The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-06-29
The DAILY REPUBLICAN.
s.R. cor. TniRD AND kINo STREETS
The Republican Printing -
and Publishing Go.
PUBLISHED DAILY, EXCEPT SUNDAYS.
Entered at the Posi- Office at Wilmington,
Del, as secOnd.class mall matter.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 40. 1908.
WEDNESDAY. JUNE 7o. 1908.
A Bold Iced.

However much We may applaud the dar-
ing Of Lieutenant Hobson and his brave
comrades in sinking the Merrimac in the
harbor Of Santiago, in order to prevent
tho escape Of tho Spanish fleet, the act
sinks into insigniiloanco compared with
that Of Lieutenant Vim. B. Cushing and
his brave companions who sank the rebel
ram Albemarls, while laying In the har-
Dor ut Plymouth, on the Roanoke river,
undergoing Repairs to hor steering appara-
tus. Not only in daring, but IN results,
the blowing up of the Albemarle greatly
overshadows In Importance the sinking Of
the Merrimac. The Albemarle was GOV.
cred with iron rails and deemed impreg-
nable by her constructors. In her irst
encounter with our gunboats, 1t was shown
that she was impervious to the heaviest
artillery and certain destruction seemed O
await them. At this juncture Lieutenant
Gushing volunteered to destroy the vessel.
He was provided with launch and he
and eight or ten companions set out on
his perilous enterprise. He also had q
small boat with torpedo.
The only armament of the launch was
twelve-pound howiizsr, covered by tar
paulia. Varpanlins, too, covered the en-
gines to shut off the light and deaden the
sound. 1t was cold night, with feree
gusts Of rain. Every sound might mean
o vOlley from forces Mt deadly spots where
the launch almost touched the spectral
banks. Gushing Dever left the danger
point holding the cord that controlled The
torpedo. He had made up his mind not to
destroy the magnificent craft. but to cut
her out and carry her to tho fleet. 1t was
all question OF daring; if he could get
he would have his men in the AlbemArle
and out 10 mid-stream before they could
rally. This audRcious end would have
been attained had there not been u restless
cur providing about the wharf of Ply.
mouth. His bark aroused sleepy guard;
he heard the ghostly gliding Of the launch
tn the water. and challenged. Cushing
saw that desperation was now the only
safety. He ordered ''ahead fastn He
outlines of the Albemsrle as she lay con.
fdingly snusRled to tin, wharf that she
was never more to quit as all instrument
OF destruction. Gushing made other
discovery, that for moment sent Ii thrill
OF despair to the core of his heart Encir-
cling the Albemarle, he could plainly dis
t.nguish boom Of heavy logs, protecting
the iron sides from drifting objects or
Yankee enterprises. The launch was so
near that it could not approach this i'm.
ped1ment head on" Gushing drew his
little craft back to get a start, and then at
full steam struck squarely at the logs and
miraculous to say, rode straight over them.
simultaneously the men aboard the ram
realized that there was something sinister
threat ening; the stir on the craft took the
shape Of we'll ordered defence But even
the numbing peril of the crisis couldn't
restrain Cushings humorous propensities.
He shouted out to the Confederates:
Leave the ram; we are going to blow you
upi' The whole crew joined in the same
warning, as the launch came to the decis.
I've point. The foe responded with Il volley
OF shrapnel and the noise of guns training
Oh the launch coull be heard by the Cush-
ing crew. The launch had bounded over
the logs, and when just where Gushing
counted the torpedo would do its W ork, he
pulled the sLring. At the same second
one OF the large guns Of the ram belchsu
deafenlng discharge. The thunder of
sound gave small chance to distinguish
exactly what followed, but Cushing and
MS companions found themselves sub
merged in the cold aud brackish water
which had risen in u pyramid above them.
Ihere was nothing to do but make for safe
". The rlm had disappeared from the
surface Rs Gushing arose to the edge of the
boom Of logs Through thrilling perils
cnd vlcissltudes, all but two Of the heroic
group reached the feet in the sound and
the world broke into acclaim over the
Most daring deed ever recorded.