Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-05-15
A SUBMARINE BOAT
THE STORY OF A QUEER CON.
FEDERATE CRAFT.
Suilt to Go Under Water-Severa1
Trips That Ended in Death
Destroying a Federal
War Vessel.

War Vessel.
Submarine boating has always proved
dangerous business. Especially did it
show itself perilou us in the experiments
with "Davids," in Charlcstown harbor;
and the nerve and heroism evinced by
certain young confederate officers and
men in the use of these engines or harbor
defense deserves more notice than it has
ever received. Of these submarine boats
or ''Davids"-as they were facetiously
nicknamed from their pigmy size, con-
trasted with the iron-clads, the allusion,
of course, being to the scriptural account
of David and GOLIATH will be sufficient
to sketch the history of one, the SAME
which, rusty and battered from its long
sojourn on the sea bottom, may now be
seen, as G naval curiosity, at the New
York navy yard.
1t was built of boiler iron, shaped like
cigar, being nearly round and closed
over on top. Its length was about
thirty five feet, its breadth six or seven
feet, and it was capable of carrying a
crew of nine men, eight of whom turned
the shaft of the propeller screw, by hand,
while the ninth steered the boat. She
could be submerged at will to any depth,
by admitting water into tank, and
raised to the surface again by pumping
it out.
Her speed, under water, with the men
working we'll, was about four knots an
hour. The torpedo which she carried
contained about sixty pounds of p WIDER,
and was attached to long spar which
could be run out from her bows against
the side of the entmy's vessels or float
ing torpedo could be dra eyed after her
In the latter case it was intended that,
on appro lching one of the cnemy's ships,
the torpedo-b at should be submerged
and pass under her keel, when the tor
pedo itself would strike the ships side
and explode from conclusion of its
'.primers." The boat could remain sub
merged for half an hour without fresh
air.
Soon a ter the completion of this odd
craft, Lieutenant Paine of the Confed-
crate navy, with eight volunteers, set off
by night to attack the Union fleet. But
while making ready, the swell of pass
ing steamer caused the boat to roll over,
and all hands except the lieutenant him
self, who was standing in the open hatch
way, was drowned inside her
She was raj ed few days later, how
ever, and again Lieutenant Paine volun-
teered to go out in her But when of
opposite Fort Sumter, the treacherous
craft again capsized and sunk in deep
water, drowning all hands except Paine
and two others.
She was again brought up and prepared
for action; and this time Il gentleman
named Aunley, one of the builders of the
boat, insisted on making trip in her.
They proceeded up the Cooper river.
Eut while submerged in deep water, the
boat, from some unknown cause, became
manageable The crew could not
bring her to the surface, and all persisted
together on the bottom of the river.
Still again she was raised with hel
ghastly cargo of nine dead men; and il
would not now have been strange had
| few been willing to emb TX in her.
Daring spirits were not wanting in tho
South in those days, however; and or
the night of the 18th of February, 1864,
Lieutenant Dixon, of Mobile, collected 8
crew of eight men and set off in her, t
| attack the Housatonic, a heavily armCC
war vessel, on blockade duty OF the outel
harbor.
During the evening of the nth, Act
ing Master j. X. Crosby, of the Housa
deck, saw dark object in the watel
about hundred yards from the ship:
side On perceiving, after watching il
fer time. that it was moving slowly, he
hailed it, and getting no answer, gave al
| alarm. So slowly did the David" APP
pro ,ch, that the cable YVES slipped, thu
engines started, and the crew called tt
quarters. But they wee unable to de
| pre- s the guns sufficiently to fire upor
! the object, though volley of rife bull
| lets was rained down it. These latter
| produced no effect on the little craft, and
| before Roadway could be given to tn
! ship, a torpedo was driven against hel
side, and exploded with tremendous eli
| feet.
The vessel speedily kecled over to port
fusion which ensucd, nothing further
was seen Of the "David,' and it was sup
posed that the formidable little craft cs,
capped under cover of the darkness.
A part of the crew of the Housatonit
| was saved by boats from the Canandai
| qua, which lay at short distance away,
and Others took refuge in the upper rig
| g.ng of the Housatonic, which was not
! entirely submerged.
! But meantime the Confederates heard
nothing from Lieutenant Dixon and his
| submarine boat. He did not return; his
fellow officers looked for him in vain,
| and his fate remained mystery till some
time after the close of the war, when 6
submarine diver was sent down to cx
plore the old wreck of the Housatonic
The "David," with its crew of dead men
was then found, plugged into the hole
caused by the explosion of the torpedo in
the ships side! 1t had been drawn by
, the suction of water into the breach. The
destroyer and the destroyed had gone
down in grim dead lock together. 1t was
one of the fateful episodes of the war;
z. G. Hoyt, in YOUTHS Companion.