The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28

preparations, made heavy attack on the
iortS. Nine all told-being the Wee
haWken, Passaic, Montauk, Patapsco.
New Ironsides, Catskill, Nantucket.
Nahant and heokuk-enough, one would
suppose, to have silenced every battery
IN the harbor; but they were so warmly
received by the well-aimed shots from
Batteries Beauregard, Gregg, Sumter.
Moultrle, Bee, etc, that they were very
glad, after twenty minute engagement,
70 haul Off as best they could. The
Nahant went into the hottest of the fight,
but could only fire fifteen shots, as her
turret was damned by shot from the con-
federates as also damaging her steering
gear, SO that she nearly drifted by the
1oodtlde then setting in, to certain
destruction.
The Keokuk suffered much more. she
was badly built and became unmanaga-
bic, so that she came bow on to Fort Sum
Ter, and received terrible punishment. In
about half hour her commander,
Rhlnd, was glad enough to get out of
reach for she had been struck ninety
times in the hull and turrets, nineteen
shots having pierced her through, at, and
below the water line. She sank at her
anchorage about 4 o'clock next morning
Let US, while passing along, not forget
TO chronicle daring feat which was at
tempted and successfully carried out
near Morris Island. 1 refer TO a capture
made OF two valuable guns belonging to
the heokuk. She sank in ID feet of
water at low tide, about three-quarters
OF mile from the shore. The expedition
was headed by A. w. LaCoste, of
Charleston, who was connected with the
ordnance department having much ex-
perience in mounting heavy guns and
such like work. With force of some
fifteen picked men he undertook the
task and achieved success, where older
heads had passed the opinion that it was
impossible. Even the officers of the fed
alnavy had reported that the Keokulk
could never be used by the rebels,
and the northern papers stated
no valuables could be rescued
from the wreck as she was filed with
sand, and would be broken up by the first
heavy sea. The government condemned
the naval officers when they heard of the
prizes our boys has rescued from watery
grave.
The Keokuk had two turrets each
armed with a II inch Dahlgren gun, the
turrets were of conical shape, the lower
and upper diameters of which were 20
and IA feet respectively. The guns were
1875 feet in length, and nearly feet dia-
meter at the breech, and weighed each
$4,000 pounds. Now notice the situation,
cover of the darkness distance of three
quarters of a mile, maintain perfect
secreny, and quietly set to work, using
every minute, as they could
work but two hours and half,
when the tide twas low. Even
so each one had to keep his weather eye
open so as to pull for the shore'' in case
of being discovered and attacked, for the
blockading squadron was but two miles
nd hAx Hic-
tihctly sound travels on the water. APP
preciating the situation, they set to work
to remove a large section of the roof by
means of crow-bar, sledge, chisel and
wrench, to lift this enormous gun from
the turret. First they encountered two
thicknesses of inch or inch and-a-half iron
held up by iron girders set close together,
and ceiled underneath with one thickness
of iron plate Besides the upper and
lower plating, three of the heavy Orders
had to be cut through, each in two places,
and removed. A strong hawser was then
passed through the cascade or knob be-
hind the breech, and wrapped around
with flashing to sling it TO the hosting
tackle. More than two weeks were con-
sumed in cutting through both turrets
and getting the first gun ready TO be
hoisted. They were only disturbed one
night by the enemy and had to hurry on
SnOre, OuL no Suspicious dDptdE6u W Dc
aroused as to what work was being done.
San old but solid hulk was brought
into service to assist in hosting the guns
and conveying them to Charleston. From
the bow projected two ouJriggers of tim
Der fourteen inches square and twenty
feet in length, arranged with blocks and
tackle and stays attached to jury mast
stepped in place of the foremost Of the
old hulk. To suit the necessity Of lift
Atan in
the wreck, the bow had some l,5OO sand
bags to weight it down"
As Mai. johnson so graphically de-
scribes the successful hoisting and land
ing of this gun, let me tell it in his own
words: with the singing of the gun
safely effected came the order to hoist
away. the men on the lightship Tor hulk)
responding CHEEKY, though with the
hush of caution, to their comrades waist
deep in water within the iron turret. The
strain begins, the stout ropes tighten, the
block slowly rises then the massive breech
OF ,he gun appears, inch by inch, above
the level of roofing, the muzzle yet hang
ing far down below it and splashed by the
swell of sea water. Had the contrivance
been higher above the water, the
capacity of its blocks and
tackle would have been sufficient
for all purposes, but already the two
blocks were nearly touching each other,
and the falls could do no more toward
pulling the muzzle free of the turret.
There it sloped down to the water, graf
ing and grinding upon the edge of the iron
roofing, but refusing TO be dlslodged by
anv further application of muscular
strength. Equal to the emergency, La
Coste was not to be thwarted, but, look
inc moment to the bow of the hulk,
weighted down with sand bags In order 70
reach the lowest level of the hoist, he re-
sorted to what he hoped would give MIN
instantsuccess. Shift the deck load, boys!
Handle those sand bagsl Pass them TO
the stern I" were orders uttered WIN
earnestness and obeyed with alacrlty.
The men made fast their ropes,
and sprang TO the bow, where the
bags of sand, piled up by hundreds,
awaited their removal. AS they were
taken off. the bow, heaving with the toe
and becoming more buoyant every min
nte gradually responded TO the tighten
inc If its load ana the lifting force now
exerted by the weigh ting down OF the OPP
nosite end of the boat. The gun is
nIainly rising-it is almost clear; another
minute and it promises to swing free from
the restraining edge of the Keokuk's tur.
.et But no. not yet The last bag OF
sand has been transferred from DOW 70
stern. and human ingenuity can 90 no
more How must those hardy men nave
felt as they paused from their work 10 con
slider again what could be done-soune
vexed 10 see their prize, so long tolleo Ior,
about to be snatched from Their grasp ot I,