The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-06-02
BATTLE OF THE KEGS.
FIRST TIME THE EToRPEDoWAS uSEC
IN THE WORLDS HISTORY.

Damage at That Time but II Can Wei
be Claimed as the Father of All Mod err
Submarine Warfare.
1t is long step in the development
OF invention from tiny tea-kettle buz.
ZinS on the CRATE with the force of its
escaping steam, to the modern locomo.
tive with its powerful driving wheels
and train of freight cars. The i'm.
provements in submarine warfare have
had quite as wide a range and as in.
teresting a history from the primitive
herring kegs charged with gunpowdei
to the modern submarine torpedo boat
which dives under water, and carrying
its deadly charge in any direction re.
quired. sends the mightiest man-of-wai
with all its turrets and barbettes spin.
ming into the air.
And as the idea OF the locomotive
was first taken from the domestic ket.
tie, SO that of the torpedo was devel.
oped from the common beer or herring
keg. The Battle of the Kegs" is little
known but one of the most decidedly
interesting in American history. 1t was
one in which the British were worsted
after that famous ferrying party in
which Washington crossed the Della.
ware and was one of the most amusing
and facetious incidents of the entire
Revolutionary war. 1t was also the
first real battle in which the torpedo
ever figured, IL keg charged with gun.
powder to be exploded by contact, and
fioated down the stream towards which
the British lay, could be called tor.
pedo. And yet such was the first tor
pedo and the father of all modern sub.
marine warfare.
"The Battle of the Kegs" was fought
Jan. I, ITS, in the Delaware River,
when four Britishers were killed and
several others wounded. The Kegs
would have been given q better account
of themselves only that for some rea-
son the British merchantmen that were
anchored in the river moved close to
shore. otherwise the kegs would have
played havoc to the British shipping.
Whenever the kegs came in contact
with any obstruction 1t promptly went
skywards and The repetition of this
then strange phenomena, so terrified
the British Admiral that he ordered
some boats to be manned and n picked
detachment of marines to go forward
and suppress this strange uprising OF
water and stones and flames. One
witty Quaker, who viewed the scene
from shore remarked that 1.-THE infer
nal regions must have opened their
windows in order to enable the Kings
troops to escape from the merciless fire
OF Washington's sharpshooters. As
soon as the detachment pulled theil
poats over the floating buoys to which
the ke9s were attached. they exploded
killing four men and wounaing several
others.
The Hon. Francis Hopkinson, the
father Of the author of "Hail Colum.
bia' and of "Columbians all the Pres.
ent Hour" and who was himself a ma.
tional bard of no small fame, thus com.
memorates the incident in these stir.
ring stanzas:
The soldiers flew, the sailors. too.
And scared almost to death, Sir,
Wore out their shoes and spread the
news
Running till out of breath, Sir.
Arise, Arise!" Sir Erskine cries: e.,
The rebels. more's the pity. -
Without boat are all afioat o.
And ranged before the city," -
The royal band now ready stand =
All ranged in dead array, Sir,
With stomach stout to see it out
And make blood day, Sir.
Such feats did they perform that day,
Among those wicked kegs, Sir,
That years to come, when they gel
home
They'll bay and boast and bray, Sir
The unusually sober, and digni.
fed Philadelphians were like In.
dians around a ghost dance thai
DAY. When tho alarm of the
hrst explosion spread the whole city
was In confusion. The British sol.
oiers ran from their shelters to their
assigned places of muster and both
city and river was filled with such an
appalling and unearthly noise that II
really seemed as If the bottomless nil
had burst its crusted roof and snat
flame and sulphur into the skies. The
surface of the water was placid save
for some blocks or floating ice which
however, concealed the buoys and
such thing as a possibility Of ex.
plosive beneath the water was at ths
time as unheard of as the ticker or tbs
telegraph.
The kegs were charged with gunpow.
der and had wad Of wood separating
the explosive and charge OF stones
and scrap iron overhead which was
Just far enough below the surface to
effect concealment and at the same
time to do real injury as well as mako
a grand spectacular demonstration
when exploded. A spring lock set off