Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-10-27
A FATED TORPEDO BOAT.
The HISTORY OF THE CRAFT THAT SUNK
TIE H0USATONIC.

THE HoUsATONIC.
Gen. G. r. Bcanregard in the Philadel-
phia Weekly Times.
Nearly about the time of the attack
upon the New Ironsidcs by the David,
Mr.. Horace L. Hunley, formerly of New
Orleans, but then living in Mobile, offer
ed me another torpedo boat of Il differ
ent description, which had been built
with his private means. 1t was shaped
like fish, made Of galvanized iron, was
twenty feet long, and at the middle three
and u half feet wide by five deep. From
IT'S shape it came to bo known as the
''fish torpedo boat" Propelled by screw
worked from the inside by seven or eight
men, it was so contrived that it could be
submerged and worked under water for
several hours, and to this end was pro-
vilcd with a fin on each side, worked
also from the interior. BY depressing
the points of these fins, the boat when
in motion was made to decend, and by
e.evating them it was made to rise.
Light was afforded through tie means Of
bulps-eycs placed in the man-holcs. Mr..
Payne, the engineer who had successful
ly saved the David, having volunteered
with a crew from the Confederate navy,
to man the tish-boat for another attack
upon the New Ironsides, it was given
into their hands for that purpose. While
tied to the wharf at Fort johnson,
whence it was to start under cover of
night to make tho attack, a steamer
passing close by capsiz cd and sunk it.
MIR. Payne, who at the time was stand
ing in ono of the mar-holes, jumped out
two men into tie two openings, drowned
then within the body of the boat. After
the recovery Of the sunken boat MI. Hun
ley came from Mobile, bringing with him
Lieutenant Dixon, Of the Alabama Nolnn-
teers, who had successfully experimental
with the boat in the. harbor of Mobile,
and under him another naval crow vol
unteere1 to work it. AS or ginally de-
signed, the torpedo was to be dragged
astcrn upon the surface of the water;
the boat, approaching the broads1de of
tho vessel to be attacked, was to dive
beneath it and, rising to the surface be-
yond, continue it's course, thus bringing
the float torpedo against the verscPs side,
when it would be discharged by a trig-
ger contrived to go Off by the contact.
Lieutenant Dixon made repeated de.
cents in the harbor Of Charleston, diving
under the naval receiving ship which
lay at anchor there. But one day when
he was absent from the city Mr.. Hunley,
unfortunately, wishing to handle the
boat himself, made the attempt. 1t was
really submerged, but did not rise again
to the surface. and all on board pcrished
from asphyxiation. When the boat was
discovered, raised and opened, the specta
Gle was indcscribably CHASTITY; tho I'M
fortunate men were contorted into all
kinds of horrible attitucc cs some cluth-
to force open the man-holes; others ly-
ing in tho bottom tightly grappled to-
cether and the blackencd faces of all
presented the expression of their dcs-
pair and agony. After this tragedy re-
fused to permit the boat to DC used again:
but Lieutenant Dixon, a brave and de-
termined man, having returned to
Charleston, applied to me tor authority
to use it against tho Federal steam: sloop-
Of war Housatoric, powerful new
vess'' carrying eleven guns of the largest
calibrc, which lay at the time in the north
channel opposite Beach Inlet, materially
obstructing the passage OF our blockade
runners in and out. At the suggestion of
my Chef-of- Staff, General Jordan, / con-
sen ted to it's use for this purpose, not as Il
submarine machine, but in the same man
ner as the David. AS the Housatonic was
easily approached through interior chan
nels from behind Sullivans Island and
Lieutenant Dixon readily procured q
volunteer crew, his little vessel was fitted
with Lee spar torpedo and the eSpcdi-
tiou was undertaken. Lieutenant Dixon,
acting with characteristic coolncss and
resolution, struck and sunk the Housa-
tonic; but unhappily, from some unknown
cause, thctorpcdo boat was also sunk, and
all with it lost. Several years since Il
"diver," examining tho wreck of the
Housatonic, discovered the fish boat lying