Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-09-07


began to fall, when by all precedents
II should have risen. Admiral Porter,
fearful that his feet would be caught
in the shadows. hurriedly descended
the stream, and the army, already saw
agely handled by the opposing Confed-
crate force, followed after.
At Alexandria, in central Louisiana,
the retreating federals found them
selves face to face with a crisis At
this point the Red river is broken by
a mile of rapids; the stream had fallen
so quickly that the gunboats could
no longer navigate the channel. The
water was but three feet four inches.
whereas Porter's larger gunboats drew
at least seven feet. Here was indeed
desperate situation-the army far
from its source of supplies, the victorl-
GUS enemy pressing in hot pursuit,
and the $2000,000 feet marooned hy
falling water. 1t seemed to almost
every one that the only course open
was to blow up the vessels.
But Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bailey
of the Fourth Wisconsin. who was
serving at the time as acting engineer
Of the Nineteenth army corps. came
forward with plan for bringing the
ironclads to safety. 1t was to raise
the level of the water above the rapids
by constructing great dam across
the river. When a sufficient depth Of
water had accumulated he proposed to
break the dam in the center. thus fore
ing the vessels with the outrushing
flood through the shadows and into
the deep water below. Before the war
Colonel Bailey had been lumberman
and had often seen this scheme en-
ployed in the Wisconsin pineries to
lift" stranded RATS of logs to safety
The project was ut first received with
ridicue by Colonel Bailey's superiors.
1t was declared impossible of achieve
ment by the best engineers in the
army.
But there was nothing else to be
done. and at length the Wisconsin
lumberman was obviously granted per-
mission to put his project to the proof.
His first step was to requisition de-
tachments of "pinery boys" from the
Twenty-third and Twenty-ninth Wis
consin regiments. who understood what
was to be done and how to 30 about it.
In all 5000 men were employed in
the enterprise. Hundreds of men were
set to telling trees. other hundreds toll
ed in the quurries that were opened
for the occasion. and two or three hun.
dred wagons were engaged in the es-
sential work of transporting the ma
terials for the dam. Up to their necks
in the swift current, which swept over
the rapids at the rate of nine miles an
hour. under the blistering southern
sun. the men toiled.
At the~end of eight days the river
was sufficiently high to permit three
of the lighter gunboats to pass the
upper falls, where they had been held.
and come down to a position immedi-
ately above the dam. ready to pass
the lower rapids. One more day and
the dam would be high enough to per-
NIT all to come down In readiness for
the final attempt.
On the morning Of the ninth day,
however. the steadily increasing pres
sure of the water caused two of the
stone barges in the middle Of the
dam to swing aside. and through the
opening thus created the accumulated
torrent swirled The three lighter ves-
sells that were in position to make the
passage, together with fourth that
had meanwhile come up, promptly took
advantage OF the break and, passing
the remaining rapids on the food tide,
safely reached the deeper waters be
low.
Somewhat encouraged by the escape
of at least four of the vessels, the men
bravely set about repairing the dam
age that had been done. Within three
days the break had been closed and in
addition two wing dams constructed
on the upper falls. The remaining
gunboats, somewhat lifted by the back.
water Of the wing dams. were now
hauled over the upper falls, and on
May l2. amid the tumultuous cheers Of
10000 soldiers lined up along the shore.
mnde the perilous passage over the
lower falls TO the deep water below.
On June II. 1864. congress adopted
a resolution Of thanks to Lieutenant
Colonel Bailey. A few months later
the officers Of Admiral Porter's feet
presented him with beautiful sword
and loving cup. and before the year
was over he had been promoted ny
order Of the war department to the
rank Of brevet brigadier general
Frederick Merk.