Vermont Phœnix

THE SHIPS SUNK AT SEVASTOPOL.
A letter from Constantinople of the 5th says :
The schooner Silver Key and the steamer General Knox, belonging to the American Wrecking Companies which undertook to raise the sunken vessels of war sunk in the harbor of Sevastopol, have returned and are advertised for sale. The attempt to raise the sunken vessels has failed; not one of them was recovered.
The Black Sea teredo, so often attributed to the well calculated imagination of the Russian Admiralty, is a reality. It has eaten up the body of the Russian Fleet, leaving only the outer shell. The wheel of the Twelve Apostles has been brought down as a specimen. Although it consisted of strong mahogany, two years and a half in the waters of Sevastopol have reduced its weight to almost nothing. No external change is visible beyond a few small holes where the greedy miners sank their shafts.
The most approved contrivances were tried by the two rival companies. The vessels were caulked and made seemingly water tight, but when it came to pumping out it was found that the timber was so rotten that the water percolated everywhere through the galleries made by the teredo. To this in itself invincible difficulty must be added the fact that most of the vessels had sunk from four to six fathoms into the mud.
Even if the ships had been raised they would have been of no use. As they could not be raised, it was tried to blow them up, in order to clear the harbor, which at this moment is so blocked up that only a narrow channel, marked out by buoys, is left, through which small vessels can with difficulty wind their way.
The damage done to the timber is, however, so great that not even the attempt to blow the vessels up succeeded. As much as 5000 pounds of powder was tried with a two decker, but as the rotten timber had too little of resistance, the result was that the weakest point gave way, and the explosion tore out a small part in the side of the vessel, leaving the rest altogether untouched.
The harbor must thus remain blocked up until by degrees the work of the teredo is done, and the ships fall to pieces.
According to the account brought down, 31 vessels were found sunk, which is much more than ever was known or supposed.
The companies have brought up sufficient anchors, cables, &c., to pay, at any rate, part of their expenses, and probably the Russian government will make up the difference.