The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-26

the attack on Fort Sumter, April Z, 1858,
Admiral Dupont's flagship, the New
fronsides, actually anchored over sim-
liar monster; yet, for reasons explained
In contemporane6hs letter from the
fort, she escaped inscathed
1.-THE Ironsides," runs the letter, was
for an hour directly over our big tor
pedo. The operator says that IL he had
had the placing Of her he could not have
placed her better; but the COMPOUNDED
thing would not explode, owing 10 some
defect In the insulation Of the wires"
No such blessed accident befel the
mine beneath our monitor Patapsco, lost
In those same treacherouS waters to-
ward the close of the war. II was about
8 o'clock on a dark midwinter night in
1865. The Patapsco, as packet Of the
feet, had been alternately drifting up
current TO Fort Sumter and steaming
back to Lehigh buoy, to protect several
small craft engaged In dragging for tor
pedoes. The monitors guard OF torpedo
nets and tenders encircied her, and she
moved in the channel already searched
by the drugs. The following Is from
Rear Admiral DahlgFen's official report:
When again near Sumter, Lieutenant
Commander Quackenbush, Of the Patap-
SEQ steamed down once more, and for
the last time. While approaching the
Lehigh buoy there was shock, a sound
OF explosion, a cloud OF smoke on the
port side, and In less than half a minute
the Patapsco'S deck was under the sur
face.
Lieutenant Commander Quacken..
bush and his first lieutenant were stand
ing on the top of the turret looking to
the course Of the vessel, for she had
grounded once already on the shoal near
the LehiEh buoy, when standing down
the first time. They saw and heard only
what is stated above.
The captain gave the order TO start
the pumps and lower the boats, but
scarcely q whole minute was allowed
for the least effort.
From such accounts as /
can gather In so short time as has
elapsed, It would seem that the explo-
sion occurred on the port side under the
ward-room, blowing il up so as to drive
up the table and three oificersdyho were
sitting upon II. The spar deck was not
blown through, but the lookout on the
port side, some ten feet from the edge
Of the deck, was thrown up suddenly,
and fell back with such force as to be
nearly senseless. His rifle exploded and
he was aware that the ball passed near
him.
at appears. also, that there was no
dlsrupture OF the vessel at the berth
deck, nor further oft; that no water
came In there save at the matches, as the
Patapsco settled on the sea; and that
her bow went down first throwing the
stern high up for an Instant, so thai a
man standing there had to grasp at
something to keep upright
ut is believed that the berth deck lad
der was dislodged by the shock, and IN
the panic could not be replaced; hence,
no men there were saved except they
who rushed aft into the hre-room."
With these few exceptions the escaped
numbered only such as CHANGED to be on
| deck at the moment o. the explosion.
Sixty-two officers and men, veterans OF
the long war, went down with the ship.
The captain. by good fortune, got
safely of In his own boat. but the lieu-
tenant, less favored, was dashed from
the turret-rldge-rope into the sea. A
picket launch presently coming his way.
he climbed aboard, took command. and
started ON a dlligent search for possible
survivors from the wreck. Lieutenant
Commander Quackenbush, reporting to
the admiral, made a special point OF
commencing this young man TO notice,
saying: Il would state that the cool In
| trepidity displayed by my executive Of
ficer deserves the highest
praise" The executive officers name
was William s. Sampson.
General BeaureEard. who directed the
mining Of Charleston harbor affirmed
that, under the conditions obtaining, he
placed more reliance in one torpedo
| (submariRe mine) than In five ten-lnch
coIumbIads." md glnnce at compared
statistics amply justifles his belief. In
action against the enemy's ports during
the course Of the rebellion, nineteen
! United States vessels OF war were
wholly destroyed by submerged mines,
while many others were seriously dis
abIed by the same means on the other
hand. throughout those operations, not a
single Union vessel went down before
the Confederate artlllerlstS masters
| though they were Of the heaviest ord
nance that war had yet seen.