The daily gazette., 1877-10-15
4 FArED TORPEDO .Ilscl BOAT, r.
The History Of the Graft that Sunk the
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The History Of the Graft that Sunk tn.
r. H14 .sta H0usGt0nic. aIro379 iI1r.
GenerzrG. n. Beauregafd in the Phliadel.
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a Nearly about the Time Of the attack
upon the new Ironsides by the David,
Mr.. Horace L. Hunlcy, formerly OF New
Orleans, but then living in Mobile, offer
ed me another torpedo boat of q different
description, which had been built with
his private means. 1t was shaped like q
fish, made of galvanized iron,r was twen-
" feet long aud at the middle three and
half feet wide by five Deep From its
shape IL came totbe known as the "iish
torpedo boat.n1d Propelled by screw
worked from the inside by seven or eight
men, it was so coptriyed that 1t could be
submerged and worked under water for
several hours, and tv this end was 1provi-
ded with fin on each side, worked also
tom the Interior, BY depressing the
points OF tbese fins, the boat when In
motion was made to descend, aud by ell
eyatihg Them it was made to rise. Light
was afforded through The means of bulls
eyes placed in the m an-holes. Mr.. Payne,
1.-The engineer who had successfully saved
the David, having volunteered with a
crew from the Confederate navy to man
the fish-boat for another attack upon the
new Ironsides, it was given into their
hands for that purpose. While tied TO
the wharf at Fort Johnston, whence it
was TO start under the cover of night to
make the attack, a steamer PASSING close
by capsized and SUNK it. Mr.. PAYNE,
who at the time was standing in one Of
the man-holes, jumped out into the wa
ter, which, rushing into the two OPEN
ings. drowned two men then within the
body of the boat. Al er the recovery of
the sunken boat Mr.. Runley came from
Mobile, bringing with him Lieutenant
Dixon, OF the Alabama ' Volunteers, who
had successfully experimental with the
boat in the b. Dor of Mobile, and under
him another naval crew volunteered to
work it. As originally designed, the tor
pedo was to be dragged astern upon The
surface OF the water; the boat, approach
ing the broadside of the vessel 10 be al
tacke'' was to dive beneath it and, rising
to the surface beyond, continue It's course,
thus bringing the floating torpedo against
the vessels side, when it would be dis
charged by trigger contrived to go of
by the contact. Lieutenant Dixon made
repeated descents in the Charleston har-
Dor, diving under the naval receiving
ship which lay at anchor there. But one
day when he was absent from the city
Mr.. H0nley, unfortunately, wishing to
handle the boat himself, made the at
tempt. 1t was readily submerged, but
did not rise to the surface again, and all
When the boat was discovered, raised
and opened, the spectacle was indessrib-
ably ghastly; the unfortunate men were
conferred into all kinds of horrible atti-
tudes; some clutching candles, evidently
in the endeavor to force open the man
holes; others lying In the bottom tightly
grappled together, and the blackened ia
ces of all presented the expression of
their despair aud agony. After this trag-
edy refused to permit the boat to be
used again; but Lieutenant Dixon, a
brave aud determined man, having re-
turned 10 Cha .leston, applied 20 me for
authority to use it against the Federal
steam sloop-of-war Housatonic, power
full new vessel. carrying eleven guns of
the largest calibre, which lay at the time
in the north channel opposite Beach Iu-
let, materially obstructing the passage of
our blockade-rdnners in and out. At
the suggestion of my Chief-of-Staff, Gen.
eral Jordan, consented to its use for
that purpose, not as submarine ma
chine, but in the same manner as the
David. As the Housatonic was easily
approached through interior channels
from behind Sullivan's Island, and Lieu
tenant Dixon readily procured volun-
teer crew, his little vessel was fitted with
Lee star torpedo, and the expedition
was undertaken. Lieutenant Dixon.
acting with characteristic GOODNESS and |
struck and sunk the Housa-
tonic; but uuhappily, from some un-
known cause, the torpedo boat was also |
sumo, aud all with it lost. Several years
since "diver," examining the wreck of |
The HousatoDic, discoye ed the tish-boat
lying alongside of Its victim,