and
tortuous channel, it was thought best to proceed no further until
daylight. The Wyalusing had just let go her anchor a few yards
above the town, when two loud reports were heard astern, and dense
volumes of smoke and steam were seen to envelop the Otsego. That
fine vessel had struck two torpedoes, one under the port
coal-bunker, the other beneath the keelson, driving a large hole
through her bottom, and throwing one of her hundred-pounder rifled
Parrotts into the air. She sank in fifteen minutes in three fathoms
of water, being a complete wreck. Her officers and men lost all
their clothing, except what they had on at the moment of the
explosion, but were cared for by their comrades of the other
vessels, who hurried to their rescue, and periled their own lives
in saving their shipwrecked fellow-sailors. Commander Arnold
behaved with great coolness, and his self-possession soon restored
order and discipline on board the sunken ship, or rather on her
hurricane deck, which alone remained out of water.

DESTRUCTION OF THE BAZELEY.

In the morning orders were given to drag for torpedoes, when it was
found that the Otsego had struck upon a perfect nest of them. The
boats which had been passing and repassing to and from her during
the night, had rowed over numbers of them, happily without touching
them. Several were picked up alongside the Otsego, and two were
hanging to the torpedo-fender rigged at her bow. The steamer
Bazeley during the morning was ordered to run down to Plymouth, to
convey orders and dispatches, taking on board for that purpose
Paymaster Louis Sands, of the Shamrock, who had been detailed as
one of Commander Macomb's aids in this expedition. On her way down,
being directed to communicate with the Otsego, Captain Aimes ran
towards the sunken vessel, when a torpedo struck the Bazeley under
the pilot house, blowing a hole clear through her, killing Wm. C.
Rossell, a lad, and John Gerrard, first-class boy, and sinking the
ship instantly. The officers and remainder of the crew escaped by
swimming, and were picked up by boats. Captain Aimes, upon
returning to the flagship, thus laconically reported his loss to
Commander Macomb: "Sir, the Bazeley has gone up."

The destruction of two of our vessels so quickly made things look
blue, but the grit and metal that h