The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-01-10
STEAMER CAHAwBA, OFF CHARLESTON, !
Saturday. Dec. Il. 1861.

OasuIuoys OcCs AZ loOls J
The main channel of approach to Charles.
ton harbor has been destroyed. Sixteen
stone-6lled hulks, placed checkerwise across
the passage, in the deepest water, Just at
the inner and outer edges of the bar, are
mediums through which the righteous ret.
ribution has been measured out. Thus
another strong blow has fallen upon the
headstrong people of South Carolina, the
effect of which must be more humiliating
than any they have yet received. They have
no means of resenting it, and their naughty
rebellious spirits must fret and chafe beneath
the weight of the heavy hand which has
been laid upon them.
The weather was delightful. A soft
breeze from the northwest .agreeably tenn
pered the heat of the sun, but would have
had no more influence in pushing the bluff
whalemen through an opposing tide than a
breath from human lungs. The sky was
belted around the horizon by an exquisite
purple haze; and the water, far and near,
presented busy scene, as the many steam
ers passed and repassed with their tows.
Adding to the picturesqueness of the scene
were the tents and stOreshouses on the dis,
tant shore, and the feet of transports and
naval vessels at anchor in the inner road.
stead, among which the grim outlines of the
Wabash doomed nightly pre-eminent. And
the sunset, too, was splendid. He passed
out of sight, looking like huge fte-balloon,
sinking into an amber colored ocean, and
soon afterward the full moon rose in rival
redness directly opposite the point at which
he had disappeared.
A shade of pathos however, cast SUBJ
DUNG tint over this charming picture. Who
could help feeling melancholy at the refec>
tion that the poor old vesses, which had
traversed so many thousands of miles of
ocean, safely carrying human beings amid
Pacific Gains and Arctic colds through
long years of dreary, tedious whaling vOy-
ages, were to be relentlessly destroyed
How venerable the doomed things now APP
peared! Short, broad, square-sterned,
uff-bowed-rigged as ships and barks-
yet not one of them larger than the ordinary
schooners of the present day. Spars strange
ly tall and tapering like whip handles.
Sides weather stained and painted in imi
pine planks to prevent leakage which could
not be prevented by caulkIng because of
the rottenness of the original wood. Queer
old tubs, with queer fittings up, and quaint
names set in elaborate beds of quaint carved
work. Yet many of these fossil vessels
were celebrated in their time. The for
tunes of the Tabers the Howlands, the
Sims Swifts, Collins, Starbucks,' and many
other New England families have been
created from their voyages. Some of them
have been known as lucky Ships" and as
such old whalemen have cherished them,
pitching and repairing the bulls until scarce
plank or timber of the original vessel re-
maiued. Each of them has history, and
thousands of reasons suggest themselves
why the worn out bulls, still accounted sea-
wosty enough to voyage higher from New
Bedford, New London, Providence and
Nantucket, should be saved the fate in store
for them.
But away with sentiment. The old YES.
sells are to be destroyed in the performance
of a patriotic duty, and even when they are
gone, their usefulness survives.
Here are the names of our squadron:
Archer, Maria Theresa,
American, Robin Hood,
Courier, Herald,
Rebecca, Tenedos,
Sims, Leonidss,
Richmond, William Lee,
KensiDgton, Fortune,
Potomac, Amazon.
Surprising that our whalers were first.
class frigates come to lombard the city, The
rebels had blown the light house up, that
the bearings of the channel might be lost
The trick hurt nobody except themselves
but after all, light houses henceforth will be
useless establishments at Charleston.
SINKING THE SHIPS.
Work was resumed on Friday morning,
the Goth, the Ottawa and Pocahontas
bringing the ships to their stations. The
placing of them was an operation of con-
siderable nicely, especially as some of the
vessels were 90 deep as to be with difficulty
dragged on the bar, except at high water.
A graver hindrance to their exact location
was found in the imperfection of the ar,
rangement for sinking, several of the ships
remaining aaoat 30 long after the plug was
knocked out that they swung out of posi-
ton. They were nevertheless finally placed
very nearly according to the plan. Great
credit is due to Mr.. Bradbury and Mr..
OOOIrty IOr tuc SuCCCoSiuI CACCutiOu VI ~
difficult an undertaking. The last ship the
Archer, closedkthe remaining gap, and the
manner in which Mr. Bradbury took her in
with the Pocahontas and then extricated the
latter from her perilous position filled the
fleet with admiration for bis skillful sea-
manship and cool daring. The difficulty
With which this light vessel, in broad day.
light, with such q pilot, got through, i
sufficient evidence of the thor0Dghnees OF thes
work and the total impractability of the
channel for ordinary navigation. By half.
past ten the last plug was drawn, and every
ship Of the sixteen was either sunk or sink
ing. Our expectations had been to some
extent disappointed in the character OF the
expedition while it was in progress None
of the vessels wholly disappeared from
sight, and those which heeled over farthest
and were most under water had sub
sided in o very deliberate manner. Still
it had been rather melancholy to see
the old craft that had survived so
many storms, stripped Of their sales and
towed in, one by one, to be sunk, and when
the whole feet was in position the scene was
sufficiently novel and striking to satisfy any