The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-16
TORPEDO BOATS IN CHARLESTON
HARBOR.
An Account of the One That Sank the
Blockader HousGtonic


Blockader Housatonic
In your issue of April 13, noticed that
electricity will be applied to the navigation
of torpedo boats. In your statement con-
corning the little David, submarine tor
pedo boat used in Char lesion harbor during
the late war. rather think you are in error
as to the meaus by which she was propelled.
You state that steam was used. | served
in the confederate sta es navy in Charles
ton and Savannah and had some ex-
perience in the torpedo service. The
DAVID was submarine boat /;
she was brought from MOBILE and required
a crew of nine men. The vessel was not
over 25 feet in length. and perhaps feet
beam. The motive power was applied by
the crew turning a crank, which trans.
ferred its force to the propeller. On one oo-
casion, while "ofticer of the decks, on gum
boat Charleston, the David came
alongside and asked permission to go I'M
der the ship, having ascertatned that
she had no torpedo on her staff, and
having obtained the consent of Commander
Brown OF our ship, permission was granted
The mRnhOle plates we're covered, and she
gradually disappeared. In about thirty or
forty minutes she came up safely on the
other side of the ship. | Understood that
the inventor was aboard at the time. The
next day with her first officer in charge a
second attempt was made, and after she
was submerged, either through ignorance
or the failure Of her machinery, she did
not rise, and nine men lost their lives.
She was raised and a call for volunteers
was made, and nine more brave men
answered promptly. The boat was then
carried to the upper end of Sullivan's
Island, and shortly after exploded the tor
pedo ON the sides of the blOckader H0usa-
tonic and sank her, but In doing so threw
her machinery, no doubt, "out of gear ~ and
sunk herself The conclusion must be over
come for torpedo boats TO be successful.
We had number of cigar-shaped torpedo
boats in Charleston harbor, but the one
spoken OF was the only submarine boat
of the station, and in my Judgment only
that class of boat can be successfully used
as all ships Of war are now protected by
girders encircled with chains, in time of
war, and the surface boat caunot get suffi-
GENTLY near to strike her. But | have
trespassed on your time and space too much
already. Should this not meet with the
fate it, | fear, justly deserves, l will send
you an account of the attacks made on the
Ironsdes by one of our own surface boats
under Lieut.. Glasell. 7. Nj. II.
-FOUR correspondent is in error regarding
the motive power of the David. The craft
he has in mind came after the David. On
page 30 Of the appendix to that excellent
historical work, 1.-THE Defense Of Charleston
Harbor,n by the Rev. John johnson, rector
of st. Philips church, Charleston who was
a major general of engineers under
Beauregard, occurs the following: Next
came. on the night of Oct. Sc, 1868,
the equally daring and partly successful
attack by Lieut.. w. T. Glassell of the con-
federate navy. A little boat of peculiar
construction, cigar-shaped, driven by a pro-
peller with steam power and armed with
one OF Lees torpedoes, was used for
the purpose" In foot note the
author says; This boat, the first
Of the class known as 'Davids,
was built at his own expense by citizen of
Charleston, Mr.. Theodore D. Stoney." In
an interview, published In the Charleston
World about year ago, Mr.. John G.
Chalk, a mas er machinist of Charleston,
who fitted the machinery In the boat, gave
an interesting description of the difficulties
he had to overcome, or rather work against.
to make the David at oil serviceable In
DR.. Johnson's book is also printed a da b
gram Of the David, showing the cigar shape
and the position OF the engine and boiler.
The sinking Of the Housatonic occurred on
Feb. II. 1864, four months after the David's
attempt on the lronsides, mentioned above
Unfortunately the name and the mode Of
propulsion of the daring little craft are not
recorded by DR.. johnson, though the names
of her brave. though tated. crew are given.
ED. MORNING NEWS