Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-11-30

shlps sides, the lance head would be
forced deep into the timbers, below
the water-lino, and would fasten the
torpedo firmly against tho ship. Then
the torpedo boat would back out and
explode it by n lanyard.
General Beauregard's call upon the
Confederate fleet for volunteers to
man this dangC rous craft was promptly
answered by Lieutenant Payne, a
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 along.
side the steamer from which the crew
had embarked; she was submerged
till the coming Of her hatch alone was
visible above water Her commander,
Payne, was standing in the hatchway,
in the act of ordering her to bo cast
of, when the swell ofa passing steamer
rolled over her and sunk her instantly,
with her eight men, in several fathoms
Of water. Lieut.. Payne sprang out
Of the hatchway as the boat sank from
under him, and he alone was left alive.
In few days she was raised and
again made ready for service. Again
Payne. volunteered, and eight men
with him
Their embarkatlon for their second
attempt was made from Fort Sumter,
and, as before, all having been made
ready, Payne, standing at bis post in
the hatchway, ordered the hawser to
be cut off-when the boat careenod
and sank instantly. Payne sprang
out two of the men followed him
the other six went down in the boat
and perished.
Again the boat was raised and made
ready for action, and her owner, Cap
lain Hundley, took her for an expert
mental trip into the Stone river, where,
ifter going through her usual cvolu-
tons, she dived in deep water, and
br hours, and for days, the return Of
Door Hundlcy and his crew, was
watched for and looked for in vain
After near weeks search she was
found ,inclining at an angle Of forty
degrees her nozzle was driven deep
Unto the soft mud of the bottom. Her
crew Of nine dead men were standing,
sitting and lying about in her hold
asphyxiated. Hundley was standing
dead at his post, q 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 in.
clination at which the boat had gone
down had jammed the keys so that
the men could not cast Off the heavy
weight which held them down. Their
deaths had been hard and lingering.
Again this fateful vessel was made
ready for action, and volunteers being
called for, Lieutenant Dixon, 2lst Al.
ALBANIA Volunteers, native of Mobile,
and eight men volunteered TO take
her against the enemy The new and
powerful war ship Housatonic was
selected for attack, and on quiet
night the bravest crew set out from
Charleston in this terrible nameless
torpedo boat that ever manned a craft
before. We all know the fate of the
lIousatonic. Brave Dixon guided the
torpedo fairly against her, the explo-
sion tore up the great war ships sides,
so that she went down with nearly all
her crew within two minutes The
torpedo vessel also disappeared for
ever from mortal view. Whether she
vent down with her enemy, or wheth-
er she drifted out TO sea to bury her
gallant dead, was never known, and
their fate was left till the great day
when the sea shall give mp its dead.
But within few weeks past divers
in submarine armor have visited the
wreck Of the Housatonic, and they
have found the little torpedo vessel
lying by her hugo victim, and within
her arc the bones Of the most devoted
and daring men who ever went to
war.