The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-18
SUBMARINE TORPEDO-BOAT.
Believed to Have Been the First Graft
of the Kind Ever
Built.
Three Times Sunk, Three Times Raised,
LIZ Disappears on Cruise During
the Charleston Siege.

10 nave quilt, and which was described in
late article, says the Philadelphia Times,
Is py no means novelty in its entirety,
nor is the idea of French origin. Long be-
lore the French boat Zede was built or
Jules Verne's fertile Imagination had con-
celVea the story of the Nautilus and Cap
TAIN Memo, the Confederates had in use
certain curious vessels of that order. One
Vi these, long, narrow and cigar-shaped
was hoored in the Potomac at the Wash
Lhgton navy yard in 1866; it rose but little
out OF the water, had no smokestack, and
at little distance, if seen at all, might
nave oeeu easily mistaken for Some large
ihailatee, whale or other sea monster.
IL was sad to have been built according
70 Vhe plans of wealthy and noted Bati-
inorean, secret sympathizer with the
0ouoh during the civil war; whether there
was any truth in this report, or whether
tle vessel was ever in action, the writer of
tills article does not know, but suchvessels
were IN use in 1863 in the harbor of Charles
ooh' as appears from the following extract
from letter of General Beauregard, writ
ten November IA of that year:
me experiment of the David a small cigar
tI3lPeUo Doat, against the New Ironsides, shows
me erect OF 70-pound torpedo only six feet
pelo" she water, on the thick sideS-over five
III mat sea monster. Since the attack
my NY e one month ago, the New Ironsides has
n.y. II t one shot Notwithstanding the re-
IieH t compartment OF Sumter has been going
on twenty DAYS and nights showing evidently
ma she mas been seriously injured. Moreover
siIe Inns, mas leI5 her anchorage only once, for half
aii hour' When she returned to her former posi-
tlon abreast of Morris Island
The David was the invention of CAPTAIN
/ 7 6 II. I'll
corps as appears from General Beaure-
gard letter, sundry other letters recon-
mendlng 1t, and also from various letters
OF his own published in the Government
records OF the rebellion. On October 10,
1908. Captain Lee wrote note to CAPTAIN
a. n. Ioutant Beauregard:
Enelosinga hasty sketch OF my device of cigar
steamer 1or carrying torpedoes, which you would
oDIlge me by submitting to the inspection of the
general commanding. In several resnects it
varies from the original device and I believe is
lar more effective. have increased the size of
tne torDedo and have given it greater suhmer-
SION That fleet OF these little steamers is capa-
pie OF destroying the enemy's ironclads is not
only my opinion, but the conviction of every
naval Onlcer with whom have conversed. Com
modore Tucker has informed me that the great
est anxiety to volunteer for this service has been
expressed by the officers and men of his com
mand.
Some time previous to this, however,
there had been built in Mobile a curious
nondescr1pt submarine vessel, which called
forth some of the most brilliant and daring
instances of individual gallantry that were
Witnessed during the four years struggle.
originally intended for the defense of
Mobile Bay the necessities of Charleston
harbor were found to be so pressing that
on August Z, 1868. General Beauregard
commanding the Department of South
Carolina trpOrpIa and ElnriHo
Charleston to all quartermasters and rail
road agents on the line from Charleston to
Mobile the following request: "Please ex-
petite transportation of Whitnev's sub
marine boat from Mobile here 1t is much
needed"
Fhe boat in question was quite small. be-
ing only thirty-tye feet in length. 1t had
propeller, which was worked BY hand in
stead OF by steam, and was built of boiler
iron. 1t carried q crew of nine men. eight
of whom propelled the vessel, while the
ninth controlled the steering apparatus
and took charge of the direction of the
boats motion beneath the water. 1t does
not appear by what means he was enabled
to see how to do this when once sub
merged. for she could be raised or sunk at
Will and could remain below the surface of
the ocean fully thirty minutes without
causing serious discomfort to the men in
her hold. Such at least had been found to
be the case in Mobile waters, though its
trials in Charleston harbor were most dis
astrous
The vessel was not intended for sea-coing
purposes, but only for attacking ships at
anchor. Attached to its stern at some dis
lance of was floating torpedo, and its pro-
posed method of attack was to approach n
hostile ship from below, pass under its keel
with the torpedo in tow, the explosion
aklng place when the boat itself was at a
n11t m Nt1 49,
speed of four knots per hour, and while
not considered absolutely safe in a storm,
was found easily manageable in still water
Alter the arrival of the vessel in Charleston
harbor there was no difficulty in finding
volunteers to man it for an attack upon the
Federal fleet in the offing. The difficulty
was to make selection. This finally fell
upon Lieutenant Payne of the Confederate
navy and eight others whose names cannot
De iearned-the heroic deeds of the rank
and file OF the great armies and nayies of
the world are rarely preserved except in
some obscure newspaper record-official
returns are silent regarding them
All the preparations were being made
for the attack, when large sea-ooing
steamer, IN passing, raised a heayV
swell which sank the boat. The crew were
IN the hold, utterly unprepared for their
sudden descent, and every man was
drowned at his post. The only person
saved was the commander, Lieutenant
Payne, who was standing at the time in
the open hatchwav
The exact date of the disaster does nat
appear but it was previous to September 8.
1858, as, on that date, a letter was written
by one OF General Beauregard's staff to
General Ripley, commanding the district,
IN winch 1t was requested that the raising
o. the submarine torpedoboat be expedited
II not already completed.
The vessel having been successfully res
directed and her machinery found intact
lieutenant Payne, evidently believing him
sell to be possessed ola mascot or born un-
oer a lucky star, again volunteered as her
commander, and eight other equally reck-
less men, unmindful of the fate of their
predecessors, were found willing to risk
thelr lives in his company. The boat was
fnen lying at anchor in deep water near
Fort sumter, when something got out of
order with the machinery and she capsized.
AGAIN lieutenant Payne escaped and with
MN two of her crew, but the vessel re-
tanned SIX dead men in her hold
Beng again raised from the bottom of
the bay Mr.. Aunley, one of her constrle-
tors, who had firm faith in the vessel de-
termlned to make an experimental trip in
smooth waters. For this the Cooper River
was was chosen as being less dangerous than