The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-19

|
! the Underwater in the North Carolina
waters, the Union defenders of the Harriet
Lane in Galveston harbor, the participants
in the battle of Aobile-these and many
| others deserve to live in history, not alone
| for the grand results accomplished, but
because of their deeds of unexcelled BRAY
cry. The Confederates, being on the de-
fensive, and for that reason having ample
incentive to heroic outbursts. probably put
on record more instances of individual dar-
ing than did their antagonists. They had
the desperate end of the conflict to bear up.
Unfortunately for history their records are
sparse, survivors of the hour have since
passed away, and much is left to unau-
thenticated tradition.
The story that follows, however, is true
andit is substantiatedi in detail by records Of
undoubted truthfulness. Seven men, five
being seamen of the Confederate navy and
one captain of artillery and the other
lieutenant of infantry, volunteered for an
enterprise that had been attempted five
times and had met with disaster. On
three occasions all hands had persisted,
and on one other seven out Of eight, and
again six out of nine had met death. The
hazardous business was nothing less than
posed to a variety of dangers without one
possible way Of escape in case of disaster.
The time was 1864, the scene Charleston
har6or during the formidable operations
of the powerful Union army and navy.
The waters were full of Union blockaders
and every foot of vantage ground around
the harbor was either occupied or besieged
by Union troops. The port was blockaded
oil 4
tempts were made by the besieged to de-
stroy Union vessels by internal devices.
The New Ironsides was attacked twice, the
second time receiving very serious damage.
A companion vessel Of the New Ironsides
was the Housatonic, a noble new ship, "
ing in North channel and completely block
aiding that passage If she could be re-
moved by stealth scores of blockade running
vessels could pass in and out in a night,
giving comfort to the beIeaguered army
and people of South Carolina
The several experiments in destroying
vessels by torpedoes that had been made in
the harbor pointed to the torpedo afloat as
the proper method. The New Ironsides,
which was so seriously damaged by a tor
pado boat, had once stood for an hour over
a fixed torpedo OF 1900 pounds of powder,
the shore would not work and the gunboat
foated away safely. Soon after the Iron
sides was successfully attacked October.
1869 a little boat was brought by rail from
Mobile and accepted by the Confederate
commander, Gen. Beauregard, for Charles
ton harbor Beauregard was an engineer.
a scientific fighter and believed in skillful
methods, and promptly accepted the new
,rl,o I,
ding reputation. She was to plow the deep
like fish, but had no provision for storing
air. and on an experimental trip in Mobile
bay sunk and all her crew, eight men, were
suffocated before they could be rescued.
That was disaster number one Lieut..
Payne, of the navy, soon found a volunteer
crew of eight men and took charge of her
for a series of experiments III the harbor,
which were tragic in the extreme, but
which by the advancement of knowledge
made amends for the dole of blood exacted.
The new craft is known in history as the
"cigar boat" She was made of boiler
iron, was so feet long and broad, with a
vertical depth of feet approximately.
Access was by two manholes covered by
hinged caps having bulls eyes for steering
purposes. While the vessel fioated these
caps were about a foot out of water The
propelling power was the hands of the
crew, operating on a shaft by means of
cranks. On the exterior there were vanes
or wings that could be adjusted at any
angle by interior manipulation, and when
the boat was to move on even keel the vanes
were kept level To descend at an angle of
10 dogs. the vanes were fixed at that angle !
and the propeller put in motion. The re
sistance of the water against the vanes
caused the bow to dip and the boat to de- |
scend on an inclined plane. By reversing
the vanes the opposite direction could be /.
taken until surface was reached. \ tube |
of mercury told just how far under water
she was at any time.
The boat was designed to dive and pass
under the war vessel it was intended to /
destroy and drag torpedo after, to be ex-