The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-03-14

that he had the modal OF such a machine
at his quarters and If the general desired he
would send for it. An order was a, once
dispatched 10 fetch il, and after an hour
spen, in the examina alton, Putnam declared
with an oath, that i. The machine could on
y be got into HI, i, would blow up The
devil himself and be Id to him! Put
nam 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 ten days
the machine was completed. A condensed
description may not seem ou, Of place.
Outwardly it bore some appearance 10 a
args sea turtle. And whs, would be the
mead Of such an animal was opening sufi-
IaieniIy large to bold a man. This apart
ment was air tight, at the same time con-
aiming air to support the operator for half
an hour. AT the bottom and opposite the
entrance, was lead for ballast. The opera
tor sat upright,and held All oar for rowing
for ward or backward, and was furnish-
ed with rudder for steering. AT aperture
al ;hs bottom, with its valve, admitted wa
Ter for The purpose of descending, and two
brass forcing pumps served 70 9 eel thr
water within when necessary for ascend
ing,
Behind lhe submarine vessel was plait
above lhe rudder for carrying large pow
der mag azlne; this was made of two piece.
of oak timber, large enough, when hollow
ed out, 10 contain one hundred and fifty
pounds Of powder, with the apparatus usec
for firing it, and was secured in its place b,
\ srre~ turned By the oT'-a'or.
Within the magazine wss an apparatus
constructed to run any proposed period un'
Ter twelve hours; when il had run out it,
inns it unpinoned a strong lock resembling
gun lock, which gave fire to the powGeI
TO the curious in such matters, for ful
description Of Bdshnell's machine, we reler
them 10 'TIowe's Memoirs Of Eminen. A
merican Mechanics
Unfoi'unately, his well n anaged scheme
failed through lhe simplest reason in ,h'
world, and that was, the want Of qud Of
Tobacco! You shall hear. brother Of
Captain Bushnell, whose mind was ss in
|geElous as that of the inventor, was hxed
upon TO go down in me machine; but he
was taken sick The day before the attempt
vas TO be made, and the trouble now wa,
10 find a substitute. Al length sergeant
IN Connecticut regiment from New Lon
don, volunteered in the service.
The mans name was Abijah Shipman,
better known among his comrades as Long
Bige' He was an amphibious kind Of
IfelIow-had been in early life a sailor, en-
gagged in carrying stock or horses 10 the
West Indies, and was what would be term
ed queer fish, He stood six feet two
inches end fall Of dry wit or humor in his
remarks Fear formed no par. of his COM
position, and his chief faults were rather too
suong liking for s.. Croix rum and tobac
go. Bige was lSken by General Putnam
aud Bushnell TO insppc! the machine. After
4 Guil inspection lhe only remark he made
was this:
LIS all right guess! But teliye what
Gin'ra if that ere thing is to be ny coffin
this hitch thers'll be some trouble TO gat ne
out on resurrection mornin.'
Yes replied Putnam but sergeant yoo|
can send the Eagle up fret, to clear ,he
way, yeu know
Before daylight on morning in July !
he sergeant wss put on board The torpedo
on the North River sids' preparatory to be-
ng pulled off into the stream, from whencel
no was To drop down with the tide and ge'l
uGder The bottom Of the Eagle. PutnamI
Bushnell. General Heath, Colonel Knowl"
,on, Burr and large number OF efficsrs scs
him 10 the shore. The UNDER
,aking was extremely hazardouaand roqur'
ed grea, skill in the management ofths ma
chine. II the sergeant could oncs strike
The ship, and attach ths magazine to any
portion 10 her bottom, her destruction was