New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-06

;nJ ." .s,, the tail OF my coat intomy mouth, anu
thus avoid ecRldlDK' ~. A.. .o,.o;r uuorld in.
1 .'e,.stion and we opened the traP-door ana
binded nv steam sought tho stern Oh INC eoeo., a
Grooming about the cabin, tumolng over asoost
nseroes, sought my berth, seized All oaoi'o oad
is;no an entire suit of clothes, my hsversacA a1u
Son'e yalueble papers behind and emerged upon .ns
"nrScsne deck. The she'll were lying over NY
head. and here was obviously no place tE lne 20
main. Looking over i saw the wooiiey pa'e VI .
negro projecting over the stern oeo" ne me o"-
inc TO him 10 catch my coat swung myse'I owe!
by rome and landed directly upon the rndder. Az
,b;s t;,ne IL was suggested that boat be sent 10
hurry np the De Soto, and among those VINO en-
tered il was your correspondent We reached IL 10
about ten minutes, passing on inc WAY severn TieS
IIooh of TIE Commercial. Almost exhausted, the
occupapts remained behind, while another crew was
sent up 10 pick up SURVIVORS.
BOARDING THE QUEEN.
The yswl had reached the boat, and wa bnsily
engaged in picking up the crew, when three boat
loads Of Confederate soldiers cautiously approached
tbe vessel and boarded her, OF course there was nc
resistance and our boys became their prisoners.
The De Soto, hearing several inca shout from the
shore "Surrender, was allowed to float down stream,
picking up as she oa.ed several who had escaped on
COTTON bales, When she reached % point ten miles
below, the yawl overlook her VAIN others VINO hau
been similarly preserved
DESTRUCTION or TIE DE SOTO
We reached the Era No. and found her all night.
Our coal barge was leaking badly and hard aground
OF cOusse we had TO leave 1t. The DE 500 nhd h-
shipped both ruddere, and became unnanageabe,
and 1t was concluded to destroy Ler, lea, with her
valuable pun she should fall into the enemys
| hands. Her pipes were knocked out shovel-full
OF live coaIs plsoed in her cabins, apd she was soon
destroyed.
ATTEMPTED ESCAPE.
IL was now ~ O'Clock Saturday night, and II we
would escape more intimate acquaintaee WIN oou,n,
ern society and Southern prison lie, we must make
every eXertion now. With Sigh for the poor iei'
lows left behind and hope tha! our enemies wouid
be merciful the Prov Of tho Era was turned towaFu
/ the Mississippi. The night was terrible one
thunder, lghtning rsip and fog. / doubt if, under
any other circumstance Red River would be deemed
nayigable. All hands were set to work to throw
overheard the corn 10 tighten her up and we are
SLOWLY cnwling down the river We know TO
certainty that We shall be pursued. The gunboat
Webb is living al Alexandria, and we know that size
will start in pursuit Of US whenever she learns OF
the destruction OF the Queen and Of the escape OF
portion Of her Our only hope lies IN reaching
the Mississippi quickly, whence we shall make The
best Of our way TO Vicksburg. The Webb IL u
model Of speed and can make fourteen miles au hour
against the current. II do not get aground, aud
if our machinery does not break, We hopeto ontrun
her, Ii am captured, q visit 10 |ieksburg Will be
my portion. We shall see.
OUR LOSSES.
! The following is the loss by the capture Of The
Qaeen OF the West, as far as can ascertain;
PRisoSER.-Cyru. EJdi.on. ID Master; Henry Dnncsn'
"a MASTER David Taylor. Engineer cc1IdedJi u ICON
surgeon lot Master Thompson WOO asd on vac
George Andrews, Jane. Foster cIprheH 10 " 'Aio"u,
Thomas Williams, David Mecso .h,Is L'I R.t. .S No5
ton r. Rice Mn Brown Geo w iiii soldiers MI Ahiei'
son. Of The H'rad, sud about 80 sesIoe. -. II.
KmLgDucorss Davis jumped overheard rom We pt o''o
and IL supposed drowned
The above are the names of those who aoated
do IN the river and were not picked up by the De
Soto. They will probably be captured by the next
Confederate steamer In these waters, probably the
Webb, as she pursues us. BOD.
/ STEAMER Era No. 5 ~ 1Hr MI..ioIrPi,(
MAR NIcgsnrRo Feb 81. 1883
We arrived In the Mississippi Sunday morning,
about 10 o clock, without serious accident. All day
the rain aud fog continued, aud such wHs the thick
ness Of the weather that we did not make ~ mile.
in "a hours. The river was filled with drifi aud
logs which imPeded our progress aud broke the
buckets of our wheels. We were short Of fuel ard
were compelled to touch at Union Point AMI take
on n few cords Of wet, soggy wood, with which we
found 1t impossible 10 make steam enough TO carry
Us Two miles MI hour. When opposite Ills Cliffs,
our pilot, the same who ran the Queen aground at
Gordons Landing and thus caused her capture. ran
the Era although che was drawing but ls eighteen
Of water, hard upon the opposite point Here We
laid for four mortal hours within ten feet OF shore,
liable capture at any moment from euerrillaF, M
Ill our carpenter could go into the woods select
tree and fashion 4 spar TO shove OIL. TO crown
our misfOrtunes, tho starboard wheel was dropping
in piece.. We had decided that To be captured Wac
our destiny and Col. Ellet was discussing the pHe-
tcsbty OF seizing ,kiiis and dug-Outs ana attempt
ing TO run by the batteries ~ Port Hudson - Yles
below.
Al coon az we were of the point, Col. Elet
placed tie pilot who had caused our troubles in
arrest aud ordered Mr.. Mckay, The other pilot to
lake the wheel. / had toward morning thrown INV
sell upon "a mattress ia the cabin, ia the hope OF
.nstchiDg moment . rect, and bad Just dropped OIL
into most refreshing slumber, when | heard sonle
one shout, There gunboat ahead Of US We
at frs, supposed the Webb had passed during the
uilht and war lying 70 above 10 capture us. |
rushed on deck, but soon as saw the smoke |
s,acas lust then Visible through the lit Il the fog
1 knew we had escaped Ii war the Union gnnboa' /
Indanoa, sent down to cooperate with the Queen.
You may be sure 10 men evef witnessed more
welcome sight than this sane good steamer Indian |
ola IL was f. miraculous escape, NJ you VII zee. |
From the depths of deslair we were iaised 10 the
nights Of exaltation.
We are, some Of us, hatess bootless and coat!oss.
All Of us hungry. We had eaten nothing for the
last IS hours but htte tiale ard sour corn meal,
fonud in the bottom of barrel OIL board the Era At
the time of her capture The good people Of tie !
IndlaIOa acted the part OF good Sarnarl am; they
clothed and fed ~, and made us comfortable. Cap.
Brown invited Col Ellet and the Two BOhemans
INTO his cabin, and RECALLED US with delicious cup
OF coffee.
We lay BY the lndianola ultil noon, wheni, was
decided 10 move below again. ia the hope of meeting
the Webb. We had scarcely moved three miles,
when the lookout announced Ii steamer approaching
All hands were called to quariers aud prepared for
action The Era war sent ahead TO recornoner,
aud her shril and prolonged whisl lie showed that
yhe too had seen the Webb The engineers cslped on
steam, hot.water boee wac got ready, aud lively
time was expected AT tis time we were fuIi three
miles away. As we approached the Webb, she wac
living in the eddy directly under Elllss Cliffs look.
ing Tor all the world like frightened race-hOr,e.
She moved "A little, then halted aud then bounded