The Globe-republican., 1898-07-14

duu la q IuElCuS SUI II TIC CAPSoAe1O0
suffered a delay of several days. On
February the weather cleared and
they stood in for the harbor. and when
night came the men were divided into
five crowds. They came up with the
Philadelphia and the ketch was made
fast with grapnels to the Philadelphia
and afforded bridge on to it for the
attacking officers and men. Twenty
Tripolitans were killed, the rest were
driven overheard. the stolen ship set
on fire and finally blown up from its
magazines.
The enemy had not for some time
shown much willingness to fight. but
they had been successful in keeping
their ships together we'll in their prin-
cipal harbor. Capt. Preble therefore
resolved to take unusual measures
against them. The example of Deca-
tur and the Philadelphia had inspired
great enthusiasm in the men and
warmed the officers sufficiently; they
all were ready to undertake some new
deed Of daring. It was decided to send
a fire ship among the enemy's shipping.
The ketch Intrepid, that had served
SO we'll in the attack on the Philadel-
phia, was selected for the enterprise.
One hundred barrels Of powder In
bulk, $50 fixed shells and lot of iron
were placed in a bin amidships and
from this pipe led to a room well aft.
where huge mass of combustlble was
dumped. 1t was intended to make the
ketch appear to be a blockade runner
and so deceitfully to get into the midst
of the enemy's shipping. She was then
TO be fired in the after part and the
blaze there, 1t was supposed, would be
fierce enough to prevent the Tripol1-
tans from extinguishing it. Meantime
a train regulated to burn fifteen min
utes should be running through the
pipe to the magazine. There was a
provision of rowboats placed on the
ketch, and in these her crew hoped to
escape to the smaller vessels that
would be in waiting to pick them up.
Volunteers for the service were called
and plenty showed themselves eager
to man the ketch. OF those who Of
fered Master COmmandant Somers was
chosen to command, while Midshipman
Henry Wadsworth, uncle to the poet
Longfellow, was second in command.
Ten seamen constituted the crew.
On the evening of September 4,
dense fog lay on the waters in the har-
Dor of Tripoli. There was fair wind
in prospect and at o'clock the ketch
left the flagship and sailed away. She
was seen by the American vessels to
glide in among the enemy's gunbOats.
After a little they saw that the enemy
had taken the alarm and again after
along the deck of the ketch and then
seem to fall. They had been purposely
dropped into the magazine. Instantly
the Intrepid exploded and shock fol-
lowed that made the ships beyond the
bar culver until the water was agi-
tated for miles around. A great noise
was heard that was long in dying away
in the surrounding hills. Then a pro-
found silence. All night the Americans
cruised up and down in the channel,
hoping to find some survivor. Next
morning they found one Tripolitan
boat missing and three more badly
shattered on the beach. The ketch
and all who sailed in her had been
blown to pieces. OF the Tripolitans
it was learned that Somers,
finding that his venture was discovered
and the crew of a Tripolitan gunboat
coming on board, had deliberately fired
the mine and destroyed himself with
the enemy. A number OF the bodies
were recovered, but none was recog-
nized, so badly were they mutilated.
The ram Albemarle was the most
dreaded, as it was the most daring and
best Differed of the confederate feet.
She was, when Lieut.. w. B. Cushing's
ingenuity was brought to bear upon
her case, lying at Plymouth in the
Roanoke river. He believed that he
could, if allowed to have his way,
make close up to her and destroy her.
His plan was this. He would construct
a picket launch, furnish it with a COM
pact engine, man it with a small num-
Der of men all as brave as himself, and
with it ascend the river stealthily by
night to where the Albemarle was
moored. Picket boats were not new
thing, but they had formerly been
rowboats; nothing of the description
that was proposed by Lieut.. Cushing,
propelled by steam and carrying tor
ped0es. had ever been seen.
This plan was approved of by the
admiral Of the feet and the navy de-
partment, and young Cushing was de-
tailed to visit New York and procure
whatever he thought might be neces-
sary for the success of the undertak-
ing. When he returned he had with
him steam launch, of size and shape
best calculated to elude the vigilance
Of the enemy. It remained, that he Sc
cure his crew, and this he did in the
manner that crews are invariably OBJ
tanned for extra-danRerOuS enternrises