The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-01-17
THE POW DER BOAT.


A part of the plan Of operations against
Fort Fisher was the explosion OF lloat'
ipg mine, containing between two hun
dred and three hundred tons OF gunpow-
der, 20 near the works that they might be
destroyed, or the garrison be SO paraIyzed
by the shock as to make the conquest an
easy task. Gen. Butler had proposed
this experient, having read of the de-
structive effects at considerable distance
of the explosion Of large quantity OF
gunpowder in England. He made the
suggestion to the government Just as he
was about to depart for the city OF New
York to preserve order during the presl-
Dental election. 1t was submitted to
experts. Among these was the late
Richard Delafield, then chief engineer OF
the army, who made an elaborate report,
in which he showed that experience had
taught the impossibility of very serious
injury being done, in lateral dlrec,
ton, by the explosion of uncontined
gunpewder. He fortified his opinion by
diagrams, showing the form of Fort
+ isher and other defenses, and concluded
that the experiment would certainly re-
suit in failure. Captain Henry a. Wise,
chief of the ordnance bureau, gave 1t
as his opinion that no serious damage
would be done beyond five hundred
yards from the point Of explosion. AT
consultation OF experts at the house OF
Captain Wise, who had been summoned
by Mr.. Fox, the assistant secretary OF
the navy, the subject was fully discus,
sed, and it was concluded that 1t would
be worth while to make the experiment,
with the hope that the explosion might
be eftctual. When General Butler re-
turned from New York he found that
the powder experiment was to be tried
and that preparations for it were being
made. This matter caused some delay
in the movements OF the navy and the
expedition was not ready to sail before
the 18th of December.
X X =
The floating mine, or powder ship, wa
a propeller of two hundred and twenty
i've tons burden, named Louisiana Sh,
was disguised as blockade runner. il
form and color. with two raking smok,
stacks-One real, the other a sham. A
lieht deck above the water line containeC
two hundred and fifteen tons (i3,0Gt
pounds) of gunpowder, placed first in {
row of barrels standing on their ends, TIN
upper ones open and the remainder IL
bags, each containing sixty pounds. TIN
latter were stored in tiers above tn
barrels. To communicate fire to tn
whole mass simultaneously, four separat
threads of the Gomez fuse were woyel
through each separate barrel and bag
At the stern and under the powder
charged deck, was placed heap of pin
wood and other combustible materials
which were to be fired by the crew, whe
they were to escape in swift littl
steamer employed for the purpose. Cloc
work, by which a percussion cap nigh
be exploded and ignite the fuse; shor
spermaceti candles, which would bur
down and ignite the fnse, and
slow match that would work !
tune with the candles, were all employed
The plan was to choose favorable stat
of the weather for landing the troops j
launches on the beach, exploding ii
powder ship after midnight, and debar
, the troops at dawn to take advantage
the effects of the explosion on the fo
f and garrison.
We departed for the rendezvous @
Saturday morning. Between three an
, four o'clock in the afternoon when "
!. were off MasonbOro' inlet and whi
: standing on the bow of the ." Ben ID
, ford" with Gen. Weitzel, / called h
I attention to small white ilacculeut clodC
, that appeared and disappeared at irrel
uiar intervals near the southern horizon