New-York daily tribune., 1861-11-04
THE WAR FOR the union.
vnom THE NAVAL EXPEDITION

usx,rn Of Two Disabled VesseIs-Tnc'r
Exuerienees Rough Weather
Csurse Pursued by the Rieet-Ahsif'
and nbeut Fortress Monroe
yrom Our Special Correspondent. ~, 2, 1861.
Tourrrss MONROE Old Point Comfort oT. &C.. 90 nhicb
The tug Petit and ferry-boat E'n"n uuoa Lost
laft with the Southern Expedron, a,Ia horo
-, - disabled condition. Little less coulo navy
been expeeted. and if others get Oh 40 WIN rI' 49,
\, -. Cor sincere congratulanon' Inc nee'
mood almost directly ont to sea- ana was ia'iy ~ ",
c,Ir stream when the crippled craft put oacA' Inc
..xvas very rough, and, as was preole'eu wo"iu De
.hs case every swell striking under the VIDE suards
40 fer,vboat threw her about fearfuy, although
.ho ,recant;o, was taken to dsplace some OF the
,asnts of the guard. When not Lifted by the swell
nnae, her guards, she was submerged, and 1t was
no. long before she began to leak badly; at the same
time her guards were loosened so TO rise and fall
o,ite one foot. The Petit had similar experience
In this condition the signal of distress was hosted,
when two gunboats bore down and attempted to
communicate instructions, which it was impossible
10 understand. The signals they hoisted were mean
hgless to those board the distressed boats since
they had not been furnished with the code or Key,
nor had they any Instructions where to rendezvous,
or other instructions, save to follow the lead Com
pretending clearly that by doing they would GER
tainy 90 to the bottom, aud doubling whether that
was the intended destination Of the expedition, not
withsta3ding many things very much favored lh"t
idea. thew put back and reached the starting point in
safety. Those ON the Allen report that the other
Scrryboats which lelt with the feet parted company
and lost sight Of the Others at o'clock on the morn-
ing previous What will be their fate is left TO con-
lecture The Allen was the strongest anu best able
of them all TO live at sea-
1t seems almost astounding that boats built to navi-
gate smooth inland waters should have been required
to follow the Wabash in tie Gulf Stream on the heel
of ter-days' storm, while the windwas yet blowing
little less than gale But for the retHrn Of these
boats with intelligence establishing the fact, we
could scarcely have believed that, under such eIcum-
stances the entire fleet had been led as far out as the
Gulf Stream instead Of taking their way under the
lee Of the coast where, with the wind as 1t then
was, from the southwest, they would have found
smooh water instead Of the pillows of The open sea-
Instead of dividing the feet and allowing the lishter
and weaker craft TO hug the shore and the safe route
while the frigates and stauncher vessels stood of TO
the open sea, they were ALL without regard to their
capacity, and though ferry-boats and river craft
as fit to navigate the open sea as a 5,OOU-tun
frigate, required to follow tie Wabash " iii three
grand columns, at the distance of cable and bali
apart" 1t would be as reasonable TO expect a
to tread in the tracks of elephant and it is
almost incompTehensble that any such folly should
have been attempted. But the folly and short
sightedness of Commodores and master-sailors may
be overruIed, aud safety and success ensue when
there IL ground for apprehendibg other results.
II it was the wsh as was doubtless the case of the
officers of the expedition TO avoid being observed
from the coast the feet might have kept sight of
hand ands still in smooth water. Practical men of the
sea, while the feet was lying here, cd mol hesitate
to express The opinion that some Of the transports
would never reach their destination, but it ii TO be
hoped that they did not judge rightly, though can
not be disguised that in taking the Gulf Stream route
extreme hazards were run without apparent Tea.
son.
Gen. Wool reviewed the troops of Gen. Mans
fields Brigade at Camp Hamilton yesterday. The
display really fine, and the General will publish
su order eomplmentng the men ON their ap-
pearanee.
Army officers at Newport News assure nae that
schoOners pass almost daily up and down james
River, between Norfolk and places up the river.
10y huSShB INC opposite hnOle they keep Out OF lhe
range of our guns both shore and board of the
Congress and Cumberland, which appear TO be
scandly asleep at anchor. single boats crew
would be enough to take any one of these Rebel
craft, but there does not appear to be enterprise
enough for that. IL only.a few days ago that
The Captain Of one Of our gunboats then NJ Newport
Hews-a live man-asked permission to make a re-
eonnoissanee up james River for a few miles, and
especially to throw few shells into the Rebel camp
near by. Permission refused the Captain to 90
further than mile. These and a number of things
OF the same sort infinitely disgust people who have
some idea of enterprise and Of being in earnes in
prosecuting the war, and justify good deal more
fsnlt-6nding than has been INDUCED in yet. VIII
not Commodore GoldsbOrough do as much as break
up that intercourse between Norfolk and James
Riyerl