Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-23


Another Expedition Up the .YazoO-Blow-
ing Hp Of the Oatr0s
Letter from Lieutenant Afford Of the Marmera.l
Orr THE Mourn OF THE YAzoo, Dec. u.
Yesterday we were ordered up the va
200 again, and were accompanied by the
gunbOats Signal, Pittsburgh, Cairo and
Ram Queen Of the West. We hove anchor
at in the morning and got underway
Our boat was in the advance. We had
proceeded about IS miles unmolested,
when in rounding point we deserted skif
containing white man and negro
We fired shot and brought them about
and took them aboard. We examined them
and from the negro we got the information
that the rebels had placed large num-
Der of torpedOes and internal machines all
along up the Yazoo river to their battery
on DrumgOols Bluff. Accordingly we kept
a bright lookout and at half-past II A. N.
discovered one. We were nearly on it be-
fore we saw it. We backed down stream
and lowered our cutter to examine, and
found an inch line made fast to large
root on the bank on the left hand side
We cut the line, and as soon as cut, up
came one Of their Internal torpedOes. The
torpedoes look like log of wood floating,
about three feet long and twenty in diam
e;er Attached to this log or buoy, they
have large demijohn of about six gallons.
The demijohn contains the charge of pow
der. Running from the cork Of this dem
John to the log is small hollow wire--
The log contains the shot. They are fired
from either side of the rivar- They make
one end fast on shore by Line, on the other
side of the bank runs the galvanic wire
The buoy end torpedo 40 placed a the mid
die Of the channel and by means Of an an
chor to the buoy is kept down. The two
ends being hauled taut keep it near the
surface, and Just as soon as anything comes
foul Of either line away it goes. They are
a terrible destructive weapon, as was
proved to our loss yesterday. The Cairo,
one of our heetest and best boats in the
whole squadron, was sunk and totally lost
by striking one of them. She sunk in four
or five fathoms of water. The crew and
officers were all saved. The books, papers,
safe, and in fact everything went down
with her The engineer and gunner were
badly wounded. Il was an awful sight,
the guerrillas all around us trying to pick
off our men who were in the water. II
was in sight their battery, but we opened
on them and gave them plenty of shot and
shell, keeping them back until we destroy
ed every vestige Of the place where she
went down. She went down with the
old stars and stripes flying from her gaft
| The torpedo struck and exploded undel
her on the port side forward Of the boilers
dismounting four Of her large guns an6
making hole larger than hogshead. L
must have been large to cause her to sinh
in seven minutes. The Cairo mounted Il
! large sized guns, and crew Of l4O men
She had recently been fitted for service
and her loss is a serious one just now
She cost over $250,0
We were in advance but our boat beinl
of light draught of water, e feet 2 inches
passed over, while the Cairo, drawing
nearly Z feet came in contact with th'
lines and exploded a torpedo. We theI
sent parties ashore to look for torpedoes
In less than a mile seven large ones wert
found which we took up and destroyed
The river is full Of them. After destroy
ing all we could find we came down stream
By the greatest miracle we escaped boil
times, in fact every time, for we have beer
up the devilish river Eve times.
Last Thursday while we were up, VI
casually fired into what seemed to be
large floating demijohn, when Of all tn
explosions ever heard this beat all. VI
were fifty yards ahead of it and the fore
was such as to lift the stern of our boa
quite out of water, throwing the waite
fifty feet high and scattering pieces o
| glass on our decks. Une OF our FlloL
picked up a handful Of the glass. Tn
devil whom we picked up) who has help
ed set these torpedoes, we have on boar
in double irons. We will fz him. Tn
secesh down here are desperate. There j
no Union feeling here, nothing but bite
hatred to all Northern men.
The loss Of the Cairo is q serious one
/ US. She cannot be replaced for less tina
$780, ,OO9, but the loss is the want Of he
Just at this particular time. Comm
down stream, we shelled the woods, build
ings and every hsbitation we could SCI
From my battery we fired sixty-four shot
and we made some Of them count.
think we will be ordered to Cairo wit
dispatches; also TO take up the crew an
officers of the Cairo. The weather
pleasant and warm. Very little rain {
late. River rising slowly from above
The general health Of the crews IS yer
good.
Yours, E. A