, 1861-04-12

than those III the programme at the = sscuttIe
| Butt The condit.oa, of the North Carolina
| ie not satisfactory. TIL even doubted whether
| she could be removed two rods with safety.
| She was built at Philadelphia forty one years
ago, and has been 80 long at the navy yard,
:th11 even green reporters know her from 'ttha
last arrival"
THE DETENEELESs CONDITION oF THE NAVY
- ~ YARD9.
The sttention Of tie Government las been
called to the utterly detenseless condition Of
the different navy yards. Millions Of dollars
Of war munitions are left to the. projection Of
3 couple Of hundred men. What good are
cannon without men 10 work them ? 4 well
disciplined force Of five hundred men could
take any navy yard in the UEion~ tomorrow
with its present garrison. The marines are
supposed to be the navy's military arm" on
which the Administration chiefly relies for the
guardianship Of the yards. Here, then, is tile
force available for this purpose:
,... Aarines.
Boaton SoEEo4k fcbay{,:giona1 e1sy yiaD 3afd . e
Portsmouth (N. H. yard. Ed....................... Is
Total. al
These figures are over the mark. In reply
to those who argue that sailors are always on
hand, it may be useful to state that there are
not as general thing twenty available and
efficient persons at any Of the places named,
except New York, which could be reinforced
1rom Governors Island. Why not put some
Of the soldiers, crowded out Of military bur-
racks, IN the navy yard?
SAILING Or TILE MLSots.
On account Of the length Of time which it
occupied to finish loading the Illinois, it Was
deemed best to receive the troops from Fort
Hamilton before the steamer started, and
thus eyade the delay Of etopping at that plnce.
The steamer Cataline was consequently dis
patched to carry them.
As soon as the Last Of the small boats were
hoiEtcl to the deck CT the Illinois, late last
evening, al the super1uous tackling and ropes
which had been used In the process Of loading
were thrown -h1rg. and 1he order given to
'cast off the lines" This was quickly Der
formed BY the long-Ehoremen upon the wharf
At twenty live minutes of10 O'Clock, the star
board engine was allowed to act upon its side
wheel for few moments, and the PROV ofthe
Illinois slowly swung round towards the river.
Then, SIS the wheels commenced their regoIu-
lions which were to urge her onward iu her
long and unknown voyage, the work1nen on
the dock gathered in q little group nnd Silent
y ywatched her movements. God speed her"
finally broke from the lips Of sturdy steve
dore, as she left the land q ships length be-
hind. Heavily loadedas she was, her progress
Nas necessarily slow, and her paddles dipped
almnst to the az1:, making her motion still
more difficult. As she slowly receued in the
murky moonlight, she looked like some great
phantom ship upon an enchanted ocean, SO
smooth and almost perfectly waveless we're the
waters Of the Hudson.
Long after the hulk disappeared in the dark
ness, the plash Of her wheels resuunded
through the still night, and told that she was
progressing forward But few witnessed her
departure, and it was done 50 quickly and
quietly tlat no attention was attracted, except
that OF those who happened TO be III the Vi
cinity. The steam tug Thomas Freeborn,
chartered for the purpose, accompanied the
Illinois down the harhor.
TIE PowuATAs.
For months, and we may almost say fer
years past, the Navy Yard ut BROOKLYN has not
been the scene Of so much interest, as during
the last TIVE or three days, and the excitement
was brought to eliminating point on Saur-
day, upon the departure OF the steam tricate
Powhattan.
Large quantities Of shot, shell, grape, snd
shEapnell were speedily transferred from the
Naval Storehouse to the deck, and thence to
the hold OF the frigate. 4 battery Of five
twenty -four Founders formed Il portion Of her
cargo, together with Il large number Of car
riages and small guns, Intended for boats.
Everything was III the greatest contt1sicn on
board; c!oEhes-bags were crowded il, the l1ess
chests; marines belts bl3ckaded the passage
to the ward room, muskets, cann5n spikes,
and gun-gear generally, were =trewn abou. the
deck, rendering Il passage one wav or the
other extreme y difficult. The precincts Of
the Yard and w1llrycs were crowded with Wis
itors from New York and Brcokiyn-ef1.ers'
friends, sailors and s:ldier wives and farui-
lies--and not few Irish town pirates eudeav-
cring to snlugge rum Gu board. Boat ho~it4
z:r5 were encased in oil cloths, and carefully
slowed away; the powder matches were
cau!ked doWr, and the sentries nosted on
fhem; shot and shell, solid and hcltox, were
placed in rails behiad tn. " brrevhinys'' uf tie
guns, and tie strong rseo1 pianks 1ifn,iy inst
ENID in the deck.
The Powhataa is first cIass side wheel
steamer, was built at Norfolk, and carries
eleren large guns. SIZE is one OF the most str-
v!ceablc snlrs IN the Navy, having crntseI
most successfully over s;2 years.
All Friday night the work Of putting stores
on toarl the Atlantic continued, gangs Of mea
relieving zach other ut regular watches, aud
carts during the same time were passing to
the pier, loaded With beef, pork, bread, flour,
hams, shoulders, prtscrytd me4ts, vinegar,
and all the various articles that constitute a
well stocked commis=ary departnent.
at an early hour on Saturday 4 large number
OF persons collected about tle pier, foot Of Ca
nal street, where lay the Atlantic, and the
scene presented was the busiest that can be
imagined. Vast piles Of provisions had been
unload=d On the wh.uf, aud every appliance
was brought into requisition to get them on
board. Besid 5 these articles of human susie
nance, were materials that in certain contin-
geneles might prove destructiva Of human life,
as evidence by large numbers Of boxes, bear
ing labels, OF which the following are sam
pie: "1,0oo B, cartridges, rifle and II. rifle
caliber IS, 1,5o0 primers, 600 caps;'' IS pound
er strap shot - 40 rounds of L. pounder
shell, fixed; !" = Il rounds ofG-pounder strap
shot, fixed - ''12 FOUNDER gun canister, Ixel;"
"1a:pounder .spherieal, ,ease shot, fixed; "12-
nNnnEAr hnI1
cartridges"
Outside the gate long line of t,Eays, loaded
with stores and grain and feed for horses, was
in waiting for o chance to discharge
At the same time there were alongside the
ship no less than five lighters, some containing
The eargoes Of these fighters were rapidly
transferred to the Atlantic, and others soon
took their place. 4 large amount Of cement
was also taken On. The large quantities Of
shot and she'll aud ammunition, together with a.
number Of howitz2rs and smaller arms, seemed
to give note of preparation for events Of no
minor Importance. About noon passage Was
cleared tor baggage wagon, which was load
ed with trunks, chests, faliscs and carpet bags.
The name "Hacginnis'' was quite cons nspicuous
upon some Of them. The trunks were mark
ed. "Checked to Washington
In an arrival of freight which soon followed
were several loads Of cement for constructing
ont-posts and earth-works, J, 900 spades, how.
itz.r shells Of various sizes, gan-cartridges,
cartridges, carh1nes, casks Of nails; boxes
some two and a-half by three feet square.
marked " U. s, A., Hosp. Dept, S115,' anyils.
vices, DC There were loads Of timber. and
loads OF hay and oats, arriving every little
while.
About IL O'Clock, Company A, Second Reg
iment, United States Flying artillery, Captain
Barry, arrived at the foot of Cana1 STREET,
where they remained two or three hours be-
fore going On board. They numbered fifty
seven men, as our reporter was informed By
one Of the Company. With their big guns and
ammunition wagons they formed line on the
street OF somewhat formidable appearance,
Company B, from Governors Island via Fort
Hamilton, arrived early in, the afternoon.
There ara about sixty Of them, and they arc
picked men. The same Company was On board
the Star OF the West on her late exp dition.
For hours and hours might be seen the CLEAN
OF great bFass guns, as they were hoisted aboya
decks and lowered down into the hold. Tie
gun-caE7iages were spread ont on the upper
deck.
About2 O'Clock couple Of tugs arrived
from the Navy Yard. One Of them brouoht
sixteen launches, calculated for fast sa;l;11
and several hundred oars
Among the articles is> a frieate,s Il first
launch, a vessel almost as la cts as a sn,oil
schooner. She is eoppercd and conner -f,s-
tened, and could stand 4 shot better than anv
Of the chartered steamers. Tbs second and
third launches are Of proportionate siza. The
AIength of these bouts is very great Seyeral
OF them accompany the expedition besides
those belonging to the Powhatan, 4 hrass
cannon and forty men can be well accom;no.
dated dud do terrible execution in a t. fre4