Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-05-03
AN EXPLOSIVE CONVOY
UPS AND DOWNS ON BOARD A Mlssis.
SIPPI POWDER TRANSPORT.
Peppered by Four-Gun Battery ON Shore
Within an Inch Of Kingdom Como
Capabilities Of an Internal
Nacfine's'' Platoon"

stacn1neS tloV0Ons
[Ex-Paymaster Pearson in Philadelphia Timea]
We started for Vicksburs in company
with the Jacob Strader, the largest steam
boat on the lower river. The Strader was
burthened with thousands Of tons OF powder
and fixed ammunition for the army. To
gether We formed. perhaps, the most explo-
sive convoy that ever sailed the Mississippi.
TIE holds were crammsi with powder and
percussion shell; powder was piled on tbs
main decks aft the furnaces and covered
with tarpaulini to keep on. the spark.
Lower and upper guards and cabihs We're
stacked with cartridges for small arms.
a, we gliieI down stream Caps Birca
called me to the upper deck aad introduce
me to the queereS. looking '.inseraai ma
chin,' we had yet encountered. Balligereat
cranks were constantly bringing to the naval
authorities come new invention for de'truc-
ton of the hum an species ito be triei. As
for four years the Confederate states furn-
ishei subjects for these experiments, they
should he entitled to a bill in equity against
tie inventors for a share Of the profit.
This {! 'ng placed il charge Of Capt Birch
was a sort of infantry platoon on wheels
rank Of rife barrels ranyel parallel and
u DDdL Ds pcISus-
sion the whole platoon wa; simultaneously
dis harge1 in zone tims and one motion"
Bar n told ms he had reason to fear that tbs
Co.federates We're aware OF the coming OF
our convoy, and that somewhere on the
route to Vicksburg they might waylay u
ard try TO blow US up. In case opportunity
offered he wished me to take charge Of tho
internal machine" and report upon its capa-
bilities We charged the platoon" AMI
Llazed away over the river few times to
get elevation and range; then loaded AMI
left it ready for emergency.
Next morning about o'clock, a we were
stearins down the river, l had just rolled
over fo- another snoozs, when l was aroused
by a crash through the sides Of the ship.
together with rafting report OF light artil-
lery. In moment came a kick at my door,
with the worls: "Halloo. Get up, We'rs
n a iightw ! bounced cut, and being ready
harnessei, excepting coat and boots, ran for
the hurricane deck AMI internal machine"
We were passing through "Cypre', Bend,
and things around looked interesting.
On shore, abreast the narrovest of the
channel. was four-gun battery of field
pieces, manned by about 2)0 Confe1erates,
all pepperin, away like a fourth OF July.
About 100 yards ahead was the Straier.
Size had been the target OF the first voliey
an escaped damaye. TIE Gen. Lyon came
next, and here the en- smy Ia bsttsr luck,
putting all four o. the sin D. Of their second
vo!ey through Us 1t i, scarcely n,ce ;sary
to mention that our cargo WAS unscathed.
Had any part of it been struck thi, chapter
would have teen writt.a by somebody else.
Next after this Lyon came the transport
New Kentucky loaded with troops and
mules The third round OF tho battery blow
her up She drifte AMI loigei upon a sand
bar and lay there helpless. envelopei in u
cloud of steam, while the battery poured
shot into her as fast as the guns could be
served The men not busy with the field
pieces amu'e / themselves with small arms.
Many wers percaed in tie small trees astral
de Of the limbs, whenc3 they kept up a
lively shower OF buck shot and litti, bullets
But the fred too high.
Along ,ide .ur lee was-the gunbDat Signal
Capt. Birth Suggested that she engage the
battery and rescue the di abieI transport,
which was beng roughly trcasei. The COM
mandsr Of thi Signal objected that. being
"tin-ela1. he could not go within range
without eldangerius his own boilers.
III you won't Il i, sail Birch, thea, by
c., ] Will"
.
The long thirtytwo FOUNDER on the fore
castle was in charge Of an old man-of wars
man and gunner, Acting Ensign John
Powell As we neared the Confederates he
sent she'll which struck in the river bank
teaeath them. Another quickly followed
AMI burst IN ths midst of the convocatiou
around tho guas. 1t caused "scattermentn
and they began to timber up.
tfaaDwhila tpa s.infaruai machioao was
tasted. Aimed into the tree tops, it fired
whole platoon. / had squatted down behind
it to aim. and, intent on the effect of the dis
charge, forgot to keep clear o. the recoii.
picked myself up with sore heai for
which | was compensated by witnessing the
comical style in which the occupants Of the
tree tops tumblej ont 1t reminded me OF
oli-tiuie black bird shooting The platoon
was again got into line of battle and tirei
anot ier blizzard wita god effect. while the
Old thirtytwo FOUNDER put in some more
notices quit, 50 persuasive that our foes
were SON iii ;ull retreat acrp;' tho beni,
afTcction2t,ly followed by our kind aiieu1
So lon, as we coull see them.
The steamer New Kentucky was re -cued
an taken IN tow. 1t then bsioovei u TO
hasten AMI pa 5 tle other 81 IL o:tae bsni
before the battery reached it to intercep. US
Since we had force enough 1t wouii. psr-
hap have been better and safer to hav
laad,I and captured the guns than to ris
their bal craftsmanship again. Forum
ately- we got ahead of them aud escapei
reue it, on OF their attentions
Oae Of the party OF hostile5 was sub's-
qgcn,iy captured. ami from him we learned
that Tie shell - appositely plantei among
them from the Lyon killed and wounded SIX
teen mel OF the battery. To how mucl
credit the internal machine was entitlsi is
uncertain judging by this infernalenergy
with which il kicked over its engineer it
ought 20 have slaughtered all there was left
Our los was triiiny. our escape miracu-
lous OF the shBts which struck the Lyon
two plss- tlroIyi thu fia.; clos, in front,
the ota-rs Just behini her boilers One
actually knocked If the button Of the steam
gauge A divergence Of one inch. either
way, would have been de structiol t. the
tire CONVOY II seem a as il Providence had
purposai an example of "upr1 what slender
threads hang everlasting thing TIE loss
of thoSe cirgoes Of ammunition might have
materially cfanyei results Mt VIcSsburs
Had our assaii1nts succeeded in blowing Us
up 1t woul have been rich joke on them
>eve>. We wert not thirty yards Gistan.
VIXEN they struck Us, and ha 4 we gone OF
Their, would not have Gesn grease spot left