The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-04-17
] d MOVING UP
OF THE
loUsAToNIc

mind story that perhaps lew reWemoei
teddy. but which Is full of tragedy ana u
mot without interest as Skearing on the
Holland invention. Whoever may have irst
conceived the idea OF building submarine
vessel. designed to carry destruction 10 the |
ships OF an enemy by the use OF the tor
pedo, It is certain that the first one TO |
put the plan TO practical test was young |
and gallant sailor in the Confederate navy. |
Mobile, in 1853, wos the most important |
port In the Confedcracy. next TO New Or |
leans and consequently every effort Was |
made to prepare 1t against tho attack that |
all knew to be impending. In September OF |
that year, while the keel of the ram Ten
ncsseo was laid in n corn field and she was
being built with no better tools than n
biacksmith's kit Lieutenant Payne called
one evening upon the corumandant OF the
place with the plans OF new engine OF
Destruction which he claimed would reyo-
lutionIze naval warfare. What he proposed
WAS nothing loss than the construction OF
submarine torpedo boat which could dive
under warship, explode torpedo and
come UP at a safe distance beyond. The
authorities eagerly grasped at the idea and
month later The boat was completed. II |
was scarcely twenty feet long was shaped |
like a cigar and carried on the prov Il
eharp torpedo spar. The motive power was |
furnished by propeller operated by a crew |
of eight men. The test was made off Fort |
Morgan. In tho presence OF u large number !
OF spectators. The inventor was with dir |
hculty restrained from making ono of tho |
crew. The boat was manned, he cempart-
ments closed and exactly at . O'Clock on |
October ~, 1863. the start was made. The
boat was submerged gradually. as was la
tended and finally disappeared Seconds
grew into minutes and minutes into hours
60
hours later she was raised from the bot
tom. the brave crew was found suffocated |
The Siege of Charleston was now at hand |
and every ingenuity was being called into
play to devise means Of defense. Tho in
ventor OF the torpedo boat still had faith
an his idea. so the boat was loaded on a
train and sent to Charleston. There alter
ations were made and on January II 1864, |
her second trial trip was made That tlmo |
Lieutenant Payne insisted on supervising |
the trial himself. AS before, she went |
down With great promptness and persist |
entity refused TO come up again By break |
1ng out the top of a glass compartment |
Lieutenant Payne ana two sailors mar |
rowly escaped with their lives. The bal- |
ance OF the crew persisted. Again she was |
raised and new alterations made but while |
lying near Fort Sumter awaiting another
triai she went down again, apparently
without any cause carrying with her full
crew. with the exception of two of the
sailors, who narrowly escaped
Nothing daunted by these mislaps TN,
uei atigabe Payne went to work and had
ner raised In Il few hours after The catos-
tiophe and set to work upon still further
alteration. When these were COMPLETED tho
cratt was taken into Stone river Tor the
next test. Every one expected that she
would provo herself capable only of suf
locating her own crew. But this time su,
went down, skinned gracefully under tho
water for half a milo and came up amidst
Inc shouts of thousands OF spectators Again
anu again she was tried and each time
worked to perfection, and when The neonlo
OF charleston found that she could travel
Win unefring precision for n mile under
inc wate they foresaw the destruction OF
the federal fleet then blockading the port.
auih enthusiasm knew no bounds. unfort-
"hdleiy. lhla enthusiasm was turned into
mourning soon afterwards, for one The NJ.
ternoon OF January 30 while making dive.
she stuck her nose into the bottom OF Stone
river and stayed there until the gallant
Psyne and the crSs died OF suffocation
But, sad as the Incident was 1t did NOT
destroy the confidence OF the people in the
new Wonuer. II was brought out on tho
ocean for practice test on February . A
schooner was anchored half mile out in
front OF the torpedo boat, which was to dive
under II. In doing So she foued the cables
OF the schooner aud again tho whole crew
persisted. AS great things as she had prom.
ised IN tho beginning. her career was one
tha' seemingly would have deferred any one
from trusting her further. Over thirty lives
had been lost in her and yet she had ac-
coniplisnod none OF the great things nntioi-
pated But II citizens had begun To lose
faith in her possible efficiency. not SO tho
men OF the navy. Among these were Cap
tam j. L, Corlson and Lieutenant George
j., Dixon. TWO exceedingly capable officers.
tseo mad graduated at Annapolis and served
WIZ distinction In the old navy under the
Stars nnd Stripes. Through the efforts of
these gentlemen the craft was raised. after
peing under water for II week and thoy
at once set about achieving sohie,hing praos
tical with the little death trap Notlyith-
standing her past record. 4 crew was not
alard TO get from the hundreds who voluu-
tcered TO man ner. Five of tho brayest
We're selected, tho boat was manned, The
torpedo attached and the crew only awaited
favorable moment.
The FEDERAL Squadron was drawing closer
and closer 10 the doomed place. ana ono
OF the warships that lay closest In shore
was the Iiorsa,onic. That vessel was Sc
lected az the victim.
The evening OF February IT. 1864 closed
ir raw and foggy. Through the gathering
mists a pale moon shone. but as the ios
came mp from the river 1t was blown out /,
tho ocean and the moon was soon blotteg
out. The hour had come TO strike, At
o'clock Captain Corlson gave the oommanS
aud tie boat dropped down the river. Al
the clocks We're striking the half hour II
the city the little craft was pulled owe
the bar. Noiselcssly she glided through tn
wster. guided by the lights on the Housa
tonic. for which she headed.
So heavy was the fog that she even es
caprd the notice OF the Confederate sen
tries Atn quarter to Q she lay directly Il
front Of tho Housatonic 1T a distance OF so
yards, She was running faster Low and
little further on abe began to snbincrge
Two hundred yarls more and she disap
pcarcd. Five minutes later there was a dnl
read aud the water around the 1onsatoii
boiled llks a cauldro,i. That noble shi
gave mighty upward heave and then he
san to settle, Ensign Hazletine and fou
sailors who were below persisted, but fort
unately for Tho balance OF the crew tn
water Was shallow and they saved them
Rel90a NV nliunbinR 3intO tha rIvuinR 9TH