The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-12-25
IMPORTANT FROM CAIRO.
Correspondence OF the ClpCinnAt Gazette
CAIRO, H.. ID, Gem or 1S.


officers and crew OF the ill.slared Cairo
Ths MarmOra started from the mouth
of the Yazoo on Saturday morning, max
ing brief halt al Helena. an Memphis
on her way. From the off Of the Ca.
iro | have the particulars of the ocour.
renee. of which brief mention has already
reached you by telegraph.
On thursday -vening last. orders were
Issued or the four boato. Piusbnrg, CAIRO,
Marmor' and Signal, to max ready to
ascend The Yazoo. on the following morn.
ing, TIE Pir sburg and Cairo. it is we'll
hnown, are @! the iron I'D fotiIa. The
MarmorS and SighaI are light stern wheel
boats, designed f,r use 10 the shallow
tribu aries OF th" Mississippi and belong
to tho class that have recrntly been de
oomuat the Mo quito Fleet" They
SUSTAINED the same relation TO the iron.
cads that a squadron of cavalry hears to
lie army. Admiral Por!er looks upon
them ss The most efficient boats in his o.
tiTe command
A short distance below HAYNES Bluffs
on the Yazoo, it was accerlained that the
rebels lad pla ed row OF torpedoos a.
ross the river wi h the design of sink Ing
any boats that should attempt 10 asceod
within range Of tie batteries Theexperi.
cree of the navy with The torpedues It
Fort Henry AM Columbus. in the early
part OF the year was not such as TO induce
mu h drradof jheSs gincs Of war Boats
were lowered and the work Of raising the
turped"es commenced al once Five IF
tn m had b en- secured and takrn on
toard the oats and it was tn h,nght thai
but little more labor was necessary 10 open
the channsl Of the river
The Cairo was slowly pusllBg ahead
up the stream, aud several men on the
bow were engaged in dragging for one oil
the torp does The appsrtus used for
dragging had caught upon he anchorine
ropes Of a torpedo and the men had almost
brought II to the surfpce on the p,rtsid-,
WHEN -u explosion took place under the
bow and abou four feet below the surface
Of the water.
The force Of the cxplosion threw up
hLgs column oi water thai thoroughly
drencbcd the men in the immediate vcin
ity, A hole uf considerable OK snL was
MADE 10 the tow, the plank being looscn.
ID aod torn apart, SO as 10 admit the wa.
ter al a rapid las
TIE en'ire boat was shaken from stem
to stern, and her bow was lifted 80 high
in tie air tral the wafer swept over tie
portion oi the Stern att the ca.emate.
The nature of Tho damage to tho bow
Of th" boat is no. exactlv known, as she
filed very rapidly Diiferen. opinions
p."val among she officers, some contend
ing that the entire forward part of the
Cairo was completely shattered, willie
others Contend u a hole three or four
feet across was made in heI bottom, and
the gas from The burning pow der through
'Iis hole. loOsened the deck planking.
The sinking OF 'hr boat followed so soon
aft r the accident that there was no time
for thorough investigation
TIL. Cairo commenced filing immsdi
ately after the explosion. and sunk in less
than twelve minutes II r bow settled
fist, and rs soon as her main DICK was
under water. the casemate with T. cir open
ports allowed increased means ofingress
Much the larger portion of time was con-
'umed in he sinking Of the boat to the
main deck.
At me time Of The explosion. tbe boats
Of tie Cairo were most lul Of men engas
ed in dragging or the torpedoes. All
those 90 board rushed at once 10 the up.
per deck, and before he wat had filed
the interior, every "ne had rs aped A
lew threw themselves into the river but
Tnost the officers and men were tax n of
bv tho boat before the Cairo had filed.
Those Ihat took to the water were speedily
picked up. All were assembled on the
Pitlsburg rs soon 's possibl'. On call
lng the roll it was ascrranrd that every
one was saved. This accident, unlike
most others of a kindr na,ure, does not
carry with it the additional sorrow Tor loss
fire.
The Marmora was detailed TO take the
crew Of h. Nnnkrn boat 10 Cairo They
will probably bs transferred 10 some of
the new bOas.
The Cairo sunk in twon'y nine feet wa
ter and disappeared completely from view.
TIE smoke stacks were tished ny and her
p nnanl was secured as it foaled upon the
waer Nothing else was saved from lh.
boat The officers lost all their pers nnl
effects. No ons saved anyl! ing except
what he was wearing at the time.
The "rpedoes which were fshed up
aod secured are eeliusly simple in
cons rucliun They are made Of ten gal
Ion demijohns filed with powder, and 5
anchored that they are about our feet un.
der WA er. They are discharged Il,
means Of ordinary fraction primers attach.
ed To cords drsignrd To come in CONTACT
with ascending boats. They evntain no
machinery what vrr totally differing from
the complrs'ed and useless Inventions
sunk near Forts Henry and Donelson aud
above Columbus.
This il The first instance in the war in
which boa hss b. Ell injur' by tor
pedo Tue means used in the present
instance were as simple as they were eff
fclual.
1t is a wonder that no one should have
thought If using demijohu rs an inslru
menI Of destruction long b fore this
lh' ir p'operti $. when conAiuing their
accustomed liquids, are too we'll known o
need omment At all times dangerous,
they could hardly fail o. being feaIfully
destructive when Il led with explosive ma.