The Hickman courier., 1877-07-20
TORPEDOES.
Dramatic Incidents Of their Work During
the Girl War.

| in the Danube recalls incidents of like
daring which occurred during our strug-
gle for the rights of the states, and which
we cannot too often commemorate.
Among these recall the following:
"Tte Ironsides was an enormous federal
n.clad-the heaviest and most formid-
able armored ship ever then built. She
was sent to Charleston and lay in the
bay a constant menace to that city and
her harbor.
"A cigar torpedo boat had been con-
structed in Charleston for harbor defense.
Lieut.. Sharell, of Virginia, volunteered
with two sailors of the confederate navy
to take this little boat aud go against the
Ironsides and sink her. 1t was evident
that almost certain death awaited them,
whatever might be the consequences to
The Ironsides. They carried out their
: tgtruck the sn1p wfffs5 the fcf1Seno, which
was fixed on the end of the spar running
out from the bow of the little boat, and
which exploded with such effect as TO
forever disable that great ship from
further service. The torpedo boat was
itself wrecked, the two sailors were
killed, and Sharrell, badly hurt, was
picked up by boat from the Ironsides
floating on a portion of his own wreck.
He was carried aboard the ship a pris-
oner, but his daring courage secured for
him the respect and kind treatment of
his captors.
'' Not long after this event similar
cigar-b boat was built at Selma aud
brought down by the contractors to
Mobile.
"Lieut. Walker, of South Carolina,
applied for permission to take her out
and attack the Meta Comet gunboat, the
largest Of the fleet blockading the city of
| Mobile. He selected dark rainy night
for the expedition. TIE Meta Comet lay
about five miles from the mouth of
Appalachie river. About midnight the
officer on watch discovered a curious
looking object approaching the ship and
hailed, Boat ahoyr Walker replied
with intentional indistinctness. What
boat is that p quickly again hailed the
officer. The confederate states steamer
Stinfray p said Walker, now close aboard.
Tossing his arms despairingly in the air,
the unhappy officer of the deck cried out,
/ Torpedo, by At the same instant
the torpedo struck the Meta Comet
! fairly abaft the wheelhouse. and the can
alone exploded.
I'm an instant all was confusion on
/ the big ship,-the drummers beat to
O uarters,-the officers and men sprang
from their borths, the guns were manned,
and throughout the ship prevailed the
confused rush which must ever attend
such a surprise to man-ot-war.
" To add to Walkers disappointment
and chagrfn at the swapping or his Uerpe-
do. he found the jar of the collision had
thrown some of his own machinery out
of gear, and he could not back off. See
ing him lying thus helpless, two young
officers sprang over the ships side and
endeavored to capture the torpedo.
Walker was standing in the little round
hole with only his head and shoulders
above the deck, while two federals were
cutting at him with their swords,-he
had neither sword nor pistol,-and could
only duck and dodge their cuts, until to
his great relief the boat began to back
of, and the boarding party had to catch
by the falls of side boat and haul them
selves aboard their ship again.
''Then everything was turned loose
upon Walker and his craft. Round shot
and grape and musketry all accom-
panied him as he sped on his way home
ward. He was naturally and deeply
mortified that an enterprise conceived
and executed with so much nautical
skill and surprising courage should have
failed through his neglect to have his
torpedo and primer in order.
Z" But of all the boats in all the tide of
time, and of all the daring deeds of all
mankind in the history of wars, that of
Lieutenant Dixon, twenty-frst Alabama
| volunteers, in the submarine topedo-boat
in Charleston harbor, in 1864, stands un.
parallelcd.
This boat operated under water. She
could take the bearing of her enemy
more than a mile away, then settle down
under the surface of the water. headf or
the hostile ship, and strike her at any
depth below the watsr-line. She re-
quired a crew of nine men, all told-a
captain, or pilot, and eight men to propel
her.
'She was built in Mobile by Hundly &
McClinUock, who took her by rail to
Beauregard, at Charleston. He called
! for volunteers from the fleet TO man her
and use her against the Ironsides. Lieu
tenant Payne, of the confederate navy,
! Ga Virginian) and eight seamen Jolun-
teered to take her out. She was made
ready one evening, and lying alongside
steamer The crew were all at their
posts inside the boat; Payne was stand
ing in the round hatchway just about to
stoop down into his place and fasten the
hatch down, when the wave of passing
steamboat swept over and into her, sink
ing her instantly. Payne caught by the
guards of the steamer and sprang out ;
the other eight men went down with the
boat and perished.
In few days she was raised and
again made ready. Payne agian volun-
teered, and eight sailors with him. This
time they were lying by the wharf of Fort
Sumter, Payne standing as before in the
hatch to give his final orders, when the
boat careened, filled, and sunk. Payne
and two men sprang out, the six went
down in her and persisted.
"In few days she was again raised,
and Hundley and a crew took her into
Stono river, where she dived and swan
on the water and under it, showing all
her powers, until presently she dived and
carried her helpless swner and crew with
her to the bottom. When they were
found week after, her nozzle was dowr
deep into the mud of the bottom, anC
the boat was inclined forty-hve degrees
TO the surface. Her ballast had SHIFTED
and her crew were unable to relieve her
and they all perished.