Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-03-14

Arrangements Of tho Rebel" TO
BioW up the Tederals.

lspssial Coersspondencs to The Chicago Tin~.l
Columns. Ky, March ..
The rebels Who have been stationed
here seem to have been possessed with
the spirit OF the devil himself. Not on.
" have their b, bsrities ado atrocities
which hsve been visited on the head Of
any luckless wight Who was the least
suspected Of being anything but rank
secessionist been unparalleled, but the
means used for the destruction Of our
army, in the event of our beating them
back inside their works in Q fgLt, are
not surpassed by any hcathen nation
kroxn TO exist. The bluffs on the north
end Of their works are from two hun
dred and fifty 10 three hundred feet
nigh, and extend up the river at that
height some distance. Outside their
works for some distance Is slopiDg
plain, which has been cleared ofall trees
md underbru.b, and would be the only
approach for our infantry in case We
should come to band-to.hand tight.
After two days exploration for INFER
nal machines, and to discover where the
blui1 had been mined, as was reported
to have been done. Captain w. A.
Schmidt and company, Of the 9th reg
lment, discovered ridges of new earth,
similar 10 ridges which are formed by
covering up gas or water pipes IN q city,
and traced them to cavern. EfectiDg
an entrance he found strong, rude,
wooden frame, covered by earth to At
tract no attention. Inside this, with the
assistance Of light, he found imple-
ments similar to those used in tele
graph office, with wires running 10 a
dozen different directions. Following
the raised rows of earth he soon came
to a spot where something had evident
ly been buried. Digging down some s
feet, he came to large iron cask, about
three feet high, and foot and halt
through, in shape as near as can be de-
scribcd to well formed pear, with an
iron cap fastened by eight screws. TAX
ing off the cap were found grape, CAMS
ter, and four eight pound shell, str
rounded by about two bushels Of coarse
powder. On the bottom Of the cask
there was a wooden box containing sew.
eral bat: cries, with hollow wires attach,
ed to two larger wires, covered with
substance imperyious to water, connect
ing with the cavern before spoken Of. A
dozen of these iron pots or casks
we're thus united with the cavern.
Halt q dozen of these caverns have been
found, and probably seventy-five or a
hundred Of these internal machines are
thus buried in the earth, some distance
from the enemy's works aud the time
to be exploded would be when our in
fantry had driven them inside their
works, a sentinel would give the opera
tor inside the cavern the signal, and he
would send the electric spark through
all the wires and decamp. The result
may be imagined. Whole regiments
could thus be blown up and sent to
eternity, without even q chance OF es-
cape. The discoveries as far az made
are all on the north and north east por.
tons of their works. Probably Other
parts cf the works are similarly mined
fortunately, their fiendish designs were
discovered in time, and no damage hat
been done by soldiers who are constant
| Y on tie lookout for discoveries, anc
might by accident have sent of ,h'
| tram.
Another class Of internal machines
called torpedoes, have been discovered
an b red ia the river. They are round
about three feet long and a foot and a
halt in diameter, With one end topering
eft to point. The river is very high
and the number cannot be made out. IL
took three steamers five days to sink
hat are in the bottom Of the river. The
very high stage Of water has prevented
any damage to either gun boat or trans
port.