Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-03-19

| IL IL
has arrived here ute TO reoin lis command at Tula
| homa.
From the Charleston oQrar.
Lieu'ensnt Henry K. steve,:s.
MessfS. Edito In your paper Of the IL th of Feb
ruary, you notice the death of Lieutenant Henry K
Stevens, @. S. n, while defending the Confederate
States steamer Coon" against the enenys attack il
the Bayou Ieche, eXng lust tribute" to bis mem
| DRY from the Richmond Examiner. l. brought TO my
remembrance scene in My Last Cruise" by Ii u
tenant A. w Hat; rsharo, formerly OF the .. S. Navy
THE officer ~ command Lieutenant Stevens, Us
informed by the Author. [ take the opportunity OF
mentioning that while it is correctly stated that he vas
born in Connecticut, understand it to have So occur
red because bis father naval officer then and there
on duty. A COUNTRY READER.
From the North Pacific Surveying and Exploring Exped
ton or, If Y Last Cruise
1t about three h.ucs after midnight, ana yet the
arctcsun already some degrees above the Eastern
horizon while the sod Ohm az il ashamed Of having
oversight berse unri1g under tuIl head of steam
from the spot WHERE only six short hours previously
had anchored for the night after one Of cur usual days
work" OF eight en- hours
Don't smile, reader we Gfen worked more than
eighteen hours out of the twenty four, duri those long
ar tic days.
l would not have any understand from the fact
that the "old john under full head of steam that
she was rvaing North River steamer Or even fair
sailing In speed-euch indeed, being Tar from the
case, six and half knots the hour was the most
that she could be prevailed upon to accomplish under
steam only.
Our old tub, as have already remarked. was run.
ming away from her nights anchorage under full head
of steam. The rugged and snow patched coast of ST.
IBERIA right, distant some mile or more sev-
era clustering islands dotted the smooth surface OF the
Okotsk Sea our left while ahead we could ju8t see
what might be ship towering rock so distorted
all objects in that direction by the great reraction
common to high atitudes We were not long in doubt
however, to the nature Of this distorted object Il
seemed TO be raising bodily cut of the confused horizon
and to be rushing upon instead OF our slowly ap-
preaching it, Could this be also retraction Hardly
Suddenly we guessed the mystery we rad been anchor
ed during ;he night in the eddy formed by projecting
headand but had steamed out into one of the fear
full currents against which had been so Oftea warned
by old (bu as then thought marvel-loying) whaling
captains. 1t WIS the same current with which we had
MI assured speed during the previous day only it was
now running in an opposite direction with evidently
greater str Myth
What ', IS to be done now 10 attempt to survey IN
such milI-race would have been absurd. Nevert4e.
less, kept we'll in with the main land intending to
run between it and the distorted obsct which had at
length resolved itself into three separate masses of tow
erin rock.
The passage Locked smooth and beautiful from the
masthead at first but, as we approached it with our
mad velocity, suspicious looking streak Of foam and
broken water gradually discovered to connect the
extreme right of the black locking rocks with the main
land. Should this prove to be rcaf-but bah Why
hunt up unpleasant sub ects for thought?
Any one who has ever watched the flying i1ndscape
from the window OF railroad form vry fair iisa
of the appearance which the receding objects here pre-
sented to Trees, rocks patches Of snow dark ard
gloomy locking caves, with here and there huge boul
der, fed torren wandering bear, rushed by US
in their constant fight separate and distinct at first
but finally melting into one conglonerae of IN
recognizable Objects which the monlentarY with
drawn eye ranged in vain for is former resting place
This YVES the velocity with which We were going over
ground for the first time pessed over to our know
edge-thireen miles to tie hour probably, certainly
not les than tUe5Ue; where would we all be in one
minute of time should the old John suddenly od
reef CT sunken rock u1der her already leaky bow?
Some such questione9 this drifting lazy through
my mdWatch worn mind, when [ was startled by TIE
voice of the Captain, who from his look out on the
topsayard oroered OR changed so as to pass
outside of the rocks the streak of broken water be-
fore alluded to evidently reef This discovery
sooner made than knew that the &" old John "
in another one Of her disagreeably tight places
and when beard the rushing tide eapDg up our sides
in its mad fury, and reflected that we ha6 to steam
against that tide before could round those black ard
towering pills. OF basaltie rock which blocked our path
with certain DEATH ny heat for moment contracted
with asmcdc horror and, when it again s.elled al
NEST to bursting, 1t YVES with curses deep and bitter
against those an authority whose stupid ignorance or
criminal careessness had r2k the safety OF 50 many
lives by detailing such ve"sel for the hazardous under
taking of O surveying voyage around the world.
" If there's any sped in he", it'll have to come cut
now, or it all day with Us" said voice at my elbow
l turned with look OF gloomy inquiry to see the
speaker for the voice. though familiar Gre was SO
strangely mCduated by emotion es to be scarcely re-
1t was the Captain who, having nothing
more to d from alot had returned to TIE deck
COOL colin, collected, and yet very pale and his voice.
though thus strangely moduIatcd by emotion was firm
and belllike, and his eye bright, partially with moist
ure but more than Partially with the light of that fire
which burns Gully in the brave mans eJe when dan.
gers crowd around him. in the eagles glance when it
meets the rays of the midday sun.
yes" be continued, in voice whose forced cheer
funess grated harshy on the ear, "tbe old
John must indeed scratch gravel no10 or we are
lost at last Tell Lawton to fire up let us have all
the steam he can. If the boilers won't bear it then
must burst Even row we are losing ground, and there
is not much OF it between US and those--"
He pointed to the dark ard towering mass3s of the
loosely piled rock, up whose rugged sides the bruised
and foamug reared its rushing surface and through
whose broken breast it urged its half spent fury. No
gravity existed there Of sufficient power to drag the
broken waters to a common level they rolled, and
capped and surged in their mad until chstructed
BY those hoary upheavas of natures past convusion
md then pressed up their PERCEPTIONS Sides or through
lark and gloomy looking archways, with bafled
that told of ruin, and destruction and DEATH to
he hapess ship that should be swept with them in
heir mad career.
The general view which met the eye was awful to
,ehold
There are some throes of nature which God never in
ended to describe He them in the wan
ering air, in the boiling centre Of common earth
the athomless depths Of the sumberpg ocean, or in