The daily gazette., 1877-10-10
Torpedo and lr0n-Clad.
A DARING. BUT UNSUCCESSFUL Ex-
PLOT IN CHARLESTON HARBoR.
Ganaral Reauranard In tho PhiladaInh In


A DARING BUT UNSUCCESSFUL Ex-
PLOT IN CHARLESTON HARBoR.
General Beauregard In the Philadelphia
Weekly Times .f,ip.n -il.I' ,a .n...t
Shortly after this bold attempt Of Capt.
Carlin in the summer of 1853 to blow up
the New Ironsides DIR. Ravenel and other
gentlemen of Charleston had built small
cigar-shaped boat, which they called the
David. Ii had been specially planned
and built by them to attack this much
dreaded d naval Goliah, the New Iron
sides. 1t was 20 feet long, with dame
ter of 5 feet at its middle, and was pre- :
PEELED by. a small screw worked BY q
diminutiye engine. As soon as ready for
service J. caused it to be fitted with a
ALeelspaF torpedo" charged with seventy
fireponnds of powder. Captain Glrssell.
aa enterprising officer of the Confederate
States Navy, took charge of it, and about
O'Clock one dark night, on the ebb tide,
with the crew of an engineer, fireman
and one sailor, he fearlessly set forth
from charleston on his perilous mission
the destruction of the New Ironsides.
| may note that this vessel threw a great
deal more metal at each broadside than
| all the monitors together of the feet; her
| fire was delivered with more rapidity
and accuracy, and she was the most efiec-
tive naval engine employed in the reduc-
tion of Battery Wagner. The David
reached the New Ironsides about 10 o.
| clock p. M, striking her with with the
| torpedo about five feet under water, but
fortunately for that vessel the shock was
l ~ Of I,n,- I,.1 LII L. i'll
saved her from destruction. The water,
however, being thrown up in large
volume, half filled the little assailant and
extinguished its fire. 1t then drifted oat
TO sea with the current under a heay =
musketry fire from the much-alarmed
}crew of the New Ironsides. Supposing
the David disabled, Glassell and his men
dumped into the water to swim ashore;
but he and the sailor had to take refuge
in one of the coal barges Of the Federal
fleet at anchor in the outer harbor and
became prisoners. His other two com.
panions after swimming about for time
and espying the David still afloat, beioob
themselves to it, relit the fire without
difficulty and quietly steamed back with
the now returning tide into Charleston
after one of the most daring feats of tn,
, war. The New Ironsdes never free
another shot after this attack upon her
After remaining some time al her anchor
age off Morris Island, evidently undergo
ing repairs, she was taken to Port Royal
probably to fit her for her. voyage tt
Philadelphia, where she remained till de-
stroyed by fire after the war, As fo
Captain Glassell and his companion,
regret to say that for time they were
not treated as prisoners or war, but iron
ed, confined to cell aDd menaced will
hanging OF course, however, they ha,
to be set at liberty IN the ordinary course
.. of exchange of naval prisoners, as about
that time had planned and successful!
executed the surprise and capture in tn
Stono River OF the heavily armed Fedora
lgunboat the Isaac Smith, with more thai
one hundred and thirty officers and mer
"a stroke executed entirely by detach-
ments of light artillery placed in ambusl
upon the river banks, and under whose
fire the Federal gunners we're unable tc
man and use their powerful guns.