Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-11-11
RebeI Press.
The DefeHses Of WiImington--Appre-
h>nstoas Of an Attack By some Ays-
terf0Gs Fleet. D

4 nc 0tlcN&Sc " WtBbGt9b0s APpTC-
h>1sioas o an Attack by some Ays-
teriOus Fleet.
IosFrsspenssnss Richmons Dispztch.l
WILMINGTON, N. G., Oct. 25.
The appearances Of yellow fever in this
city souietWo weeks ago caused consid-
cradle alarm, which the sad experience
Of the year 1862 served TO augment
Appearing In different parts Of the town
at the same time, upon a warm, sultry
day, it vas feared il would spread With
great rapiaity, and the people were ad-
vissd 10 60 into the country at once.
. But these fears ware not realized The
weather turned suddenly cold, providea-
TALLY, and consequently there we're no
sporadic cases Of this disease The late
ness Of the season renders it highly i'm
probable that the disease will become
epidemic, and the physicians are Of opin-
ion that it bas already had its day.
There have bees ten deaths already re-
ported, and the two cases mentioned
this morning as in drticule morris. Il
ID supposed these eases were all contract.
ed during the warm weather, two weeks
ago; for black frOsts are fatal TO the
disease, and We have aifeady had two
notice that the prospect Of an early
attack upon Wilmlngton is freely dis
cussed by the papers but here liitls is
known. There Is not even rumor to
disturb The usual quiet Of the street, and
no fears are expressed rs to the result
Of the fight, should one OCCUR For
some time the Northern papers have
been loud in their demands for the cIos-
afe Of the port Of Wilmington, which
now appears 20. them the rendezvous Of
dozen Tallahassees, about 10 make
raid upon the ocean, and 10 use their
own words, a nest Of pirates, ready
TO swoop down npon the Yankee com
marce. Especially along the coast,
where the maratlme and FISHING inter
ests are at stake, and in the seaport
cities Of commercial Importance, the
people are elamorous for speedy St
lack and Il is noa impossible their I'M
porinRities may b6 the means Of bring
ing m iron-clad feet agsinst eur forts,
under the rsdonblable Farragus or Por-
ter. t..a e..
Retained eikesFs, il is said, report
large feet gathering Ia. Hampton Roads
for the ayowed purpose of getting com
mand OF Wilmington hesbor, but IL Is
difficult 70 conjestare what they hope to
accomplish without the aid Of q land
force, Then, the question arises, from
whence can this force be obtainsd2 1t
would seem, from his repeated calls for
more troops, that Grant would not be
likely, TO spare any Of his veterans; Sheg-
idan has all he can attend 10 in the Val
ley; Sherman seems, to be sufficiently
amused in Nertb Georgia, and the Yaa.
kee forces in the West quite inadequate
to take care Of Price. There remain
| il is true, the recruits, cut they can
scarcely be smade effective for this at
| tack; even il FaFragut should have the
temerity TO make the attempt Current
repors, however, points out this place as
the destination OF the iron-elad feet now
assembling; and, until it caa be defn-
itely determined, we must make prapara-
tions 10 meeLit
| The position of the Cape Fear de-
fenses render them strong against an
attack by sea- owing chiefly to their
proximity TO the channel through which
vessels must pass to enter the mouth oil
the river. IL Is about thirty miles from
the town Of WILMINGTON to the sea, the
river, navigahle for large steamers, run
ming through level, marshy country,
well wooded on either shore. Some
eight miles below the town is the hrsl
bar, and beyond this the stream Ia clear
and deep until the rip Is reached
A long, low, narrow island stretches
directly across the mouth of the river
leaving only two narrow inlsts at either
end Of the waters to Join each other
| These are here dsnominated Eastern
and Western Bar, or Old and New Inlet
Before the war tho Western Bar wai
alone used BY vessels of any size, ans
the United States Government made Al
effort TO close the New Inlet entirely, il
order to force larger volume Of waite
through the other, to render il deepe
aud capable of taking over the bar yes
sells OF greater size and draught Man,
years was this work o> hand, and man
thousands were spent i'm hauling stone
. TO throw into the channel, not one 0
which has ever been heard of since.
: Was n A4k4AC ta1A- 4nG Gna1HGA uEEk
ened il anything, and the project wa
abandoned. The inlet is now consiG
cred the better of the two By blockade
, runners, although majority Of steamer
J going to Nassau go out the Wester
}. Bar 81 aaai 1aaa h'aaH
: rAloag the whole extent Of the Mort
Carolina coast, the bays, inlets aud hal
! !. bors are constantly changing, the san
shifting from plaea 70 place, filing n
. an entrance here, and deepening anotl
er there Above Hattaras Swaah ther
. is not aRiulet at the present time at a
navigable, while no longer than twent
years ago thers were three or. feur.
this place ia the same change constant
going on-shs channel moving abol
from place to place, and the rip" fl
ing in or deepening with assonishir
rapidity. Atths Eastern Bar the cha
5 mel runs within fifty or sixty yards Of Il
shoEe, and close under the gsns Of Fo
NJ Fisher and Fort Lamb, while at Il
At Western Bar, Fort Caswell guards
in equally we'll Besides these main d
. fences, are several minor batterie
strung slong the beach, located atpoin
:. that, to en- engineers eye, seemed
bear most upon the track of Eesss
ct coming into the river There ia, ais
close BY Fort Fisher, and on point
land between the "Trip" and the bar,
Cd large earthwork or wound, erected
~ Col Lamb, commander Of the fortI
which mounts some powerful guns.
Nj Fer several months past this had be
terror to the feet outside, and b
very properly kept them 1t respect
Iin distance. These gnns have plungi
es- ire upon the channel from the rip
:. the bar and beyond; so it will be
- tremely difficult for even an iron-clad
S enter the harbor until these are siienc,
! Bearing upon the rip" areseveral