, 1864-03-11
THE LOSS OF THE HoUSaToKic*


From the Army and Navy Gazette.1
As history OF the recent dlaaster Of the q. s.
steamer 1Ipu+atontc may be OF Interest to many Of
your readers, will attempt brief statement Of
iacte:
On the evening Of February 18th. the Horestonsc
was enchoItd ou:si6c the bar: tTo and hall 9ilcs
from Ircat Inlet battery. and FIVE miles and three
ftths from the ruins Of Sumter-Eer usual station
ca the blockade. There was hut little wind Or sea,
the sky was cloudlcss and the moon shining bright
ly. A slight naiet rested on the water, not sat1-
Gent. however, to prevent our Discerning other
vefsels OIL tire Blockade two OF three naies away.
The usual lookoutH were stationed on the fore
1t about e:35 ii the dist watch Tic oaacer Of the
ssk f The sS II hs aessSn n q
ae It aSoat e1e Sande T. sr
distant and a-beam. The QucrtctE:aster examined
I: with h!s E1ese, and pronounced it school Of
were at once given to slip The chain beat to quar-
tlefe otScrs, the Mastert Iate rom tie ioreeastle
in eharrc. The Officers and men were psomptir
on deck, but by this titae the submarine ma-
chine wae so ncar us that its form and the phos-
Is @@ @@ sbs It esn tse 70
tcrs it had stopped, or nearly 50, and then moved
towards the stem of The ve4fcl probablr to avoid
i w.s On the s
near ue that all attempts to ,rala gun on it were
futile Several shots were fired into it from revol.
yers and rites; It also received two changes Of
b1ckehot from tht Captains Eun.
The c1iain had been clipped md the engines had
just begCn to move, when the crush came. throwing
t;mbezs and sr,inteia into the air and apparently
WAS Immediately followed By j fearful rushing Of
water, the rolling out ofa dense, black smoke from
the stack. and the settling Of Tue vessel.
Orders were at once given to clear nway the
But We were hlling too rapid1y. The ship gave a
N
overheard and clang to e9ch portions 0lthe wreck
as came within reach while others sousht safety In
fset fwater ard 10 q lie Saats @ On
tha ftsrboaru side we!c lowered. Most Of those
who had inmped overheard were either picked up
lailed for the Caaandsigua, one md . half miles
distant. Assistancc was promptly rendered by
that reetcl to tho+e remaining on the wreck.
were fensa s ~ eapsa
several feet into the air BY the force Of the exo
sion, and was painfully but not dangerously bruised
It ssss the cpinion Of al who saw the strsnge
tes, that there wns no smckcs:ack, 1hat II was
Eoieele=s ID he. motion through the water. i Wa
NOT seen alter the explosion. The ship was struss
on the s,artoa.d side abait the mizzen-mast. The
upward piece ten feet square was blown out Of
her quarterback, all the beams and easlinc= being
.,spf:cn tfansversely across. The heaEy. spanker
ter for some distance .yas white with splnters OF
oak and pinc.
Probably not more Than one minute elapsed
hou, the time the tcrpedo first aeeu, until we
were struck, ard not over three or four minutes
cou1l have l!assed between the explosion, and the
sinking of The slip. Lad VIC been .strucl: in eny
other r2rt Of before the elarm had been given the
loss Of life would have been ulnch greater.
TIC HoCsatonc was stea1n-*!oop, with ton
mage Of 80, and she carried battery Of tkeTtcen
guns. she was completed about eighteen months
$50. md has been in the blockade erer since. She
}a the drtt vessel destroyed by contrir.ncc OF
fkfs character and thie 1a gives to this 1amenta-
bic eEair sisntfcance which It wou!d not other
wise possess. Deserters tell that there are other
machines Of this kind In the larboF. ready to CONC
out, and that se.cral more nfe in process o! Goa
ttructioa. The country cannot attend too earnest
ly TO the Gangcre which threaten our b1ockadnss
fleets, and The gunboats and steamers on the
Southern 1ivers. x.
Orr C1ARIxeros, FEn~ e, 1851.