Mower County transcript., 1869-12-02
Raising Of a Frigate Sunk in the Della.
ware During the Revolution.
- From the Philadelphia Age, Nov. Is.


The hull of the frigate Augusta ves-
sci TINT had short but conspicuous career
in the war of the colonists against The ;,
mother countrY-has at last been exhl1ned
Hom tbamudof t6e u tSlaw(ie. 5stThd xpo--;
dare Of tns rlic = thSsBevolutiqpi do rves
more thin apastang kotiqS lAfly ~ the
aonthaI OctobeI |Iygy, III sBntik6 deek
consisting of the RSebuck, "A gunss Mes
linn, IL guns, and galley of 3 guns, COM
menced from the mouth of the Delaware
gradual approach to our city, which they
proposed b0mbarding.
To prevent this. movement, the -eolouists-
had the famous little Wasp and the Lexing.
ton, with few tenders; but they could on
ly harass these vessels. But to prevent
their upward progress, the Americans, rs
further defence, constructed q, fort on the
lower end of Hog Island. and between that
aud the fort on the Jersey shore just oppo-
site they sunk number of hulks, thus pre-
venting the passage up the river of any
-heavy vessel. On tho ~20tlla- Of -Qotober,-
1873, the British vessels named attacked
these forts, but a fleet OF fire rsfts. drove
them down the river.
:! On the 22d ofothe same month, the new,
tngate Augusta. direct from England, rein
forced the British force. She was one Of
the. old-fashioned. i tcumbersoms double,
deckers. with high. sides, bristling with
gums She was loaded with ammunition,
shot, and a surplus armament for small
ships. which the British hoped to construct
on this side of the Atlantic; ".l.!''; -
The feet thus increased, reattacked the
fort on the Jersey shore, above Woodbury.
Creek, being co-operated with BY 1900
Hessians on shore, under command Of
General Danupe. The commander OF the
American galley Chatham . had twelve
smaller: galleye lying just ,helow onr city,;
and hearing of the approach Of the British.
dropped down stream; 'hnd on the afternoon
9f the 24th, opened the engagement with
the four British frigates. This engage
ment lasted into the night, during
WHICH the Augusta grounded, and her con-
sorts fed down the river. The Augusta
was on the next morning discovered, at
tackled and set on fire., Of the three hun.
dred men she had on board, Just one-halt
were drowned, by leaping ashore or being
carried down by the frigate when she sunk.
Here, in this mud bank, lying near the
Jersey shore opposite Hog Island, she has
been imbeeddedrTtthe deposits accumulating
until the hull sat IN the mire to. the depth
of fourteen feet:i.:. ,2ii j3F ;uu ,2aa i.
| About two weeks ago, James Powell, Jos,
moore, Geo. murphy, daDf1el sheppard
and: Chas. Meyers :conoei1edIrthS idea Of
raising the wreck and reap pay for their Ia.
bots BY selling whatever II might contain:
Submarine workers were employed; CHAINS
were passed beneath the old frame and at
tached to canal boats on either side The
latter we're partially filled with water, the
cables passing under the hull of the wreck
were tightened, and the water pumped out
of the boats. :! The latter becoming buoyant
rose up,. and With them the remains Of the
Augusta. which AhaAywere towed to Glot-
cester. Here; within the. past few days,
three of the old fashioned guns were taken
from her; q number Of skulls, remnants of
1.-the .ill-fated Britons; sixty; tons of shot,
used in the small smooth bore cannon Of
the time; . great quantity of Kestlidgs ball
last, consisting of blocks of cast iron; and
q large number Of relics, which will be high
ly priced. Among these:ware aailver spear;
marked II. W., 1748,"a fat old bulls eye
watch, with its works eaten up by rust, .
number of gnineas with q raised profile Of
George Ill.,, and some silver coin dated
1760. The frame Of the Augusta is of Irish
oak. and the wood is sound and. proof
against decomposition. It is limited that
after the persons who have raised her re-
lieve her of all solid and salable materiaL
they. mean to offer the hulk to the city at q
| 1ibernl frica. {'l.'*-yI1:t SGT. = IL -