Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-05-23
From the Sunday Times.

Awoke by such clatter-
Rubbing both eyes, he loudly cries,
"For Gods sake what's the matter?"
At his bedside, he then espied
Sir Erskine at command; n
Upon one foot, he had one boot,
The other in his hand,
"Arise arise!" Sir Erskine cries;
"The rebels-nnore's the pity
Without boat, and all ahoat.
Are ranged before the city"
IHopkinsons Battle cfthe Kegs, in l777
Tu the month Of July, 1776, the Eagle "a gun
ship bearing the flag of Admiral Lord Howe,
was lying in the harbor of New York. below
the city, about half way down to Staten Island.
To the early part Of the month large fleet OF
vessels Of war and transports, with troops from
Halifax and England direct, arrived at Sandy
Hook. and landed the army at Gravesend and
on Staten Island.
II has always seemed unaccountable why the
two Howes did not attack the city at once on
their arrival, and take possession under the
guns Of their shipping. The artillery of the A.
mericans was entirely too feeble TO have op.
posed them with any success and by so doing,
the British commander would have struck a
severe blow at our cause. To show how use.
less were the American batteries, this extract
of a letter from Washington to Congress, dated
New York, July IL, l776, is roof:-'Thc de-
sign OF this is to inform Congress, that at about
half aner three o'clock this afternoon, two of
the enemy's ships of war, one of forty and
one Of twenty guns, with three tenders, wiegh-
ed anchor in the bay opposite Staten Island, and
avaling themselves Of brisk and favorable
breeze. with flowing tide, run past our bat.
teries up the North river. without receiving
any certain damsge that could perceive, not
withstanding heavy and incessant cannonade
was kept up from our several batteries here,
as well as from that at Paulus Hook. They on
their part returned and continued the fire as
they ran BY
General Putnam at this time was the exc
cutive commanding officer in New York. His
head quarters were in the house now occupied
by Mr.. Prime, at the corner of Broadway, ia.
cling the Bowling Green. He had for some
time been devising plan to destroy part of
the men.ot.wor in the habor by means Of RATS
and fre.ships. The isb sailors, however.
were too wary to fear much danger in this way
and odd Puts schemes were useless.
Among the Connecticut troops was an officer
of the name of Bushnell, man of education,
Of somewhat eccentric habits, but of a very
strong mechan cal turn ofmind. When at col.
lege, in ITS, (the year OF his graduating) he
had prepared model Of submarine explosive
machine, or torpedo, ofvery ingenious construc-
tion. This coming TO the ears of Putnam he
sent Major Burr (Aaron Burr was at this time
the aid-de-camp of putnnm) to Bushnell, with
an invitation to dine with him. Alter dinner
Putnam mentioned to bis guest that he under
stood he had invented machine for destroying
ships, by attacking them under water, and ask.
that he had the model of fsuch machine at his
quarters. and If the general desired he would
send foz il. An order was at once despatched
to fetch il, and after an hour spent in the ex.
animation, Putnam declared with an oath, that
if the machine could only be got into hi. ii
would blow up the devil himself, and be d-d
to him 7 Putnam had very bad way of swear.
ing in those days. Bushnell was Immediately
supplied with the necessary funds and set to
work on The torpedo.
In the course Of three days the machine was
completed. A condensed description may not
seem out of place. Outwardly it bore some
appearance to a large sea turtle And what
would be the head Of such an animal, was an
opening sufficiently large to hold man. This
apartment wac air-tight, q, the same time. con.
tanning Dir to support the operator for half an
hour. AT the bottom, and opposite the en-.
trance, was lead for ballast. The operator sat
upright, and held an Oar for rowing forward or
hack ward, and was furnished with pdder .or
steering An aperture at the bottom, with its
valve, admitted water for the purpose Of des.
csnding. and two brass forcing pumps served 10
eject the water within when necessary for as
cending. Behind the submarine vessel was
plane above the rudder for carrying large
powder magazine this was made of two pieces
ofoak timber, large enough, when followed out,
to contain one hundred and fifty lbs Of powder
with the apparatus used for firing il, and was
secured in its place by screw turned by the
operator. Within the magazine was an appa.
ratus constructed to run any proposed period
under twelve hours when il had run out its
time, it unpinioned strong lock resembling a
gun lock, which gave fire to the powder. To