New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-01-07


The Navy Department, to-day, received the
following dispatches:
UNITED STATES FrAGsnIP SAS JAcnTo
KEY Mnsl. Dec. =. I-63.
Hon. GIDEON WILLIS Secretary IN, Nary
SIR have the qualification Of reporting very I'M
potaa service performed by the bockiding force at ST.
Andrews Sound. under command OF Acting Master
William X. Browne, In destroying very extensive and
valuable quality ofsai works. both at Lake Ucalo and
in ST. Andrews Bay The circumstances Are a. I'D
lows'
On the cd Of December a boat wss dispatched nom
the bark Restless. then lying - 81, Andrews bound TO
Lake Ocas. lone ~ miles To the westward where Act
ing Ensign James j. Russell landed with his men. and
marched some fiye miles inland "a Kents Salt Work.
consisting Of three different establishments and utterly
DESTROYED them There six steamboat boilers at
this place. cut IN half engthwise. and kettles
made expressly for the purpose each holding go
gallons. They WERE In the practice OF burning ont $50
gallons Il salt daily Beside destroying these boilers
large quantity Of salt thrown into tho lake. Two
large aai.boa,s and six xcarts were demolished and
II prisoner. were taken. who were paroled and re-
leased % the boat too small W bring them away.
On the Is, OF December Acting Ensign Edwin Ores.
~ arrived at St Andrews Sound. from the Last Pass
81 Santa Rosa Sound. VIII the stcrn-wheol steamer
Boomer, aud her lcadcr' the sloop Carolina having
heard o, the edition TO Lake Ocols AID placed bis
command nj TIE disposal Of Acting Master Browne for
more eNt.Dsisc operations near ST. Andrews; aud ac
coIdngly d officers ana T. men were sen; fru, the
Bay, wbe,o The Rebel Governments saltworks were
Grs,royed. which produced four hundred bushels
daily. ~ tbs place there were twenyseven bindings
twenty-five boilers, anu some two hundred kettles
averaging 200 gallons each all of which destroyed
together with 500 bushels 81 salt and s:orclous.
containing some three months proysions-the whole
est mated at half million of dollars. From this point
the expedition proceeded down the bay destroying pri
yate salt works which lined each SIDE distance Of
seven miles, to the number II 1913 different establish
ent ayeraying two boi"rs and two kettles each. to-
gether with large quantity Of salt 5O7 kettles were
dug up and rendered useless. and over 200 buildings
were destroyed together with "a wagons and large
hatboats.
Tie entire damage TO the enemy Is estimated BE- Act
Ing Master Browne ut s3UO.WO
THIRTY one contrabaEds employed nj those works
gladly avacd themselves OF this opportunity 10 escape
and were of great service In pointing out the places
where the kettles buried for conccalment In thu
mean time while these operations were going on. Act.
ing Master Browne got under way in the bark Restless
and ran I'D 10 within 100 yards of the town IL ST. An
Ircws Which had been reported by descrters to hin,
being occupied by a military force for tho lasi ten
months and commenced shclng the place and some
soldiers who made speedy retreat to the woods.
Selecting tie wcathermOst houses for target the
town was fired by the third shell and thirty two houses
were soon reduced TO ashes No resistance was Offered
10 our people throughout the affair. Acting Master
Brow no speaks In high terms Of Acting Ensigns James
j. Russell and Charles N. Hicks, and the IS men from
tho Restless as also Of Acting Ensign Edwin Greasy
and the six men beiongmg to tho bloomer. for tho
prompt in which they carried out his orders.
k.spe.tfully TUEODORus BAILEY
Acting k..rAdnirsl Commanding y. g; h. Squadron,
U. =. flagship San JSinto, Key West Dec. 49, 81
Hon. GIDEON WELLgs Secretary Of tho Navy.
SIR 1t gives me great pleasure to call the
attention Of the Department. to very important service
performed by tho schooner Fox. tender of the San
1acinto under tho command Of Acting Master George
Ashbury. The circumstances as follows:
On the Goth Of December steamer discovered In
the mouth Of the Sawanee River apparently at anchor
or aground. The Fox Immediately boa. up toward her
until when within about three quarters OF mile OF the
steamer she grounded In e. feet Of water and opened
upon her with the howser at the same time sending an
armed boat in ~ capture the steamer An attempt was
made TO inmidate our people BY mounting piece Of
stoyeppc chair to repsescn forccastle gun. and
device Of tho enemy failed In It's object; and Acting
Ensign Marcelus jackson boarded tho steamer, from
which everybody had made their escape to the
shore. She proved TO DO sde.whecl steam.
stack. two masts. and q walking. beam engine
Neither cargo. personal effects papers, nor anything
indicate her name found on board but from the
description she IL supposed " have been the Little