Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-06-06

iutc the bank. TRirty thousand voices
rose in one deAfening cheer, and uni.
yerssl joy seemed 10 pervnde the face OF
every man present The Neosho fol.
lowed next, all her matches battened
down. and every prccaution taken against
accident She did not fare as well as
the Lexington, her pilot having become
frightened as he approached the abyss,
and stopped her engine, when | par
ticularly ordered full head OF steam
to be carried; the result was that for
moment her hull disappeared from sight |
under the water. Everyone thought |
she was lost. She rose, however, swept |
along over the rocks with the current,
and fortunately escaped with only one
hole in her bottom, which was stopped
in the course of an hour. The Hindman
and Usage both came through beAuu-
fully without touching thing; and |
thought if was only fortunate enough
to get my large vessels as we'll over the
falls, my fleet once more would do
good service on the Mississippi. The
accident to the dam, instead Of dis
heartening Col. Bailey, only induced
him TO renew his exertions after he had
seen the success of getting four vessels
through.
NEW DAM BUILT,
"The noble-hearted soldiers, seeing
their labor of the last eight days swept
away in moment, cheerfully went TO
work to repair the damages, being conf
dent now that all the gunboats would
finally be brought over. These men had
been working for eight days and nights
up to their necks in water, in the broil-
ing sun, cutting trees and wheeling
bricks, and nothing but good humor
prevailed among them.
"On the whole it was very fortunate
the dam carried away, as the two barges
that were swept away from the centre
swung around against some rocks ON
the left and made fine cushion for the
vessels and prevented them, as il after
appeared, from running on certain
destruction, The force Of the water and
the current being too great to construct
q continuous dam, 800 feet across the
river, in so short time Col. Bailey
determined to leave gap of So feet in
the dam, and build series of wing
dams on the upper falls.
This plan had been already suggested
in the beginning b. Coils. Pearsall and
George u. Robinson, but had been
deemed inadvisable by Col Barley, who
hoped to avoid the additional time and
labor necessary to the construction OF
two dams if one could be made to serve.
1t now became evident, however, that
the river must be INSTRUCTED on the
upper falls in order to obtain sufficient
depth to relieve the larger ironclads,
such as the Mound City, the Chillicothe,
the Carondelet, and some five others
which were still lying above the rapids.
A series of light wing dams, consist.
ing of log cribs dashed together, that re.
suited in fourteen inches additional
depth of water were completed in less
than three days time. The Chillicothe
now managed to work her way through
and the Carondelet attempted to follow
her example. The water in the lower
dam, however, had been slowly falling,
and as the huge vessel came through she
swerved little from the main channel
and grounded in dead water, her stern
lying down stream, and pointing di.
agonally across the channel, An attempt
was made to haul her off with "Span-
ish windlass," but was abandoned as
unavailing. Admiral Porter, believing
there was still sufficient room in the
channel for other boats to pass, now
gave orders for the Mound City to make
the attempt, This she did Immediately
and grounded abreast of the Carondele
/ Five more ironclads were still above the
falls.
/ HOW THE EMERGENCY WAS NET.
At this crisis Col. Bailey came ridin!
up in hot haste to where Col. Pearsal
was standing, Col. Bailey was a dark
, stern.looking man at all times. His I'm
/, kempt raven hair and his restless blacl
eyes-wild and bloodshot from neryou
| tension and loss of sleep-made hin
9 seem now almost ferocious Neither o
) these officers had slept to exceed g
} hours during the past 10 days, and thei
: nerves were terribly oYerwrought b,
: the fearful strain. 1t was no time TO
5 idle conjectures and none was offered
A To the abrupt question, "What in tn
S name OF God are we going to do now
: colonelI" Col. Pearsul as abruptly re
. piled:
r "Give me what men and material
l want and | will put foot of waite
t under those boats THE Mound City an,
|, Carondelet) in "a hours" .'.
i Col. Bailey-You Shall have wbateye
: you want. Only tell us whatitis, Quick
o Col. Pearsall-I want the Thirtcent
Army Pioneer Corps TO report to me O.
d the left bank at midnight, and 1000
c feet OF two-inch plank 10 be here at
k o'clock tomorrow.
v Col. Bailey at once assented to thes
y requirements, aud the orders wer
is promptly given. Immediate steps weI
t l ..t- -. -