Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-03-31

Nenturcu tpe Oplulpu tuRt " puVhe"
too long, and might enable the enemy
to put it out before it exploded the
magazine. Hearing this, Somers said
quietly:
81 ask no fuse at ALL"
When volunteers were called for,
the desperateness OF the enterprise
was fully explained, but the crew Of
the Nautilus, Somers's own vessel,
stepped forward to man. Midship-
mau Henry Wadsworth ian uncle Of
the poet Longfellow) was chosen as
second in command. Midshipman
Joseph Israel, having vainly pleaded
with Somers to be allowed to go, at
the last moment smuggled himself
aboard the Intrepid, and, when dis
covered, Somers had not the heart to
, send him back.
As sool as the night fell, the In
trepid cast off her lines aud went
slowly up toward the harbor. The
Argus, Vixen and the Nautilus fol-
lowed her, and shortly afterward
Stewart, on the Siren, became so anx.
ious that he followed, too. A haze
that had come up when the sun went
down hung heavily over the water,
and soon the lines of the ireship be-
came q mere gray blur against the
dark coast-line beyond.
Midshipman Ridgley, on the Nauti-
lus, by the aid Of powerful night
glass aloft, managed to follow her un-
til she got we'll within the harbor, and
then she vanished. The suspense
soon became almost unbearable, for
not a shot had been fired, and not a
sound came from the direction in
which she had gone. About nine
o'clock a half.dozen cannon shots
could be plainly heard, and even the
knowledge that she had been discov-
cred and was being fired OH was re-
lief from the awful silence. About
ten o'clock Stewart was standing at
tho gaugway of the Siren with Lieuten-
ant Carol, when the latter, craning
his neck out into the night, suddenly
exclaimed, "Look! See the light!'
Away up the harbor Stewart saw
speck of light as from lantern which
moved rapidly as though it were be-
ing carried by some one running along
a deck. Then it paused and disap.
peared from view. In u second tre-
mendous flame shot up hundreds of
feet into the air, aud the glare of it
was so intense that it seemed close
aboard. The fash and shock were so
stupendous that the guardships,
though far out to sea, trembled and
shivered.
That was all. The officers and the
men looked at ono another in mute
horror. Could anything have lived in
the area ci that dreadful explosion?
The tension upon the men of the little
fleet was almost at the breaking point.
The vessels beat to and fro between
the harbor entrances, firing rockets
and guns for the guidance Of possible
fugitives. All night the fleet kept
vigil, but not shot, voice or even
splash came ont from the harbor.
With the first streaks of dawn the
Americans were aloft with their
glasses. On the rocks at the northern
entrance through which the Intrepid
had passed they saw mast and frag-
ments of vessels. One of the enemy's
lurgest gunboats had disappeared and
two others were so badly shattered
that they lay upon the shore for re.
pairs.
The details of the occurrence were
never actually known, but it is
thought that Somers, being laid
aboard by three guuboats before actu-
ally in the midst of the shipping, and
feeling himself overpowered, fred his
magazine and destroyed himself and
his own men in his avowed purpose
not to be taken by the enemy.
Thus died Richard Somers, Henry
Wadsw orth, the Mldshipman, Joseph
Israel and ten American seamen, whose
names have been inscribed on the
Navy's roll Of fame.-Saturday Even
ing Post.