The ship was running slow in the dark, trying to feel its way into the channel.
It had arrived outside Charleston Harbor around 1:30 a.m., the crew mildly surprised to discover that all the city’s navigational lights had been extinguished. The darkness, coupled with the haze, made it nearly impossible to see their target, even though it was only a few miles away.
For most of the night, the ship crept froward, the crew on deck taking constant soundings. Most times they measured the same depth: four-and-a-half fathoms, or about 27 feet. It appeared they were on the right course.
The boat was a civilian steamship with two masts and a side paddle wheel. To any casual observer, it appeared to be just another commercial steamship -- one more merchant vessel surfing the Gulf Stream. As the first strains of daylight broke over the Atlantic, the ship had made enough progress that it was nearly within a half-mile of Morris Island, and well within sight of its ultimate destination.
