The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1898-05-05
first snhmalins Heat,

"a Hll5es has al oifice 10 the Stewart bail
ms, aud looks snd feels as hale at
hearty be declares, IS be dii tseuty yoa'
A sso,
, The torpedo bos, u which be spoke b
-, lanRed 10 the Confederate aud DAD II
=. du:y ofl CbafIestoB, S { shsn the Fed
, rel navy vas blocksdiug the Soatheri
n ports 10 1868 1t blew mp ons Of th
tiues, ships 10 The Union navy, bat /
r persisted itself 10 the sttempt, aud thousl
none of the crew on the Union vessel va
a huit, sccotline to oil accounts, the to
pedo boats cres lost their lives,
. Al that time Mr., Billings WAS Aouue
Assistant Psymsster on the Union yesse
Water Witch. She was one OF The few
regular men-of-vsr engaged of the South
ern coast, Nest Of the other vessels were
merchantmen transferred into fighting
ships 10 the emergency, She was aside
wheeler and considered fast boat, 50
that she was used at times to carry dis
patches from the Admiral to the vessels
msking up the blocksding fleet The Ad
mirsl was John A. Dshlgrep, the inyen
tor Of the Dshlsten suu. Hls hIeship
was the Harvest Moon, sni be had bis
headquarters of the Georgia coast
The Water Witch lived through the
Civil Was and was 10 the expedition to
Paraguay. when she was fired upon by
the soldiers Of that country.
The ship that wss blown mp by the tor
pedo boat was the Housstonic. She Was
big wooden ship, schooner rigged, and
Of from 300 to 5000 tons, She was Que
OF the best vessels 10 the Federal Navy,
and at he time she was sunk she was
stationed on the point OF Rsttlesnakt
Shoal, sbont siI miles from Font Sumter,
AS b as been said. she was the only vessel
that had been blown ur as far as ls
known, by q torpedo boat, The old
lronsides, that tosk part in the blocked
log. almost fell victim to the mscbina
tions OF the southerners. For b. mrs she
lay directly above an enormous boiler fall
Of powder and connected with the shore
by wire. The man in charge of the
wire, it SCENE, was a UuI)n sympathzar
and cut the wire. The button was touch |
ed time and a2sin, but Irousides did not
go hnrlIng into the air, and did not know |
OF her narrow escape until long time
afterwsrd.
la 1868 the Water Witch was sent by |
the Admiral to the various blocksdinR |
vessels with warning TO watch out for a
peculiar boat that it was comm only re
ported had Just been invented aud that
was to act IS torpedo boat.
The torpedo boat was the invention OF
Lieutensnt in the Confederate Navy. 1t
was called the David, becsuse it was in
tended, little thing that il wss, TO slsy
the Federal Navy, the Goliath Of the oc
cssiou.
The David was only about sixteen or
eighteen feet long. 1t was q clep-trap 10
ventiou, q mske.sbIit. but it was great
thing, the times and everything else being
taken into consideration. The David was
to be submarine boat. 1t did
not sink like the New Holland boat, but
when ready for sction was Just swssh OF
the waves. There was no steam or any
thing OF that sort In ii. The crew pro
PEELED it by turning shafts inside Of il.
The Dayid's crew consisted OF three men,
and the men who went inside it we're
hardy and brave fellows, who volunteered
Tor the service knowing the risk they ran.
The David was tried for the first time
10 Charleston Harbor, The compartments
bat held the water that sank her until
he was Just swssh OF the waves were Oil
ID aud the vesstl sank. Ga board OF her {
he first time she WAS tried were the Lieu
et ant who invented her aud crew OF {
hree men. The David sank but she /
isnk too far. She did not come mp again. t
" hen she was rsised with derricks her a
rev oud her inventor were found dead 8
inside OF her. Others knew the merits OF 4
we're made. When she was ready for 4
ecoud trial smother crew yo unteered tr 4
10 down 10 her, though they knew the q
ate OF the men WHO had proceeded them. t
The little vessel WAS tried again IN the {
lsrbor and this time she worked all right y
Preparations we're at once made for The q
ttsck on the Uuion R'et, and one dsrk $
light the David pnt ont OF Cbstlest on u
1sfbor She had on board Of her three il
zen aud she carried torpedoes 10 be hurl g
d al the vessels Of the feet The fret h
ictim selected was Housstobic. which
iy some slx miles out. il
The htlle boat made the journey cut s
,lthont any accident 80 far as is known. p
he Was not seen by the settfies ol the n
jnion vessels, The torpedo sbe placed q
ndef the huIl Of the vessel exploded and II
D few minutes the vessel sank. She n
'as only 10 twenty or twenty five feet Of b
ster, however. snd the crew oil took the d
gsing and were saved b
Tue success Of the torpedo boat caused s
rest satisfaction 10 Ch.rlcs'or, aud she b.
So looked for With great suticipatIon OF Il
hat she should do afterwards 10 the war bl
IRE against the blncksdlDR feet But 81
be never csme back 10 the bstbor, and 10
be was given up Tor los, With oil 90 q,
osfd
Her fate remained Like sealed book un
/ 1876 Then contractors received the tt
,b Of removing the wreck oi the Housa y
,Lic from kstlle,pAke HbosIt. xhete aLe d,