The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-26
CONFEDERATE MINES.

Tb.ir Submarine Battery ssrviep-ThO
uishmpnd Torpedo lIurohH-TSvs NShi.
,,r,.nd Throa Gnnbsais Desifoysd IN .
ToTtnlght--Ths Fats Of tiis CohinaoaOrO
Ion,s-HaVy Admiral Bamp.on was
BIoWn mp.
New York Post: IN previous articles
the submarine mine as a military wea-
non has been briefly traced from IT'S IN
yentlon by Captain David Bushnell. Of
Iyashsgton's army. through rs ad-
vance In the hands OF Robert Fulton
and its use against the British In our
var of 1872, to It's mastery but result
less development by Colonel Colt, pop
uiarly known as the desIguer OF the
Colt revolver. ~
The submarine mine was thus shown
10 be purely American In origin. Ana
although the Russians, with character
istIc enterprise employed itlargely tor
tbeir coast defense IN 1858, It's positive
establishment among the major en-
rInes Of modern warfare must be cred
tied. like It's origin. TO America. 80
wide. Indeed, Is the fame Of that ,estnb-
memory OF ali preceding stages; Wit
RES for example. the typical phrase Of
n recent English authority; "Subma-
Vine mines first came into existence dur
ing the American war Of the secession.
The outbreak of the war revealed to
tho south with pitiiess ciearness the fun
meaning OF naval destltutlon. With an
enormous seaboand fairly courting at
tarE with scores Of naVigabie rivers
iaglng open vital parts, with constants
iv increasing hostile fleet pressing In
mon every side, II had hardly O salp
M call to its defense. ono by one. IN
rapid succession its ports were captur-
"a or closed. It's most brilliant sue
cesses on land were onset and neutral-
lied by maritime disasters; and isola-
lion from the markets OF the world
threatened Imminent ruinous conse-
ouences. Dire necessity forced Into use
every mskeshIft weapon that ingenuity
could devise, and when the submarine
mine came 10 stand at the head OF the
Vst Il was by virtue OF proved fitness.
Mines were cheap, and the south had
M money to spare. Mines. managed by
a handful OF men, could wreck the nm
est vessels atiOat. And, more Import
ant still. mines could find the vulner-
ahle polnt In that new end terrible cree
ntIon, the iron-clad, whose walls the
ordinary artillery OF the dag battered In
vain, Taking them up In a tentative
way the rebel government soon under
stood their great possibilities. and on
October IS, 1862. bill was passed look
ing TO the definite formation OF the
Confederate States Submarine Battery
Service"
with this step began a new era in
the history OF submarine defensive war
fare. The best energies Of the ab'cst
mines at once bent to Its fHrther6(e:
Mr.. NJ. F. Maury, succeeded by General
Rains, was placed In control Of a Special
"TDpedo Bureau" conferred In Rich
moEd. Late United Staten naval offi-
GERS OF the first standing were detailed
10 organize and instruct secret service
corps." TO whom many distinctive priv
iIeses were awarded, together with the
promise OF n large percentage OF the
value OF all enemy's property destroyed
Under the stimulus Of the hour. clever
inventions multiplied. Elaborate ana
extensive experiments were instituted
and trained men were hurried to Ea-
rope to gather all applicable informa-
tlon and to secure all possible AID.
England rose 10 the occasion with par
t,cular alacrity, and would have, dc.
served no small thanks from the rebel
mower e,;en had she Nnaited her contF1-
builoEe to a. single ltetn-th0se peerless,
deadly little ''wheatstone Magnetic Elk
p,oder" batteries that she maRutae-
tured and exported especially for rebel
use.
During the summer Of 1861" says
Lieutenant Commander Barnes, "the
rebels were busIly and systematically
engaged In improvtpg and adding to
their torpedo defenses. The 'Depart-
ment Of Submarine Defenses' In
Charleston alone numbered from nifty
10 sixty officers and men. whose sole
Guty was to prepare, put down, examine
and keep in order the torpedoes OF
Charleston, while all the material re-
curing skilled labor was furnished by
the bureau at Richmond. At other
points the same system prevailed.
within very short period a
system was formed SO far perfect and
complete that our progress upon the
water was materially checked. The
channels of approach to the ports Of
Wilmington, Charleston and Mobile
were fined with sunken torpe-
does Of many different forms and ca
pable OF Ignition by a variety or
agencies and clever devices. Rivers
and bays. through which our vessels
had passed freely ard with impunity,
now became dangerous ground, to be
nav!Gated with caution"
But the llvellest caution, spurred by
CHASTITY experience. often proved futile.
In the very last fortnight Of the naval
war two monitors and three gunboats
were utterly destroyed By the mines of
Blakely River, Mobile Bay, though the
ground had previously been swept
with Infinite care, and though a Sweep
Ing" launch had been blown to atoms
during the process Admiral Lee. COM
handing the naval division Of the
James river expedition, May, 1864, i'm
POSED rigid and minute precautions up
on each vessel in his feet. Not only was
the channel swept and dragged In ev-
cry possible way before the slow ad-
vance OF the ship. but also the enemy's
bank OF the river was secured and
secured again for batteries and opera
tors. Yet one OF the worst minc catas-
trophies Of the war occurred then and
there. most of the vessels" wrote
Lieutenant Commander Barnes, an eye
witness. had reached Deep Bottom,
and several had anchored to take coal,
while the advance pushed slowly ahead
following theshore observation-disclosures
Ing the left bank. a negro here Joined
the squadron with the intelligence thai
torpedOcs were placed In the deep water
at the bend OF the river. A signal was nj
once made TO the ndvance TO fall back