Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-16

ed 20 the summons, ont by running AWAY
and the other by halying long enough TO
be dlsarncd aud captured The raiders
cleaned out the hoadqunrter,'dcl and
escaped with Thousand enemies encampcd
about them.
There could hardly have been two opln.
ions ~ 10 the best man In the north ~.
lantlc squadron TO attempt the dcstruc.
ton " the terrible rnm Alhomarlc, that
had twice defeated cur fleet, driven our
army aud navy from Plymouth and proved
q terror generally IN the region Of Abe
marie sound, Gushing was sent to New
York to fit out torpedo bosts for the pur-
pose and OF course the south got nows Of
the doinps IN ample time Ia prepare. AZ
ter many adventures, Gushing reached tho
mouth Of the Roanoke river ON the night
OF Oct. 81, 1884, with an outfit consisting
Of steam launch about thirty feet long,
mounting one howitzer and carrying four
teen souls Officers and men were all
volunteers. On the bow OF the launch was u
new contrivance, consisting Of n spar four
teen feet long, that could bc raised or de-
pressed by meann Of cord In the hands of
| a man standing on the bow OF the launch.
| On the end OF the spar was an adjustable
torpedo to be detached and exploded un-
| der water by means OF u line and lanyard.
The Roanoke was full OF picket boats.
/ but the launch managed To clear them and
bring up at midnight IN sight of the ram
as she lay ut wharf fully guarded for the
| encounter. A boom OF logs extended all
around her water side about thirty fect
from the hull, A body OF troops was en-.
campcd ON the wharf with cannon 10 sweep
the river In such mn emergency. The crew
OF the ram was alert and her guns werO
loaded and trained. A FIRE burning ON
shore made the scene AZ light Us day, aud
Cushing saw ut "a glance the desperation
Of his enterprise. lie decided TO pass tho
ram, land and board her; but his move
mcnt was detected and hail given from
tue rams deck. Without hesitating u
moment he ordered his engineer 10 back
OIL, get hoadway and drive the launch over
the log boom. lilo took his post to handle
the Internal machine and while the boat
passed over tho boom the Confederate
opened fire from the wharf and from the
decks Of the doomed vessel. Cushing
clothes were riddled with shot, and the
hand that was to pull tho torpedo trigger
was cut by bullet, but he remained cool
mud handled the lines OF the intricate ma.
chine so dcftly as to place the torpedo
under the rams hull and explode II just us
a cannon ten pncea from MN hslehcd u luo
The ram wns totally wrecked The
boat + crew jumped into the water, Cush
Ing aud one other escaping after terrible
| experiences; = were drowned ana II were
captured. Cushing's flight and rscnp,
through region swnrming with enemies
aroused and rmhittrred by his daring cN
plot, was as marvellous ~ the execution
of the deed itself After firing the Internal
machine he told his men To- save them
selves, threw oil his accoutcrnents and
plunged into the chilling water Attel
swimming until exhausted he landed In d
swamp within forty rods 81 a fort.
IN order To escape discovery when day
light came he crlWlgd on his stomach tul
i've hours through thurns and hrigrs, nnt
nt last had the good fortune TO find a. skil
belonging TO some Confederate pickvts
whose backs We're conveniently turnet
% long enough for him 20 cut Il from 10
" moOriupn and push II down stream out %
~ sight Then he 1905 In and padded dow
,v the river eludlng observation until In
~ reached the Union leet In the sound
y twelve miles distant Even then hi
u friends, suspectlng that he was u Confeder