The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-28
CHARtESTON'S SEA DEVIL.
THE TORPEDO BOAT USED AGAINST
THE BLOCKdDERs IN 1894.
she Drowned Five Crews Bcrorc she annL
tho Federal wnrrhip Housatoric - Then
she went TO the nottom ana Her sixth
crew pcri.hrd-Hcr Fnte Long n Mystery.

tho Federal vnrrhip Hou.atoric Then
she went 20 the nottom ana Her sixth
Crew pcri.b~d-pcr Fntr rong n Mystery,
CHAaLrsToN. Feb. -. Admiral Buncc's
mimic blockade of our harbor recalls two sug.
gcstivc dates OF the real blocknding campaign in
| the midwlnt OF 1863 and 1864 respectively"
said n Charleston man, as the whit, squadron
sailed away. I'm tho early days Of February,
1868. We were hurrahinE and tossing our hats
| over tho raising of the blockade by the ironclad
rams Palmetto State and ChicOra. and on tho
morning OF Feb. IL, 1861, We looked Gown tho
North Channel. tho favori;o passage for iicotii,,
blockade runners. and saw that the mammoth
wnrship Housatonic, which the night before Ind
stood guard across the channel, was mystcriously
absent from post. Soon We heard that she bud
gone to tho bottom during the night through
some contrivance set on foot by our people.
1.-THE raid OF the Palmetto State and Chiyora
was every whit as bold and effective as that OF
the ram Mcrrimac when she swoopcd down and
played havoc with the Yankee wooden flee, in
Hampton Roads the year previous. The rarrs
crossed the bar stcalthily before daylight on
Fob. l and steamed silently down upon their un.
suspcctiny enemies. The Palmetto crashed iuto
the United States steamer Merccditn. and at tho
moment she struck ono Of her guns put n Finch
shell through the condenser and steam drum OF
the wounded ship, tearing n hole In her side five
feet square and filling her with scalding vapor.
Tho Mcrccdita surrendered. Meanwhile the
Chicora steamed for the Keystone and set her on
hrc iorc ana alt oy means OF lhcchdIary shells
ana theh shcllch her several times with well.
aimed SHOTS. ohe OF the 'hicora ; shells passed
through ooth steam drums ot the Keystone.
inc oriSinhtor OF this RAD VI the Palmetto
state ana chicora was Gen hrnurcgnrd' our
new and vigorous commander, and he hcraldcl
IL the world over as u grca, success. even pro.
claiming tho, Tho h,ocl.dc had boon rotsoi Wn,
the Fcdcrals didn't see is in that light. They
rushed n t,ork or ironrIadss down unon N. md IN
a few weeks the blockade was stronger than
ever. Beaurcgnrd was n man OF resource. and
would stop at nothing to make good his boast
thht the blockade was II paper one only. Tor.
pedoes were his favori,c weapon and it was ono
-, ,ho ~ .a s,aat,hIna ~ ,,a s,.h. -, 81 wv
Ithe way so steaithily on the night OF Feb Ia.
1884. His first attempts. though, with torpcdocs
were the moro common and Legitimate nae. -,
them. He had not been allowed to have
his way with the dcvilish things In New
or,o,,. n ,,rh.ns ,,oro nth, =. o,a,L..
story to tell OF the war In the Mississippi
valley. and so, as soon a. he reached this depart.
~, "nNn " s"o',s : V II l"" ra''' no
laid various Kinds OF submarine explosives in
all the waters of the harbor and in the many
na'ieaD,e streams ieauihs arouhu 'he Guy
grand naval attack of Du Points fleet. in April.
1sea ,ha I'ni,od s,a,.a ,r,"n,o ~ ~
rested for a moment directly over a mammoth
torpedo containing 1000 pounds OF explosives,
ana connected With land nv wires undcr IN.
""i '' w" """ w ""'a "hu'r INV
bay. Beaurcgards electrician hngdon Chcves,
stood with his hand on the key, but for some
,e"son u WI sehu sp"rh W inc mus""'no
beneath the %frigate, and she escaped.
the torpedo ram. He could not prevail upon tho
Government TO adopt 1t; otherwise Cpshing's
been anticipated in this harbor. II was a similar
weapon that destroyed the Housatonic. the only
hi! maxim Kind I0 OF ~ va rns ae'f r rGtsr 0 to the q cigar E;sIl% Paa 1s
brought, up from Mobile, with a very forbidding
iorP iininediato 5 Tse. The fS'e BoSt " Mas nt oriFinaIIg
planned for IA diver; She was to pass under tho
snip wnp 70 n pc dhes ,yn o l. rn,n5 a t2rpedo IN her
lent contact with the bottom of a ship. she was
built OF boiler iron. was 80 feet long and 4 feet
Two manholes. having hinged caps fitted with
huliseyes for steering purpose, furnished
about II foot above water when the craft was
]fioniing.
The propelling power was the muscles OF the
crew operating a shaft by means OF hand cranks.
For managing the boat there were yanes or
adjusted toany angle. II the boat, was to move
on even Keel the ranes were Kept level; Io ode.
angle and the propeller was set going, when the
resistance or the yanes would cause the bow 10
navigators could determine at any time
Just how far they were under water
bS means or n tube of mercury. Even
III THIS day OF Invention and progress
su oinnrinc boats are deemed ehiinerical and
popularity supposed to exist only in the brains
or nr.ainers or romancers. Capt. Memo, = craft
IN Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
puzzled end amused the readers, but could not
be taken seriously. Later "a wonderful nshloat
played IA part in a clever satire on the defence.
lessness OF America, but il was invented and
managed by IN giraffe ~shirtmaker, as though
inc anthor Would imply That no sane man would
Our Charleston sca-dcvil was supposed 10
plough the deep like IA fish and had no provision
for storing air, and on her first experimental
trip, before she came here from Mobile. she sank
like lead, and her crew of eight men were suno-
catcd before they could be- rescued. Sailors ars
provcrbially shy Of luoklcsS craft. but a crew
was soon drummcd up by Lieut.. PAYNE Of tho
Confederate navy, and n series OF experiments
followed. all of them tragic. but useful in show
ing what could not he done in the way OF living
and steering under the sea. PAYNE nut his crew