The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-07-20
DESTRUCTION Or THE NORFOLK NAVY
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!
The following, from Secretay W LESS
Report, is the oIheiai account of the des-
! truction and abandonment Of the Norfolk
Navy Yard: -...
| The sloop-of-war Cumberland, the flag.
ship of Comad,re pendergrast. arrived op.
/ poItuneIy W The Cbesapeake on the I'D of
March; ",d as this WAS tie only vessel oi
ATTY considerable capacity in these waters
that was nanned, artsined her at Norfolk
10 nsaIt events that were ( aduatiy devel
pplng IN tngtnIa aud tue nuj ,ining States.
Tie Navy Yard al Nolfuix, protected Il,
no fortress ur garrison, has always been u
! favored depot with tho Grvetntnr ii
WIS filled with arm. aud munitions. aud sev.
erai ships we,e III the ha.bur, dlsnaaGiei
and Ia Ordinary, aud IN NJ condition to be
moved, Gnd there been men To move thea,.
there were, however, no seamen there ot
10 home STATIONS to man these vessels ot
cyen one OF thein Uf the larger class, auu
any attempt IL Withdraw them, or either OF
tgrIn, Without n crew, would, ia the th Il
sensitive ana di.ta bed condition Of the pub
iie mind, have betrayed alarm and d.stsust,
ahd been likely tu caase d,iliauiiy.
Apprehenssve, however, thaI action might
be nstessary, the cg"nsandant at the yuru
was early an April adv Irtd uf this furiiag
aud cautioned to extremc v'guaIiee and CIR.
cuInsp cJIun. Those adutonitIpns were, u
few anys Later, repsate; TO Cunimbtare
IsGautey. ih..5 eDmnaudant, v hose pat j.
uti>m and fidelity were not DOUBTED, WI.
surrduuded by officers in whblu he placed
mfdence, but most of them. "a evsnt-
SON PRAYED, were iaIthiess to the Tag aud
! tie Country.
! 0,t the ~ If April Commodore AcCatilev
xas ordered 10 put The shtppar aui pa'ls.
| property IN cunuuton to be NOV cd aud rlIc-
! Cd bsponI dagger, should II become pecs,-
t. sary ; bot IN doing tins be- wa warned to
tasc no steps that could give needless alarm.
| rb. steam ffIgate MrrrinIack ,uId, it was
! believed, ~efs her machinery in order, he
made uvuiable ia this emergency, not only
u exftica,e e herself, but othsr shipping in
| the harbsr. MT knowing who could lie
! ,uhded 10 to take charge If her, a c 'mman-
! der and Two engineers we're detailed To pro-
| cerd iu Norfolk for that purpose. T~e
days after, on TIE lgth of April. tbe Depart
mrnt directed that tn. M.rrnnack Shptild be
/ prepared 10 proceed TO Philadelphia With
| Ihe utmost dt.pairh. IL WAS stated that to
repair the englHe and put il in working con-
drtson would require faar weeks. DI.cred-
\ lIlng this report, the engineer 10 chief was
ordered to proceed forthsi;h IN person, and
attend to The necessary ysep uasions.
! Un the 10Th Arr,i the commup,ians vas
directed 10 lose time in placing armame nj
on board the Aiersimacs; ~ get the Ply
oath and Da'psln beyond danger; to have
the sefmtntosn IN a concitisn 70 be towed
au,. and to pus the more valuable puhiit
property. ordnance, storss. ETC., on ship
board. tha, they could AZ any momsn, b.
moved beyond Danger.
II sueh was the energy and despatch Of th'
. engineer rn- chTef, ih.t on the 18th the de-
! parTInrus advised bv the cpmmsnds.'
II the yard that pn the l1h the M-r7maci
: xoui! oe ready fdsr temporary service ba
vhen. en the aft,rn 'on ~ that day the en-
gtaesr in-ebssf reported her reads for steam
C"rnnod,r" MvCautey refused TO have hs
= fred up. Fire. we're, however, built earl
the n-xf msrsing. and NJ nine o'caeex sb
J. engines we're working. cng,ne~rr, 6rsansu
9 ETC., on board, bas The eonaaadaas s:.I! re