News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-25
Swine p0RreRs FLELT.
The Wisconsin Lumbcrmnn nH| h's FEili'-
tive Engineering.

| The Wisconsin Lum5crnIan nH' MS 'iii'
tive En&inecrinR'
NJ Quad. of the Detroit Free Press,
gives us an interesting account OF the
| dam built bv Capt. Bailey, Of Wiscon-
sin regiment, in the Red River during
Banks's fa1rous campaign, which dam
saved Porter's fleet, which had accom-
panied the expedition. The vessels OF
the feet had made their way mp on 2
rising river, and we're all above ne Al
yandria Falls, when, early IN May,
Banks received orders to cTacuate the
| country.
when Porter was informed that the
arm would soon take up the march III
retreat his erfiro fIe It was ABOVE the
falls. Some Of the vessels had been
taken above afcer gre 1t ironole and now
| all were in a trap. fhe riveF had lallen
until there was not sufficient G"pIh 70
| float the lightest CT aft over the falls.
The current Of the river was about
eight miles an hour and the greatest
depth of the water on the rapids only
six feet. The bed of the river seemed
full Of rocks and the waters tumDleu
over them until it seemed as II ski
could not find Il safe channel. Porter
must either get his fleet below tneso
rapids or abandon it and march MS
men with the army.
CAPTAIN Bailey was a Wisconsin lum~
herman. He saw at glance the posi-
ton in which the feet was placed, ana inc
danger to it. He had assisted III taking
many LOG Jams over the falls in the WIS
consin river when the water IS Io"'
and he saw at a glance that the
pIan followed there would answer IN the
present emergency. He had plenty Oh
men and plenty of trees. The latter
we're cut down and with their full bEah-
ches were placed in the water and sunk d.
The gathering sand assisted in forming
the dam. and in a remark0blyshort time
the water in the river bed was turned
into a narrow channel left between thS
dams of trees extending from either
shore.
The feet. as is well known, passed
through in safety The engineers, OF
course, laughed at Bailey and his scheme
and even Porter, before the work was
begun. secuted the idea and announced
that he would blow mp every boat III
his feet if the water did not rise IN
time.
But for Bailey's dam Porter could not
have saved his fleet, and Bailey, III
speaking of the affair, modeStly DIS
claimed any credit for ingenuity, as the
same thing had been done thousands OF
times.
The Confederates were sadly disap-
pointed at the result, as they beheVeo
" the feet of gunboats as good as IN theu
power. ...
A piece of similar primitive engineer
ing was performed by another Wisconsin
soldier, Capt. P. Fl. Ray, during Gus
ter's Northern Pacific expedition. IN
command came to q river that the melt
mo SHOWS had flooded so that 1t couL
not be forded. The army was on tn
eastern bank of the river and the hece'
sitv for its advance was urgent. IL
engineers were unable to suggest al
plan. as they were without pontoons
/, boats. Capt. Ray took the boxes Of t
-, ,,,,,, covered tIle.rII with 'Iparfli
and thus made boats in which the
fantry crossed. With rafts made
these boats the artillery and stores we
taken over. Although the enG2lne1e
re; laughed at his plan, the army lelt u
the Wisconsin Captain had brains.