The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-07-02

ESCAPE or ADMIRAL PoRTER's FLEET-HTs
OFFICIAL. NARRATIVE.


Alexandria have been released from their unpeas
ant position. The water had fall ,n 80 low that !
had no nope or expectation OF getting the Vessels
out uis Season, and as the army had III ite CaRge.
in.nts 10 evacuate the country, saw nothing he
fore but The Destruction Of the best part oi the
MissE<iPpi squadron.
Here seeSas 10 have Dcen an especial Pf0si.
dehce looking out for ns In providing man equal
to the emergency. Lient Col Bailey, acting eagia
or OF the i9tl Army Corps, proposed plan Of
building series of dams across the rocks at the
IA - aud raising the wIer high enon III to let tile
VI els pass over, Tins proposition looked like
madness, and the best engineers Iidieu ed II hut
u0i Bailey was 50 sangnibe GA success that I re
quesitd Gem Banks 10 have II done, and he entered
hfaFtiiy In the work. Provisions were short, and
forage was alIusi out, and the dam was Ji0nise TO
ne finished In ten days or the army would have To
leave US. Was doubtful about tue time, but had
no doubt about the ultimate success, IL time w0ud
ohly permit Gen Banks placed AT the disposal oi
Col Bailey all the furce ne required, consisting of
some three thousand mrn ana tSo or three h.
died wagons Al tite neighhOEifs SieapS int.s
were torn down for material, Two oT thTea re:i
nirnts of Maine men were set IT. work Telling trees,
and on The second day after my arrival In AitS1n-
dtia lt0hI Grand Ec0Is the Work had Ilifiy begun.
Trees were IA ling with great rapidly, ieams
moving In all directions, bringing in brick and
stohA; qiaf'ies were opened; A:t boats we built
TO btag store d twn from above, and every man
seemed To b working with a vigOT have seldom
seen tquaht J, while perhaps not one n fifty be
ileVfd IN ihe Success of the undertaking These
falls are about mile In length filled with rugged
rocks, which at the present stage of waller 1,
seemr.. IL be iUlv S;ib'e to make channel.
The Work was commenced by running oIt from
the ieii bank Ut The fiyer tree dam, made of the
bodies ot very large trees brush brick, and stone,
cross lied With heavy timber, and strengthened IN
every way which Ingenuity could devise. This
was run out about $40 feet into river; four larg.
c0ai-bdTgeS WCTe then filled with brtck and sunk
at The "nd O! II. From the right bank of the river
Cribs hii'd with stone were butt out 10 meet The
baIgrs, all Of which was successfully accom-
i =
nil Oi nin@ miles an hour, which Threatened 10
sweep everything before il. 1t Will take loo much
itnc TO enter into the details of this tiuv wonder
fl work. Suffice IL 10 say that the dam .ad ueary
trhched coup!rtlun il eight days working time,
and The water had risen sufficiently Oh tne upper
fails 10 allow the Fort iiindman, Usage, aed NeO-
shh tO get down and be ready TO pass the dam. In
an Ilher day il would have been high enough ca en-
aiie all lhe other vessels To pass the upper a'.-
Unfortunately, on the morning of the yth instant,
tte pressure ut water became great that IL swept
away two 0i the stone bdrSrS, which swung In be
low the dam on one side. Seeing thi3 unfortunate
accident, jumped Gti To Il horse and rode up 10
Wh"Ie the upper vessels were anchored, and or
dertd The Lexington t. pass the upper tas, Il pos
sihlc, aud immediately attempt 10 81 through the
daHl- thGu9ht mght be able 10 save HE four
vessels below, not an Wing whether the persons
employed oa the work would ever have the heart
tn renew the enterprise
The LexingtUn succeeded in getting over lhr
uPprrtaS just in time the water rapidly falling a.
she was passing over. She then sIeprrJ directly
for the opening in The dam, through which tht.
water was ushing so iutiously that IL seemed as
nothing but distinction awaited her. Thousands
Of beating hearts looked on unyiousiy for the rG-
sui. The silence was so great tho Lexington
approached the dam that pin might almost have
been heard tG ilil. She entered the gap with fl
head OF steam on, pitched down the roaring tor
rent, made two or three spaSmUdic rolls, hung for
i GDine.it the rocks be usy was then swept into
deep water by The current, ami rounded In safety
into the banks.
Thirty thousand voice5 rose ia one deafentns
cheer. and universal Joy seemed 10 pervade the
face ui every man present The Nrosho followed
ntat, ali her hLchts battered down, aad ever
prec1ution taken agiinst accident. Sh" dli not
fare well as the Lexington, her pi.o. having hs-
come frightened as ne approached the abyss, and
stepped ter engine, when particularly ordered
iul h al OF steam 10 ne carried Tie reeil [ WnT
hat Tor a moment her huI disappeared from s.sas
u nder the wafer RUasy one thought she Sas I0.t.
She sos5, however, swept aioas ~. rocks
with the current, and fortunately escaped with
on one hole In her bottom, which Was stopped III
the course of an bear. The Iiihduian and Usage
both came through beautifully, without touching u
thing, and tnoughti If was only forlunst enough
get my large vessels as well over the falls, nay
firet once more would do good service on the hiis
sssippi.
The accident 10 the dam, Instead nj dishedrten-
ing Col alley, only induced him to renew his ex-
eItions after he Lad seen the success of RetG ng
four vessels through. The nobIeIbesTted soldiers,
seeing their labor Of the last eight days swept
away In i moment, cheerfulIy went 10 work 10 re-
pair damages being Confident now that all the
gnnbJatS would be finally brought over. The men
had been working tor eight days and nights, up 90
thcig Eecks in water, IA the hr0i ing sun, cutting
tIccS, and wheeling bricks, and nothing but good
humOt prevailed among tsirm On the whole, IL
was very fortunate the dam was cdnied away, az
the iVYn barges tbat were swept away from the
centre swung around against some rocks on the
left Ind maze tiIc cushion too the vessels, and
them, as IL afterwards appeared, from
running on certain deatIuctioa.
The force Of the water and ihe current being TOO
Ioet across the river In so snort time, Col Bailey
To leave gap of ility-nyc iret lii the
dam, and build series oi wing dams the up
Ser falls. This was accomplished In thee days
unr, aud on tue llth instant the Mound CITY, the
Carondel..t and the Pitisburg came over The upper
tails, a good deal OF labor having been expended
in hauling them through, the chanoel being very
crooked scarcely wide enough for them. Next
day the UzAk. louisville, Chilic0the, and two
tugs also s.r:ceeied III crossing the upper ia Is.
immediately afterwards, thr Mound city, Carou-
de!et and Pittsbnrg started in succession 10 pass
the dam, all thrir hatchta bdttened Gown, and
every prccautlUn taken To prevent accident.
Ine pas,a g. of these vessels wad most beau
tiial siah;, only 10 be realized when seen. They
passed over without an accident, except the ua
shipping oI one or Two TuddeTs This Wds vii
messed by all the troops aad the vessels were
heartily che5rei when they passed over. NtIt
morning, al ten O'Clock, The Louisville, Chilli
cothe, O&ark, and two tugs passed over without
accident except the loss OF man, who was swept
off the deck of one oI the tugs. By three clock
that afternoon the vessels were ali coaled, ammn
nitI0n replaced, and all steamed down siIe river
win te convoy OF transports IN company.
good deaf of dili ;uty was anticipated in getting
lie bars in lower Red Hlver-depth OF water
reported only FIVE feet, gnnboats were drawing
SIX Pfovidentia ly, we had rise from the back
water Of the Nississppi-that river being very
high AT that time-tha back-Wdter extending ID
Alexandra, one hundred and fifty miles distant,
enabling us to pass all the bats and distinctions
with safety.
Words are inadequate to express the admiration
tee for the ability of Lieut. Col Bailey This is
without doubt the bes. engineering feat ever per
formed. Uoder the best circumstances d private
company would not have completed this work un-
der one year, and to an ordinary mind the whole
Leaving out bis ability is an engineer--the credit
he has conferred upon the cOuntry-he has saved
the Union valuable fleet worth nearly two mil
lions of dollars more, he has deprived the enemy
of i triumph which would have emboldened them
90 carry this year or two longer, for the in
tended departure vi the army was fixed fact, and
there was nothing left for me 10 do In case thar
event occurred hut To destroy every part OF the
vessels SO that the rebels con make nothing of
them. The highest honofs The Government C an be
stow Col Bailey can never repay him for The
services he has rendered the country.
To Gen Banks, personally, am Much fndebted
for the happy manner III which lie has forwarded
this enterprise, giving ii his whole attention night
and tiay scarcely sleeping while the wo-k was
yonS on attending personally 10 see that all the
requirements Of Col Bailey were complied with
The Instant
Previous To passing the vessels over the falls |
had nearly all the euns, ammunition, PROVISIONS
chain cab'cs, anchors, aud everything that could
affect their draft, taken oui Of them
1 regret to inlunn You, amongst the misinfiuGes
of This expedition OF The loss OF two small light
draft gnnbeats thu Signai and Covington. | sent
Al, do. ,.n,s Il IA RIO.