The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-01-07
Marine TOrp edo ExpROsiOn-FOur
Men Killed and One Injured Off
Sandy Hook. r#Er II ."...... .er ..~
rom the New YORK Sun, january s.

From the New York Sun, January s.
A torpedo explosion, resulting in the in
slant and frightful death Of four men, &C.
Cured on Sunday at the wreck of the steam
ship Scotland, in the Lower Bay, three
miles from Sandy Hook. The accident
came of the premature and unaccountable
bursting of charge of powder in small
boat containing several persons employed
by the Neptune Submarine Company. The
men were at work on the sunken steamer
Scotland. The Scotland, splendid iron
steamer, second in size only to the Great
Eastern, ran into vessel off Fire Island
nearly two years ago, end was compelled to
put back to port in sinking condition.
She sought to reach shallow water, but
struck on bar in the south channel
Of the Lower Bay, and there went to pieces,
and became an obstruction to navigation.
Last October the Neptune Submarine
Company contracted with the Government
to clear away the wreck, and their opera
tons have thus far been successful. The
steamer is 400 feet long, and when work
was begun upon her, the bow, stern, and
other portions of her were out Of the water.
By successive blasts the greater part of the
hulk has been reduced in height from eigh-
teen to twenty feet, the stern alone remain
ing to be blown up. The company own q
small steamer 1.-THE Commodore Truxton),
which has been fitted up at considerable
expense with appliances for submarine ope-
rations, and this craft has been lying near
the Scotland since the beginning Of the
work. The force employed in this service
is about twenty men, who have been under
- - ~, U,11.o,, r Th,r,h,l1
formerly of the United States navy. As
often as smooth sea and clear day came
around, two or more boats were manned
from the Truxton and sent to the wreck, a
short distance off. One of the boats IA
large yawl) was used by the divers, and con-
tanned the diving apparatus in the other,
Captain Churchill himself, with three or
four men, took the charges of powder.
The usual plan of operations was for 8
diver to go down to the wreck, pick out 8
spot for depositing the torpedo, and then
signal for it to be sent below. When the
charge was securely put in the right place,
and the diver had come up, the boats were
pulled away to safe distance of about one
hundred yards, and the charges were igni-
ted from the captains boat by wires con-
Meeting with battery. Last Sunday being
favorable day, Captain Churchill went to
explode two torpedoes containing S7@
pounds of pGw!:er each. The diver, as
usual, descendel to the required spot, one
of the torpedoes was properly placed, the
other remaining in the captains boat, and
everything being ready the boats started
away. The captain had gone only half the
customary distance when he touched the
wires of the torpedo to the battery. The
submarine explosion took place as usual,
and instantly the second torpedo in the
captains boat burst, blowing the captain
and two men to atoms, and instantly kill
ing fourth. The boat containing the tor
pedo was shattered, and the other, which
was close to it, overturned and sunk.
In Captsin Churchill's boat were three
men beside himself, only one of whom was
not killed. In the divers boat were seven
or eight men, who were all blown into the
water; one was struck in the head and
killed by the iron attached to the torpedo
as weight. The names of the killed are
Captain William L. Churchill; seamen,
George Moore and James O'Shay; diver,
Louis Jurgen. A seaman named Carpen-
ter was slightly Injured in his side-the
only survivor Of the captains boat. The
one struck in the head was Jurgen. Cap.
tain Churchill, Moore, and O'Shsy were
blown to atoms; not trace Of them re-.
mains, the swift tide having carried away
in few moments all that was left Of them.
The survivors can give no account of it
beyond the fact that they were suddenly
thrown into the sea, and that one boat and
its crew disappeared from their sight. At
ter the explosion boats from the Truxtun
rescued the survivors. In consequence of
the fog, the news Of the accident was not
brought up to the city until yesterday
morning, when those who were saved told
their stories before the submarine COM
pany in effect as reproduced above. They
were sent to the City Hospital; but none.
were sufficiently injured to be received
there, and they went to their friends.
The death Of Captain Churchill will be
deeply regretted by his many friends. He
held the rank OF lieutenant commanding
during the war, and had charge of the lay
ing Of the tospedoes in Charleston harbor.
More recently he had been in the employ
Of the Neptune Submarine Company, and