New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-17
A TRIP Up YORK RIVER.
scwall's Point Battery-The Wreck OF she
Merrimac boarded-TroPhicss sent to the
President-The Distractions near Nor
folk-Dts,e Of Affairs at Norfolk.

Free10ent-Ihe OOaufuCUOus hehN AS~A~
folk--Sts,e Of Affairs at Norfolk.
From An Occssioral Correspondent
May IA, 1902
About noon yesterday we got aboard of one OF
the little busybodies putting about the roadstead, IN
company with the accomplished Col. Cram, Chief
Of the Typographical Engineer Corps Of this Depart
ment. Py the aid Of fine map prepared in the
Colonels bureau from his reconnoisssnces and other
sources, and, thanks to his kind explanations, We
got fire view of all the interesting points on the
way up from the fortress to Norfolk.
Sewsrs Point battery looks very formidable even
at the distance we were off. In front OF the dense
woods which gt the shores Of these waters, and at
the very edge of the nsrrow strip Of saLd-beach the
sodled embankments stretch around considerable
ares, containing extsnsive barracks; deep ditch
ses,n TO extend around the three LANDSLIDE, and
row Of palisades i. visible at the foot of the en-
bankment fronting the ditch. The work, under.
s,als, mounted from thirty to forty guns. Our good
cid nag waved il. and one OF our sentres paced
the ouce-dreaded ranparts 10 all appearances ENJOY
lug the warm surshne and quetness all around, III
very ccmplaccnt frame Of mind.
There are couple Of smaller batteries, from SIX
10 nine guus each on that eide of the shore between
Sewalrs Point and Tanners Point, and opposite TO
the latter is Craney Island, which there arc ex'
ten,ve for.ifoations evidently Of very considerable
strength.
| About in direct line from Tanners Point TO
Cranev Island and, as as | could guess, third
of tue wnele distance oil Tanners Point, We met q
pile of iron work and charred aud broken tmoers
sti kng oat of the water these remnants OF fear
fully destructive catastrophe strangely contrasting
with the pIac,d sheet OF which lay the eoit,
broad sur shine The pieces of heavy timber isst III
the bottom with their lower ends, ss II driven In by
a pogyerful pe-drlyer; the wood partIsly charredi
aud possessing that peculiar smel OF wood not long
since bu-.lt the end oi stea boiler OF the largest
size with it's safety valves, sIeamipes and other
portions OF heavy machinery and stretched across
! the wre,k k parts Of powerful chain cable, aho
! niece OF q baw.er-tbis is ali that remains OF the
Mo-rinac or the Virginia, as the Rebels very map
preprla,ely called that anything but feminine nous.
ter intended to be tie Of all our fleets and
hsrbors now here at the very gates OF rebellion,
which we broke through bat lately, asymbol OF the
ruin aud destruction which the lntane course OF
once free and happy and but too much favored por-
ton Of The people have wantonly brought down Oh
themselves ,
i We jumped on the end OF the boiler, which at low
tide ~ "A fe w inches above water, and wrenched OIL
screw nuts and took otner pieces OF tie wreck al
melnen.oes along. One of tie gentlemen VI oui
party got of the complete piston, piston roo, ano
top-plGte of OF the four safety valves, and tue
piece Is now under way 20 Washington to be pre-
senied 70 the President.
The boiler consists Of two sernicy ylindrical parts
both together forming a cylinder, the cen
trail fireplace having .adius oi about
four feet, and she water space extending
about two feet further, 80 as 10 make the whole
diaupsisr twelve feet. There are two valve.boxes
t. eaeh of the ylindrie portions of the boiler,
the piston Of each having ABOUT ight inches dame
ter Some Of the paris OF the nacl iu.ry for Instance
sonIe of the weighted levers for the valves, are
noSs 6at ke the 6'r & and f2 a a hsSs s1as
produced such destruction.
! As we peared Norfolk We pHsset through the mar
row space left open by the Rebels III II long row OF
piles which they had driven across the channei This
polat il commanded from the sid' "a by batteries on
both shores and in front BY h, ol fort at Norfolk.
Immediately behind this opening th bulk OF the old
&c rrantown il at auchor which the Rebels intended
to swing the opening and .u there, 10 ne TO
block np tie entrance to Norfolk II ever our vessels
should attempt to force their way up TO the latter
place.
| the defenses against an approach by water from
Sewnll Point up To Norfolk, are )deed sknliulis
planned and ofa character viii ma ies one wonder
that 30 much time, labor, and money should have
been spent TO ~ very little purpose.
We stayed too short q time IN Nor ok 10 be able
10 torn AL opinion Of the sentiment al I'd disposition
Of the people there. The deserted str, etc. however,
hardly halt dozen people to be nae, wi Ia IN any one
sqnare-the great number OF honse,' apparently
loc ked up and empty, and the silent uve OF what
few people YOU meet seemed 10 ocuirm even IN re-
gard u Norfolk saii to conGan coIade able Cpion-
loving populalion what believe 20 b c true IN re-
gard - the States IN rebellion aeal1s the GoV-
ernment to wit that they oin ouly 5o hSyalzed by
bre liking down not merely the political power Of
Slavery, but Slavery itself, by means Ct Offering to
th. freeabor men II the Nor,n such Inducements us
will produc powerful emis ration INTO every South
ern State stepped iuto the Office ot he Iuy BOOK,
that most venomous and fanstical Rebel p.Li tall,
Thin man with An ill.iayored look and it seemed
in any thing but pleasant mood, was busy al tbe
counter a-sorug big pile of paper noneys although
dare say there WAC mo.e paKer than npney about
had similar notions on tbs matter and one there
fore that look of deep disgl-t Ny fred ,stonished
the natives standing about wsiEng tor the evening
issue, by pulling out silver quarter 70 pay for
copy OF the paper. The disgusted looking gentleman
emltied his whole cash-boS, which contained Just
twenty cents, to make the chsnge.
IL was with little regret that left the place. IL
i. with no agreeable emotiors one looks people
who were but yesterday loud and bitter enemes, no
matter whether delMded GU. OF thsr OVID convlc-
tion. All that was pleasant TO look al III Norfolk
was the glorious flag waving over Ii.