Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-05-15

- anybody, but prectsely what he wants
Il to make our institutioos failure.
Incidents Of the Naval Fight o. tho
MissIssippi.
The following incidents Of the 6ght,
from the correspondence Of the Boston
journal, are interesting
CUTTING THE CHAIN ACROSS THE RIVER.
On Sunday night the guu-bosts Pin
ola end Itasca went up, under command
Of Flag Captain Bell, to cut the chain.
The FInola ran in the west bank, and
after striking sunken wreck she suc.
ceeded in reaching one of the bulks, to
which Mr.. Kroebl. the experimenter, at.
tachsd q heavy petard. The wire con.
Meeting it TO the battery on board the
steamer was coiled up on deck, but the
current 'an so strong and the Pinola
dfftei SO rapidly, that the wi1e was
broken and the attempt failed. In the
meantime the Itasca ran up to one OF
the hulks on the east side Of the river,
when Acting Masters Edward Jones and
Amos johnson, with eight men, boarded
the schooner, and in halt an hour sue.
ceedcd in unshackling the chain from
its moorings and dropping it down.
The following letter from Capt. Cald-
we'll, Of the Itasca, gives an account Of
the affair
The operator on board the
Penola did not succeed in blowing up
the chain, as the connecting wire broke
and the vessel could not be blown np,as
the current pressed the Pinola upon
her with such force that it took half an
hour to clear her. TIE Itasca took the
next schooner, and in halt an hour slip.
ped the chains, but unfortunately, be-
fore she could get we'll clear, the cur
rent cast her over on to the east shore,
grounding the schooner lsshed to her,
and running the Itasca's forefoot into
the mud, where she remained nearly two
hours exposed to the fires Of both forts.
The Pinola parted two inch hawsers in
trying to pull her off. but at last started
her with ll-inch hawser. After run
ming this schooner on shore, the others
swung most favorably, leaving 9 wide
passage for the feet. On "Wednesday
uight Capt. Caldwell, with Acting Mas
ter Jones and eleven Of the 1tasca's
men, pulled up to the schooners aite'
dark, to make final reconnaissance of
the schooners. They pulled up and
sounded round the scbooners on The
west bank, and then crossed over and
did the same with the schooners on Il .
east bank. They found the channel
more than sufficiently vide and entirely
unobstructed.
The rebels had lighted FIRE on the
east bank, exposing everything attempt
ing to pass up, but the boat witt,
mutlled oars passed safely up, aud made
AL their observations unobscrved, al
though they could hear the orders given
at the fort, aud the men calling and
talking about the business they were
carrying on outside the fort. The boa,
then returned and made the joyful sig
nal call right"-the Itasca's night mum.
Der, two white and one red lanterns.
rtis was preconcertcd signal with
the flag officer, in order that no time
should be lost. Soon after the flagship
hoisted another preconcerted signal, two
red lanterns. This was to get under
weigh, prepare tor battle, and pass ur
the river. Within two hours the fleet
performed one Of the most wonderful
and brilliant feats that ever honored any
navy, and made the glorious passage Of
the river.
cnAIS.CLAD sLoOPs.O F.wAR.
The most conspicuous feature in the
outward appearance of the feet was The
iron-linked mail of the sloops.of- war
Richmond, Brooklyn, and Pensacola,
each of which had their engines ana
boilers protected by chain.cables hung
in bites on the outside and t,iced to eye
bolts and rods running fore and aft
The chains were dropped from the
height Of the gun.deck TO below tn,
watcr.line, and connected together by
strong cordagc. This was equivalent I,
four inch plates, provided it withstood
the effects of glancing or oblique shots.
The only danger unprecedented from the
chains on the steamers was from raklne
shots tearing them of, in which case il
was feared they would become entangled
with the propelers. TO guard against
this some of the ships unshacklcd the
chain in short lengths, so that it nigh,
reach astern. The machinery of the
lroquois was protected in the same way,
the credit OF originating which plan Is
due to Assistant Engineer Hoyt of the
Richmond, upon which ship it was frs
adopted, the other vessels following he.
example.
Among the most efficient Of the inter
nal arrangements for the protection Of
the boilers, the destruction of which b,
shot or shell was the most to be dread.
cd, although this was not the only dan
gerous part Of the ships, was that adop.
ted on board the sloop-of war Missis.
sippi, the machinery Of which, being
more above the water line, was consc-
quently more exposed to the FIRE of the
enemy. The preparation Of this ship
for the action involved an immense
amount of labor, which engaged her Of
TIGERS and crew for weeks before the At.
tack. Under the direction Of Chief En-.
glnecr Lawton, Mr.. Bartle,nau, the Fire,
Assistant, worked night and day with a
strong force, and constructed a temper.
airy roof iu the coal bunkers just below
the water line, about which the heavy
chain cables of tho shin vern toclod =,