The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-03-27
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Of The meeting Of TIE New York academy
OF sciences las, Tuesday evening was tho
imprompsa speech OF Commander Homer
G. Blake of the United States navy. Or.
/ u. A Mott, Jr., had read an elaborate
+ paper upon toTpcdoes and the means Of
protection sgaInsl them, including new
device OF bis own construction AZ lie
conclusion the setting president OF the so
cIety called upon Commander Blake, who
Z happened 20 be present, la response The
commander said t be considered them the
most demoraliring weapon Of warfare.
/ When Il was decided TO send ironelads
up the james river as part Of the com.
biued attsck upon Richmond, be was Ia
command OF the Eutaw, aud assigned to
the duty OF towing the monitor Ononda-
ga. The speaker said
! SO far as we are concerned the war
was about to be terminated. tor none OF us
thought We would get mp the river know
ing that crowds OF torpedoes had been
placed over every shallow, aud some OF
the men declined to 20. | was the sixth
10 the line at arst, but | thought, II there
was death and danger, the sooner It was
met aud over the better therefore, instead
Of slowing down In suspected places !
went ahead, and before long ] stood see
ond In the line We got nearly TO Drury's
Point without q sign Of torpedo, aud
began TO think they were humbug aud
10 laugh at!our fears, when suddenly we
saw the leading vessel, the Commodore
Jones, lifted bodily out Of the water aud
blown iuto the merest fragments. Out
Of 60 men on board OF her the only trace
we could ever find was piece OF a man
among the bushes 800 yards away. This
event completely demoralized us all. We
saw there was some virtue In torpedoes,
and anchored on the spot, and was or
dercd in charge OF party to clear the
channel the next day.
That night received from Gen. Butler
a characteristic letter. II read:
send You a man who was found put
ting down torpedoes. If you can use
him, do so; II not, hang him.
When the prisoner, iine-looking, intel
ligent man, came, asked him II the re-
port concerning him was true.
Yes, said he; What are you going TO do
about itf
Well, read that letter, said I.
Do you call that Christian warfare? be
asked, after reading.
There is nothing Christian in war, said
|, bnt those orders will be obeyed unless
you show us the easiest way TO clear this
channel.
lie remained silent, and left him sit
ting on gun-carriage for little while TO
think about 1t. Meanwhile Captain (now
commander) Fyffe came aboard, and no.
ticing tho prisoner asked me about him.
Let me have him, he said | think caa
get something out OF him. So be took
him, and little while after saw him
put out up the river, with the rebel pris-
oner lashed to his cutwater. He only
went about 800 yards when the man
called ont: Stop, captain, stop, for Gods
sakel There's torpedo just over there.
This one removed, Il was Lot long before
another was pointed out by the terrified
man, and so we cleared the channel.
This expedition over was given com-
mand of tho station and torpedo vessels
at Dutch Gap, where sometimes we used
to pick up floating torpedoes sent against
our fleet, at the rate of 100 day. These
torpedoes were suspended 10 pairs, or
three or fonr together, to as many pieces
OF wood, which floated upon TIE surface,
and we're connected by trigger line.
Whenever the trigger.line caught upon
one of our vessels (thc only obstacle TO be
encountered) a strain came upon II by
the action OF the current which exploded
the two or three torpedoes il close con
tact with the bull. This was the theory,
and we guarded against IL by pntting out
boom and netting 10 such way that
the torpedo floats were sbeered of and
passed harmlessly by Ia the spring the
water was covered with all sorts OF debris
but we soon learned to distinguish tor
pedo float by its peculiar hobbling motion
aud by throwing cod-line over II could
either explode It at safe distance or else
drag il ashore. The small boats thus
flshed out hundreds OF these during The
season.
The most dangerous of all the tofpe-
does were stationary ones planted across
the shadows at frequent intervals. They
consisted Of spar, bearing the torpedo
upon its summit, which spar was fasten-
ed by universal joint TO fixed block |
st the bottom Of the river. Swinging
with the current and tide this torpedo
was kept at a uniform depth beneath the /
surface and was out Of sight. The torpe- |
do was studded with sensitive caps, aud |
no matter where II was touched by a
ship II would explode. These could not
be grappled for, aud il was only BY good
luck, care and great ingenuity that we
escaped and finally 90, them out OF the
channel. The torpedo which blew up
the Commodore Jones was common
waier-tank containing 200 pounds Of
powder, which she was 30 unfortunate rs
10 strike.
Commander Blake thought, however
that the destructiveness Of torpedoes was
over-eslimsied, aud that the nayies Of the
world would survive this invention, Just
as they have survived the introduction Of
explosive shells, which, years ago. was
supposed to sound the deslh-knel Of