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hard to find, and most of the blankets were already in use covering loaded shells.
The fire was raging more fiercely than ever, and safety demanded that the uncovered powder be thrown overboard.
This was instantly done, and if the tide had been high we should have been well rid of it. But the tide was low, and the pile of powder-barrels rested on the riprapping in front of the embrasure.
This was observed by the enemy, and some shell guns were turned upon the pile, producing an explosion which blew the gun at that embrasure clear out of battery, but did no further damage.
The fire had now enveloped the magazine, and the danger of an explosion was imminent.
Powder had been carried out all the previous day, and it was more than likely that enough had sifted through the cartridge bags to carry the fire into the powder chamber.
Major Anderson, his head erect as if on parade, called the men around him;
directed that a shot be fired every five minutes; and mentioned that there was some danger of the magazine exploding.
Some of the men, as soon as they learned what the real danger was, rushed
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Ruins of the casemates near the sally-port, and of the flag-staff.
From photographs. |
to the door of the magazine and hurriedly dug a trench in front of it, which they kept filled with water until the danger was considered over.
It was during this excitement that
ex-Senator Wigfall of
Texas visited the fort.
It came the turn of one of the guns on the left face of the work to fire,--we were now firing once in five minutes,--and as the cannoneer approached for the purpose of loading, he discovered a man looking in at the embrasure.
The man must have raised himself to the level of the embrasure by grasping the sill with his hands.
A short but lively altercation ensued between the man and the cannoneer, the man pleading to be taken in lest he should be killed with his own shot and shell.
He was hauled in,
Thompson, the cannoneer, first receiving his sword, to the point of which a white handkerchief was attached, not by way of surrender, but for convenience.
Once
