NEVER,  since  the  first  flush  of  the  news  of  the
bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  has  there  been
an  excitement  in  the  city  equal  to  that  which
was  caused  in  the  upper  wards  this  morning,
by  the  capture  of  a  mysterious  vessel  which
was  said  to  be  an  infernal  machine,  which  was
to  be  used  for  all  sorts  of  treasonable  purposes,
including  the  trifling  pastime  of  scuttling  and
blowing  up  Government  men-of-war.
For  a  few  days  past  the  police  have  had  their
attention  directed  to  the  movements,  not  of  a
"  long,  low,  black  schooner ;  "  but  of  an  iron
submarine  boat,  to  which  very  extraordinary
abilities  and  infernal  propensities  were  attrib
uted.  The  Harbor  Police,  under  the  direction


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of  Lieutenant  Benjamin  Edgar,  were  directed
to  be  especially  spry,  and  they  kept  their  op
tics  wide  open  for  the  mysterious  stranger.
Yesterday  afternoon  they  stumbled  upon  a
queer  contrivance  which  lay  at  the  lower  end
of  Smith's  Island,  and  proved  to  be  the  subma
rine  monster  of  which  they  were  in  search.
Externally  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  sec
tion  of  boiler  about  twenty  feet  long,  with
tapered  ends,  presenting  the  shape  and  ap
pearance  of  an  enormous  cigar  with  a  boiler
iron  wrapper,  and  for  all  the  world  like  "Wi-
nans'  celebrated  steamer  in  respect  to  shape.
