Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-05-30
M1ss1rPr souADROn.


4 | tolehHtQ Ifom their unpleasant position
/ The Wster hsd fallen 50 low that / had .
. tope or expectation OF getting the vess.
c out this season and as the army hs
made arrangements to evaouste the conn
= try, IssW nothing before me but the q
struction OF the best port Of the Mississipp
squadron. There seems TO have been q
especial Providence looking out for us il
providing man equal to the emergency
Lieutenant Colonel Bailey, acting ensi
neer Of the Nineteenth army corps pro
pOsedR plan of building q series Of dam
soross the rocks at the falls and RAISING
the water high enough to let the vessels
pass over This proposition looked like
madness, and the best engineers ridiouled
it. but Colonel Bailey was 30 ssDguine OIL
success tnst l requested General Banks tc
haze it done, and he entered heartily in
the work. PROVISIONS were out and forse G
was almost ont, and the dam was promised
10 be finished in ten days, or the army
would have TO leave as. 1 WAS doubtful
about the time, but had no doubt about the
ultimate success If time Wonld only permit
General Banks placed at the disposal of
Colonel Bailey ell the force he required
consisting Of some three thousand men and
two or three hundred wagons. All The
eighboring steam mills we're torn down
for material, two or three regiments Of
Msine men were set 10 work falling trees
and on the second day after my arrival in
Alexandria from ,.Grsnd EoOre the work
had fairly begun. Trees we're fslIiUe
with great rspidity; teams were moving
IN sla -dizsnfinnE bringing in bFiok and
stone qusrries were opened; fat boats
were built 10 bring stone down from above
and every man seemed 70 be working with
q yisor have seldom seen squslled, while
perhaps not one in fifty believed in the
SUCCESS of the undertaking. These falls
are about mile in lengt1, filed with
rugged rocks, over which, st the present
stage Of water, it seemed to be impossible
TO make channel
The work wss commenced b. running
out from TIE LEFT bank Of the river q tree
m, made OF the bodies Of very large trees
brush, brick, and stone, cross-tied with
other hesvy timber, and strengthened in
every way which integrity could devise
This was -un out about three hundred feet
into the river; four large coal bsrges were
hen filed with brick ar d sunk at the end
Of It From the right hank Of the river
cribs, filed with stone were built out to
meet the barges. All OF which wss sue
cessfully accomplished, notwithstanding
there E8s 3 cGttent running Of nine miles
an hour, which threatened to sweep every
thing before it. It will take too much time
10 enter into the details Of this truly
wonderful work. Suffice il to say that
The dam had nearly reached COM letiOn in
eight days working time, and the water
had risen sufficiently on the upper falls to
slloW the Fort Hindman, Usage, and
NeOsho to get down.
and be ready TO pass the dsm. In another
day it would have been high enough to
enable all the other YES els to pass the up
per falls. Unfortunately, on the morning
Of the 9Eh inst, the pressure Of water be.
came 50 great that 1t swept sWsy two Of
the stone bsrges, which swung in below
the dam on one side. Seeing this uufor-
lunsts accident, 1 jumped on horse and
rode up to where the upper vessels were
spobored, and ordered the Lexington topsss
he upper falls, il possible, snd Immediate
iy attempt to go through the dam.
thought l might be sble 10 save the four
vessels below, not knowing whether the
persons employed on this work Tould ever
have the heart to renew their enterprise.
The Lexington succeeded in getting over
the upper falls just in time--the water
rapidly falling IS she was passing over
Sac then stesTed directly for the opening
in the dam, through which the water was
rushing so turioHsly that il seemed ss il
nothing but destruction awaited her
Thousands Of besting hearts looked on anx-
ious for the result. The silence was 80
great ss the Lexington approached the
lam that 8 pin might almost be heard 10
islL She entered the gap with full
head Of steam on, pitched down the roar
/ ing torrent, made two or three spasmodic
rolls, hung for g moment on rock below
was then swept into deep water BY thG
current snd rounded to safely into the
ban. Thirty thousand voiors rose in ons
desfeDiDg cheer, and universal joy seemed
10 perVsde the face of every man present
The Eeosho followed next sll her hstcheI
battened down, and every precaution to
ken against accident. She did not fare a.
we'll IS the Lexington, her pilot having be
come frightened IS he approached III
aby ss, sSd Stopped her engine when par
ticularly ordered full head Of steam L
be carried; the result was that her hui
disappeared from sight under the WsteI
Every one thought she was lost. She rose
however, swept along over the rocks wit
only one hole in her bottom, which wa
stopped in the course Of an hour. Tn
Hindmsn and Usage both came throug
beautifully, without touching thing; an
, thought il l was only fortunate enoug
TO get my large vessels as well over th
fslls, my feet once more would do goo
a service on the Mississippi. The accident
tie dam, instead Of dishesrtening Colon
o | Bailey, only induced him to renew his e1
% ertlons after be had seen the success
getting four vessels through
The noble. hearted soldiers seeing the
labor Of the last eight days swe]
. swsy in a moment, eheerfully went
' work to repair damages, being conideI
now that sl the gunbosts would be fnsll
i brought over. These men had been wor
II ing for eight days and nights u q 'ne
s neeks in water in the broilin sua-ou
e ting trees and wheeling r y lid not
d iug but good humo- repe1ed among
them. On the We, c Was very fortuna
the dam carried -waT Gs the two baIg
that were sWep way from the cent
swung srouB1 1gsiDst some rocks on &
left sud IA fine cushion for the We
.els. an .revented them, as il sfterws
4ppssl ed, from running on certain d
reaction. The force Of the water and t
: current being too great to construct
oontinaous dam at six hundred feet acre
the river in 60 short time, Colonel Bail
o. Sermined to let gap Of hfty i've feet
me dam and build series Of wing dal
!, on the upper falls. This was -sccomplit
IN three days time, and the / lsh inst I
= Mound City, Csrondelet, and Pittsbur
came over lhe upper fails. Eood deal