The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-06-17
WHOLE NO. 753.

1rnaces, and the steam attachment with
er boilers completed, SO that The servi-
es Of one OF the boats could be dispensed
nth. With one only alongside it was
ossible 10 navigate the narrow and crook
d stream.
So the noble ship started down slowly,
no pumps vomiting forth the vast volume
f water that still found its way through,
lespite tho skill of mon who labored day
Ind night, tbougbtless of s'eep or rest, and
guarded by three tin. clads or light. .draugbts,
aboard one Of which was the Admiral, sec
onding aud cheering by bis presence and
personal attention the efforts of her Capt.
and crew to save their ship, In which each
felt an individual pride. Tho army had al
ready left Grand Ecore in full retreat for
Alexandria, its commander boasting Of a
march of forty mles 10 ono day; and, while
tho mon of the Eastport worked in their
labor OF love and duty, the sulleu boom of
cannon told that the retreatiDg force had
already passed beyon leaving tho enemy
free to line the banks with countless sharp
shooters, against whom the gunboats, in
tho deep ditch in which they lay, could bring
but sorry force to bear. Still they worked
with faith. But at the bottom of the river
lay hidden logs that proved themselves
stubborn and oil powerful enemies. From
the 2lst to the Goth the men, assisted by dc.
tails from other vessels, worked day aud
night with hawsers, steam capstans, steam
era and purchases ofevefy description, pull
ing and hauling the vessel over those low
bars and sunken logs, and in this time had
m ade distance Of forty miles. In this in
terva,. the rebels, not realizing the great for
tune that was Kidding them of an enemy,
that, under wise leader, had been too pow
erful for them, has made no efforts to i'm.
pede the progress of tho gunbon,s. Tho
people passed freely to and from tho shores,
making fast and carrying off haw.ers, tying
to the bank, the better to use the steam
capstans, &c., all of which were necessary
to move the vessel, but which could not
have been done under the FIRE Of sharp
shooters. Ono after another of the people
Of the Eastport had yielded to the combined
influence OF over tasked powers and tho bad
water Of Red river, till one.half we're in the
hands Of tho Surgeon. The river vas stead
lily falling. The ship then lay piled upon
sunken logs, from which she would not
move and around which and beyond no
better water could be found by the pilots.
Hope fed the breast of every one. The
Admiral. who had for some time felt con.
viuced that there was no chance of saving
her, had forborne to order her to be de-
stroyed, yielding hls judgment in this SO
long as o hope remained With btr Captain
ane crew. He now gave the order for her
to be abandoned and blown mp. The sail
ors. after having wrecked the ship. went on
board the gunboat Fort Hindman, with
their bags and hammocks, sad and weary
procession.
The Admiral had procured at Grand Ecore
an operator, with cans of powder and insu-
lated wires, who was to blow up the vessel
in detail BY means Of electricity. One Of
these cans, containing two hundred pounds
of powder and eight barrels of cannon pow.
der. was placed beneath the forward case
mate, and the wires led on shore, where .
guard Of marines protected the operator.
Tho Fort Hindman backed away from the
doomed ship. which lay across the river, in
her very desolation noble picture Of power
ard strength, but q sorry sight for those
who knew how soon the strong mass OF wood
and iron would be torn asunder. and that
which the blast of powder should spare be
given to the flames.
The hitherto mysterious silence of the
rebels was at this moment broken by ter
rife voley of musketry. The juliet and
two Champions we're wooding at the bank
below, and opposite them lay the Cricket.
Fifteen hundred rebels had crept upon the
uuwary Cricket, and poured into her and
upon the working men opposite o voliey
which should have annihilated half the peo.
pie, and then some even rushed down tho
bank to board the little Cricket, which
more wary in this than the matter Of pick.
cts. got out of reach. Shrapnell and grape
soon cleared the shores of the enemy.
The operator had tried once, twice, three
times, and failed. The wires wero then
torn out, cotton trains were laid through
the ship, barrels of powder were placed in
tho stern, beneath the after casemates and
about the machinery, 30 that the destruc-
ton should be perfect, and again the Fort
Hindman sh owed away. leaving this tmo a
four.oared boat and the Eastport's COM
mander, whose hand alone should apply the
torch to bis ill-fated vessel. The train was
divided in the ware room, where, unfortu-
nately, there was some scattered powder.
The captain bad scarcely touched the match
to the cotton when the powder ignited and
blew the burning cotton in all directions.
1t cost but moment to spring through the
smoke out of the port hole across the deck
and into the boat, which the curreut swept
swiftly TO few yards distance; but even
then the whsle central portion Of the ves-
sci was flying in fragments many feet In the
air, followed quickly by the explosion of the
grand stern magazine, which literally tore
that part Of the vessel asunder. Hidden by
the smoke the captain bad not been seen to
escape to the boat, and but four could be
distinctly made out iu her, and for the mo-
meDt intense anxiety was felt on board the
Fort Hindman. Then little veer of the
boat showed to the watchers with glasses,
that Ave sitters were in ber. He is there !
All could see that the fragments had fallen,
and the boat still pulled for the ship. That
she had passed through those falling tim
bers and plates of iron untouched, was one
of those mysterious happenings which we
ascribe to tho especial providence of God.
In few minutes-fOr the train bad been
partially blown away by the other explo-
sions-the forward magazines blew up, tear-
ing the bows off as the stern had been be-
fore. Fire quickly seized upon the remains
of the wreck, and when tho gunboats head
ed down stream, very little remained of the
Eastport.
The Fort Hindman 10 roomy craft, and
whom once she was under way for AleIan-
dria, tho two crews on board stretched them
selves about, deceived with the idea that
there was in store for them rest and sleep.
But hardly had they disposed themselves
for the realization, when rapid fire Of ar
.sll IL ~ a. al