth
end Norfolk At this time the ecene was in.
describably magnificent, all the buildings be-
ing in blaze, and explosions here and there
| scattering the cinders in all directions.
The Government vessels had been scutt!ed
in the afternoon before tee Pawne9 arrived, to
| lists, who had been In a1ms in both Norfolk
and Portsmouth, under the command of Ger.
| Talaferro. Their number is estimated ut some
I40o men. The scuttling IVES done between
Of destruction should not be complete, how
ever, trains were. laid on them and the vessels
were fred With the buildings.
The following are the names Of the vessels
which were destroyed. Pennsylvania, gun.
ship; steam .frgste Merrimac, a guns ;eloop-
q guns; ff1gats Columbia, A guns; Dela.
ware, u gun ship; Columbus, Il gun ship i;
United States, in ordinary; brig Dolphin, s
guns; and the powder-boat.
Ofthese the Merrimac, Plymouth and Ger
mantown we're ready for sea, hut the Pawnee
made her appearance at the yard too late to
save them. The Merrimac, in fact, hsd had
steam on only few minutes previous
Large quantities Of provisions, cordage and
ma 1hine1y were also destroyed-hesidss build
ings Of great Value-but It Is not poRitIyely
known that the dock Was blown up
The Yankee, as we have already said, left
the yard with the Cumberland In tow about
O'Clock. The feet proceeded down the river
until O'Clock, Fhea 1t came to anchor with
in a mile Of the point where wrecks were
known to have been sunk for the purpose of
I obstEucting the navigation. Boats were sent
ont to take soundfngs in order to ascertain
whether some other passage than the regu-
lar channel could n t be found. AL efforts
proved unsuccessful, 80 the fleet raised anchor
and forced their way directly through the
wrecks, The Cumberland caught one Of the
sunken vessels aud carried it a:opg with her,
and apprehensions were at frat entertained
TINT she might be carried on to Sewell's Point,
where 1t Was supposed that the rebels had
erected batteries. Meantime the Keystone
St1te came up frcm Washington With psfInce,
and By her help aud that Of The Yankee, the
Cumberland Eas toFed into deep waterand the
wreck was dlsentnngled. 2he then went up
under protection Of the guns Of Fort Monroe
and came to anchor. While the vessels Isy
there, four men, who had been Employed in the
Nayy-yard, succeeded in making their way
down the river, and reported that they left
everything in 4smes, and .he EIucEe and
flames could easily be seen from the CHmber-
I fearful Of attempting to arrest the flames, be-
canse they unprecedented that train was hid
to blow up the buildings.
The Yankee left On Thursday morning for
I New York She reports that the Pawnee and
Keystone State had got the crew OF the Penn.
sylvania, and the marines who occupied the
barracks, on board, to carry them to Washing