The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21

Capt Francis F. Tickling, for several
years chief of police of Columbia, as lieu
tenant in Company G. First South Caro-
lima Artillery, was in command of the
soldiers who were to repel boarders from
the barges, and his story is best told in
his own words:
1T was one evening early in August in
1868, after Fort Sumter where l was sta
toned, had been pretty badly battered,
that number of officers were lying
about on gun carriages, when Mai. ARM
strong Blanding came in and said: L
want an officer to volunteer for danger
Gus duty to execute sealed orders. The
back" l was standing next the door,
and perhaps heard him more plainly than
the others, so l was first on my feet
saying, I'm You man, major Capt. Har-
lesion and others instantly volunteered,
but / was a little ahead and was ac-
Il was told to select one sergeant and
twelve men. When the regiment was
drawn uD on parade | made a statement
asked for volunteers. The whole of Com
panies d and c., and part of Company f
stepped to the front, so l was forced to
pick my men, taking from each of these
three companies, and Sergt. Bristow of
Maryland. who was a sailor.
For two weeks We lay on waiting or
ders. At last. one miserable murky night,
the Dist of August, we embarked, and
strange to say, on nameless boat The
hull had been constructed for a turtleback
ironclad, but II was found she would not
carry the iron. so had been tied up in
Charleston. Steam engines had been fit-
ted in her. The boat was about 30 feet
long. was turtle-backed and stood perhaps
nine feet out of the water For this occa-
sion she had been painted dead white.
Extending from her bow. about the water
line, was an iron SPAR perhaps twenty-five
feet in length. There was fork at the
end of the spar, to each of two prongs of
which were fastened cases containing sew
enty-five pounds of rifle powder The
spar could be raised out of the water by
two chains. which. extending from each
side of the bow, met near the point where
the torpedoes were attached. When let
down the torpedo was about twelve feet
under water, and it was designed that
when our boat rammed the enemy the
chain would he pressed back by the YES
sells sides This would raise the torpedo
with violence against her bottom below
the armor, and the explosion would fol-
low.
I'VE found this boat to leak like a tub
and to be about as manageable in water
but we passed out through the feet I'M
detected, and then coming in as If from
the sea, made for the flagship. New Iron
sides. our intention was to strike her
amidship, but she swung with the tide
and Capt. Corlin called through the man
hole to the helmsman Wizard to starboard
and the wheelman put il hard to port. We
We're then but fifty yards distant and had
course made us strike the Ironsides glanc-
ing, near the stern. tearing off our railing.
The armor of the flagship was about four
inches thick and extended perpendicularlv
about six feet below the water line. The
torpedoes missed that and one prong of
the fork at the end of the spar got hitch
ed in the anchor cable and the engine
stopped on the center.
AS we struck the officer OF the deck
sang out sharply: What boats that?'
Had we been discovered we would have
been rddled or a lighted bomb pitched
over on our boats would have sent us to
the bottom. but Capt. Corlin. initiating
a man half asleep. drawled between
yawns: The United States tug Live YAM
kee, from Port Royal TO Charleston
We heard the sailors on board discussing
whether or not we were a torpedo boat.
and then / leveled my rifle at the officer
of the deck but Corlin pressed my arm
and / desisted. Meantime the engine had
been gotten off the center and we were
trying to get untagled. The officers re-
peated their demand. and Corlin said.
Aye aye, sir: III come aboard as soon
as we get clear We had backed off n
hundred yards before they realized n on
the ship. Then they threw "a white cal
cium light on us. could see the features
Of Corlin, but they evidently could rof
make out, for they moved the nght
around IN a circle. Then they flashed a
green and then a red light with the same
result. We felt safe, and turned toward
the monitor Weehawken, intending 10
ram her with torpedo, But when vet
0OO yards distant the Ironsides put the