Back at the mouth of the river that night, the captains of the two tinclads told of their experience. They said the number of small scows and stationary floats they saw at the point where they had turned around indicated the presence of other torpedoes, but, if protected by one or two gunboats, they believed they could safely lift the “infernal machines” from the water and deactivate them. [Illustration: _Lt. Comdr. Thomas O. Selfridge._ Library of Congress] Selfridge requested permission to use the _Cairo_ on such a venture, and Walke consented. He also designated the gunboat _Pittsburg_ and the ram _Queen of the West_ to go along. [Illustration: _The type of torpedo that sank the U.S.S. _Cairo_. From a sketch in the_ Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies.] _Wires to galvanic cell on shore_ _Wood float_ _5-gallon glass demijohn filled with black powder_ _Rope to shore_ _Anchor_ The fleet commander repeated his instructions, addressing his words particularly to Selfridge, who would be in command. The officers were told to avoid the channel where the mines were set. The tinclads were to move close to shore and, by using small boats, haul the infernal machines out and destroy them before proceeding upriver. The ram would follow immediately behind the tinclads, and the two gunboats would bring up the rear, shelling the banks whenever necessary. He concluded by advising that, if there was an apparent danger in the execution of these orders, the project was to be abandoned and they were to return until a better means of carrying it out could be found. At 7:30 a.m. on December 12, the expedition proceeded up the Yazoo, with the vessels in the order designated. Here and there along the way sharpshooters fired from trees on shore, and an occasional shell was tossed in their direction. Frequently on the way up, Selfridge displayed impatience. He would peremptorily shout orders to Capt. Edwin W. Sutherland, commander of the _Queen of the West_, moving directly ahead of the _Cairo_, to go faster. Other officers recognized that more speed imperiled the safety of the boats in advance, for, if they had been compelled by some unexpected danger to stop suddenly or to back up in the narrow, tortuous stream, they would have been inevitably run down by the ram. Sometime after 10:30, the _Marmora_, moving 100 yards or so in advance, came in sight of the torpedoes and stopped, partially hidden by a bend in the river. Selfridge heard a heavy fire of musketry and supposed she was being attacked from shore. As the little fleet closed up, he saw that the firing was coming from the _Marmora_, then backing, and was aimed at a block of wood floating in the river. “Why don’t you go ahead?” shouted Selfridge. Someone on the _Marmora_ yelled back, “Here is where the torpedoes are!”