Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1861-01-22
The S.a- oi the west.


cial correspondent, on board the Star o.
the West, on her last trip pto Charleston
iIarbor. from whose very interesting
account Of the entire cruise, we copy
50 much as relates 10 the attempt 10 en-
ter the harbor:
g NrDS ESDAr, Jan. 9.
l awake Al three o'clo K this morn
ing and weuJ immediately TO the upper
deck. where | fouqd the captain. mate.
piIo, and lwo military officers. | learn
ed that we arrived IN the vicinity of the
Charleston bar about midnight; that all
the coas,-Iights had been ex,insui.heJ,
and that thus far II had been impossible
10 find the main channel. 1t IS evident
from these indications that The hospita-
bic South Caro..niaus do noy mean ths;
we should 60 in without a salute.
4 light ras seen off the coast, int
we could no, make out what II was. A
httle after three o'clock we discovered
the light on Fort Sumpter, and with
these exceptions everything was dark.
Il was, Of course, impossible TO get over
the bar without the lighthouse, and so
we awlited The break of day.
| haze never seen finer morning
Than the one which dawned upon us.--
The Sky was clear, and the moon, -
FAINT crescent of silver, had just arisen,
and the low coast looked like a dense
forest Of evergreen. The spires Of
Of Charleston became visible in the ap-
preaching daylight, and o:i he walls Of
Fort Sumpter we deserted the Ameri-
can flag floating ~ the breeze.
Now, abuu, s = O'Clock, We see ,he
iiga,ouse an1 now, too. We discover
IAal HE mysterious hight Just mentioned
wuS that % steamer al our right. Now
the sjtu1,Ioa OK the channel Is ascertain
r ed. and we are under way (; aud now
, the steamer al oar right IS burning rad
and blue lights, and uow She sends up
rockets. There IS no misiaking her
: movement; she IS giving The alarm sig
, nal to Fort Moultria.
, On we 60; tie soldiers are below
with loaded mussetS, aud the officers
are ready TO give the word if there is
, anything 10 do. Now, it IS broad day
! light, and we are making directly into
the guns of Fort ,.ouitrIe, whose black
4, walls are distinctly visible. The iittle
steamer al cur right IS burning a signal
light aft, and IS making all possible
headwav up the harbDr. Now we dis
+ cover q red Palmetto flag al our Icfl on
=. Nouns Island, at a hu,e village calel
Cummings Point and apparently but
Iulem9Ic 'aan mil. from Fort Sump-
q ter.
Z 1t IS possLl. that those fellows
= have col uaUrry of here E asks onr.
= No" answers another; " ihers is
: no battery there"
r Bu. there is. It is now quarter pas,
y seven. aui we are about TWO miles from
: Fort SumWer al d M0uiirle, which arc
= equi-dlstant from US, and suddenly.
wh.z-z, comes a 1Iclo1let shot from
Morris Island. Il p,uugcs Tito the wa
ter and sllirs along but falls short Of
= our steamer! The line was forward OF
10 cur bow. aud was Of course, All invita-
: ucu 10 sop. Blt we were not ready 10
ACCEPT the prof red hospitality. and the
a captain pays ao attention to 1t, except to
Il run up DE s:ars aud stripes al ;he mast
hrat-thc garrison flag mentioned be-
tore. \ mom-ut Of anxious suspens 3,
C and ban- goes heavy common from
re H.. s,,n. masked b,u4ry The sbo,
d f,u- .l,a1f ot uz = Ln.,drrd ward, or
r. more, and bounds c'cln over n1T vessel
c att, nearly o. a line with the head of a
r sailor. hu: luckily i,lie above il
: q, 49,. ~, .,rt ,,-h;z-z, .,r,,r o,os
T. ,,,.. s,,,oil..5 ,...., g., Ell 49,, ,,.7b..r
;, 80, - -, -
= '.- e-l- p - ''o'o '-'e "''0' anu
-'"o s''oiI o. Is.
BJoa eXc.dnS NE captain; A" you
a must give us Tiger guns than ,Iat
N BOYS. or YOU cauuot hun US"
On we 90 without needing the COM
q nI.tD.I,s of our Charleston friepds-
A.,.l.er.-,.,,,.., l.,..l,t .l,,;., 90.
- ~
;, '-'5 az "''' "O 81
= our s'l' I'D '''e iof e'ii'.hS' aood' t"o
! Iett aioFe me Walar. y seaman was
holding ine LEAD 10 .ate HE suundings,
= and tae ta!l slru,k directly uader hi.
feet. Il is uot sIrprising thar. under
these circumstances lack was strongly
+ i,..fi,.,3 ., ,.,f..,, D.. :....l ,,d La E..
-''4 ~ o-'"'l'.'S vi va" "''7'' an"
= iaalH, "heu lhs captain assures MN
lAat there IS ~ dagger one bali having
struck 50 near lin; or. the frIacl; i, |
suppose. that lightning never strikes
q lty,.,s in the same place. Jack. re-a.-