The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-27
A BURIED TORPEDO.

In 1864, Bay6 the houston ICtCyTupft, Juo
feet of Admiral Farragut was blockading
Mobile. while heavy land and naval attack
was dire cted against Charleston. During our
long defensive war O great deal Of ingenuity
had been expended by the Confederates upon
torpedoes and torpedo boats. The most re-
parkable of these boats was constructed in
Mobile by Messrs. Hundley& & McClintock, and
launched in 1864; and nothing which has gone
down into the sea was more wonderfully or
more fearfully contrived to wreak destruction
and vengeance upon friend and foe. She was
built of boiler iron, and impervious TO
water or air. Her extreme length was
about thirty feet, with five or six feet beam,
and about five or six feet depth of hold. In
general contour she resembled cigar, sharp
at both ends. She was propelled by screw,
she shaft of which ran horizontally along her
hold, almost from stem to stern, and was
turned by the manual force of eight men,
seated along it on either side. The only
hatchway was circular, about two feet in
diameter, with a low combing around it,
which was placed we'll forward, and when
desired could be closed by an iron cap work
ing on hinges and made air-tight. In the
forward part of the cap was inserted
o clear glass bulls eye, through which the
pilot could see. She was provided with
water-tight compartments, by hlling or emp
tying which she could sink or rise, and to en-
able her to rise instantly her ballasting of
railroad iron was placed on her bottom, out
side of her hull, and by means of keys access
gible to her crew could be detached in a mo-
ment, SO that she would rise quickly to the
surface. Besides her rudder, which was of
the usual form, this vessel was equipped with
side paddles or fins, which, like those of
fish, served to guide it up or down with re-
ference to the surface of the water.
To prepare for action, a floating torpedo
was secured to her stern by line more than
one hundred feet long, and her crew having
embarked, the tanks were filed until the boat
was in eQuott67S0, and almost submerged The
hatchway was closed, the men revolved the
shaft, the captain or pilot, standing under
the hatch, steered the boat, regulating at the
same time by the action of her lateral fins,
the depth at which she would move. The
greatest speed did not exceed four knots. She
could remain submerged for half an hour or
m hour without any great inconvenience to
her crew-and on one occasion has been
known to remain under water two hours with
out actual in Jury to them, although no means
were provided for procuring fresh air, and
from the moment the hatch was closed the
men, thus fastened in their living tomb, in
hailed and exhaled continuously the atmos-
phere viii oh was enclosed with them. The
plan of attack proposed by the inventors was
to dive beneath the keel of an enemy's ship,
hauling the torpedo after her., Its triggers
or sensitive primers would thus press against
the ships bottom, explode the torpedo, and
inevitably sink the ship.
Not anticipating an early opportunity of
nsing this dangerous vessel against the feet
Of Farragut, General Maury sent her by rail
TO General Besuregard at Charleston, beiev-
ing the waters of that harbor better suited to
her peculiar construction, while in the Iron
sides, or some other gigantic war ship then
attacking Charleston, might be found an OBJ
ject worth the great risk to which her own
crew was exposed in any enterprise they
might undertake in her. General Beauregard
changed the arrangement of the torpedo by
fastening it to the bow It's front was termi-
mated by sharp and barbed lance-head, so
that when the boat was driven end on against
O ships sides, the lance head would be forced
deep into the timbers, below the water-ine,
and would fasten the torpedo firmly against
the ship. Then the torpedo boat would back
out and explode it by a lanyard.
General Beauregard's call upon the Con-
tederate feet for volunteers to man his dan
gerous craft was promptly answered by Lieu
tenant Payne, Virginian, and eight sailors.
They were soon ready for action, and on the
evening set for their expedition the last
preparation had been made.
The torpedo boat was lying alongside the
steamer from which the crew had embarked;
she was submerged till the combing of her
hatch alone was visible above the water. HeI
commander, Payne, was standing in the
Aatchway, in the act of ordering her to be
east off, when the swell of passing steamer
rolled over her and suAk her Instantly
with her eight men, in several fathoms of
water. Lieutenant Payne sprang out of the
hatchway as the boat sank from under him,
and he alone was left alive. In a few days
she was raised and again made ready for ser.
vice. Again Payne volunteered, and eight
men with him.
Their embarkation for their second at
tempt was made from Fort Sumter, and, as
before, all having been made ready, Payne,
standing at his post in the hatchway, ordered
she hawser to to be cut off-when the boat
screened and sank instantly. Payne sprang
ont; two of the men followed him; the Other
Eix went down in the boat and perished.
Again the boat was raised and made ready
for action, and her owner, Captain Hundley,
took her for an experimental trip into the
Stone river, where, after going through hel
usual evolutions, she dived in deep water
and for hours, and for days, the return OF
poor Hundley and his crew was watched fol
and looked for in vain. After near a week s
search she was found inclining at an angle OF
forty degrees; her nozzle was driven deep into
the soft mud of the bottom. Her crew OF
nine dead men were standing, sitting, living
about in her hold asphyxiated. HunileS
was standing dead at his post, candle in
one hand, while the other had grown stiff
with death in his vain efforts to unclamp the
hatch. Others had been working at the keys
Of the ballast, but the inclination at whicl
Abe boat bad gone down had jammed the keyt
30 that the men could not east off the heavy
weight which held them down. Their deaths
had been hard and lingering.
Again this fateful vessel was made read,
Co. nd xrol,nnfaaro has- n