Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-05-03
As they drew off, instead Of return

ing TO the Constitution, as Prebls |
wished, Somers pursued them until |
within less than cables length OF .
twelve-gun battery. which had not
fred before for fear OF damaging the |
fleeing Tripolitans. When she opened
fire at this close range the destruction
of Somers' valiant little vessel seemed
inevitable; but by lucky chance a
lombard exploded in the battery.
blew up the platform, and drove the
Tripolitans to cover.
While these many attacks were be-
ing made upon the gunboats and bat
teries, the Intrepid. in which Decatur
had recaptured and destroyed the
Philadelphia, was being rapidly pre-
pared as tireship. The plan was to
load her with hundred barrels of
powder in bulk, with bags of grape
and solid shot, and, under cover of
the night, explode her in the midst of
the Tripolitan war vessels Somers,
who had been frequently in the har-
Dor of Tripoli, and knew its reefs and
rocks so we'll that he could readily
thread his way through the narrow
channels, asked for the command.
| It was an honor that half dozen
other men sought, and not until the
old Commodore had weighed the
chances fully did he at last agree to
let Somers go. Before consenting,
Preble repeatedly warned the young
officer of the desperate character OF
the work, and told him that on account
of the Napoleonic wars the Tripoli-
tans were short of ammunition, and
that SO much powder must not fall
into the hands of the enemy. But
Somers needed no warming A day
or two afterward, when the prepara-
tions were nearly completed, Preble
and some other officers were trying a
fuse in the cabin of the Constitution;
one of the officers, watch in hand,
venturcd the opinion that it burned
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 O.
the Nautilus, Somers's own vessel
stepped forward to man. Midship
man Henry Wadsworth ian uncle O.
the poet Longfellow) was chosen a
second in command. Midshipmal
Joseph Israel, having vainly PLEADED
with Somers to be allowed to go, a
the last moment smuggled himsel
aboard the Intrepid, and, when dis
, covered, Somers had not the heart t.
) send him back.
AS soon as the night fell, the In
J trepid cast off her lines and wen
slowly up toward the harbor. Th
, Argus, Vixen and the Nautilus fol
! lowed her, and shortly afterwar'
Stewart, on the Siren, became so anx
| that had come up when the sun wen
down hung heavily over the water
aud soon the lines of the ireship be
came mere gray blur against tn
dark coast-line beyond.
f Midshipman Ridgley, on the Nauti
, lus, by the aid of q powerful night
glass aloft, managed to follow her un
til she got we'll within the harbor, an
: then she vanished. The suspens
s soon became almost unbearablc, fO
= not shot had been fired, and not
q sound came from the direction i
which she had gone About min
0 O'Clock half dozen cannon shot
O could be plainly heard, and even tn
knowledge that she had been disco,
= cred and was being fired on was re
l. lief from the awful silence. Abou
: ten O'Clock Stewart was standing {
n the gangway Of the Siren with Lieuter
q ant Carol, when the latter, cranin
l. his neck out into the night, suddenl
O exclaimed, "Look! See the light"
Away up the harbor Stewart saw
) speck Of light assfrom q lantern whic
Q moved rapidly as though it were b.
g inc carried by some one running alon
It deck. Then it paused and disal
q peared from view. In second tr,
t. mendous fame shot up hundreds
J. feet into the air, and the glare of
was so intense that it seemed clos
!. aboard. The fash and shock were s
\ stupendous that the guardship
= though far out to sea, trembied an
o shivered.
i That was all. The officers and th
O. men looked at one another in mu
< horror. Could anything have lived
, the area Of that dreadful explosion
e. The tension upon the men of the lit
"a feet was almost at the breaking poin
- The vessels beat to and fro betwee
ar the harbor entrances, firing rookie
, and guns for the guidance of possib
n fugitives. All night the fleet ke
J. vigil, but not shot, voice or eve
% splash came out from the harbor.
4 With the first streaks Of dawn Il
q Americans were aloft with the
of glasses. On the rocks at the northel
IL entrance through which the Intrep
n had passed they saw mast and fra
e Tnents Of vessels One Of the enemy
!. largest gunboats hal disappeared ar
- two others were 50 badly sLatter.
9f that they lay upon the shore for r
N pairs.