The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-19
From the New York Press.

Torpedoes began their real work of
destruction i'm our civil war. For near
ly 800 years the idea had been expert
mented upon, and attempts had been
made to utilize IL in actual war service.
But until the South made use Of the
torpedo i'm defending their harbors in
1862, the torpedo was as much of an
/ experiment as the war balloon of to-
| day. In the next thirty-three years
thirty war vessels were destroyed by
| the unseen foe.
At first the North denounced the tor
| pedo as an uncivilized and un-Chris-
/ tian means of making war, but when
/ it became possible to attack as well as
| to defend with the torpedo, the opn-
/ ions of the North changed. 1t viii sur
prise most people to know that while
| the destruction of the Albemarle by
Gushing was the only real accomplish
ment by the North with the torpedo,
the South blew up seven of our moni-
| tors and eleven wooden war vessels,
not to speak of much larger number
of transports and other vessels, which,
though used for war purposes, are not
usually called war vessels.
But it is amazing that in the nine or
ten sizable wars since our conflict be-
!
lists took advantage of the torpedo and
used that subtle instrument to wreck
the fleet of the opponent. There were
spasmodic attempts, but every nation
| which has gone to war in the last
thirty-three vears has been too much
engaged with the usual means of de-
fense and offense to take up the tor
pedo in earnest. No parallel to the de-
struction of the Maine exists, whether
the international circumstances be con-
sidered or the kind of warship, or
whether the destruction was wrought
from within or from without.
RUINED SHIPS.
Here is the list of the ships which
have been utterly ruined in warfare by
torpedoes, from the Franco-China war
of 1SS4-S5 back to the beginning of the
American civil war:
1898, February 15-FrenCh sunk the Chi
nese frigate Yu Yucn by two spar tor
pedo boats, while the frigate was at
anchor at Sheipu, China.
. 1881. August 23--French destroyed by
| spar torpedo, at FCochOw, China, the
Chinese corvette Yunu Woo.
1890. July 3-Peruvians destroyed the
Chilean transport Loa in the Bay of
Calido by means of a coastlne vessel, set
aurllJ carrying PROVISIONS ana a DOA WIN
900 pounds OF dynamite. This vessel was
taken alongside the LOa and exploded
| while being unloadcd. the captain and
some 100 men OF the LOa perished.
1880, Jmc-Chilean torpedo boats Jane
queO and GuaColda attacked three large
Peruvian guard boats in the bay of Cal
lao one Peruvian boat and the jane
queo sunk by the explosion of the latter's
torpedo.
1885, January 25-Turkish revenue steam
er sunk at Batoum by Russian torpedo
boat armed with the Whitehead fish tor
pedo
1877, October 1o-Turkish gunboat Suua
sunk at the Russian attack on Sulina by
striking an eleCtrO-contaCt mine placed
by the Russians about three-quarters of
Il mile above the Turkish defenscs; Is Of
fcers and men killed and wounded.
1877, May 6-Tmkish monitor Duba Safe
: sunk by Russian torpedo boat at Mat
, chimes, in the Danube.
, 1866. September 2-Paraguayans COM
pletely destroyed the Brazilian ironclad
war steamer Rio Janeiro at Currpaity,
Paraguay, by a stationary torpedo.
1863 May l2-Unitcd States transport Il.
; r. Hamilton destroyed ~ submarine
mine in Mobile bay
, 1860, April 14-United States gunboat
Sciota destroyed by submarine boat in
Mobile bay.
iSi5 April 13-Urited States gunboat Ida
destroyed by submarine mine in Blakely
: river
: 1865, April limited States gunboat Ro-
dolph destroyed by submarine mine in
a BlGkcly river.
1856. March 29-Urnited States monitor
Usage. destroyed by drifting torpedo in
! Blakely river.
? 1865, March 2S-United States monitor
Milwaukee destroyed by a submarine
t mine in Blakely river.
4 1860, March 12-United States gunboat
Althea destroyed by submarine mine II
BlakeV river.
l. 1865. March 4-J'nited States transport
; Thorne destroyed by submarine mine il
I, Cape Fear river
1865, March limited States steamer
I Harvest Moon destroyed near George
| town.
1850, January 15-UniteG States monitor
' PatapsCo completely destroyed by a bar
rel torpedo in the attack on Charleston
/ sinking in a few minutes SitXy-two mel
= and officers were drowned.
1 1864. December 9-United States steam
% ers Otsego and Bazeby destroyed i'm tn,
Roanoke river.
1864. December S-United States gunboa
= Narcissus destroyed by a submarine min'
in Mobile bay.
t 1864 November 27-United States trans
o port Greyhound destroyed by coal
d torpedo i'm James river.
1864 October 27-Only union torpedo sue
d cess of the civil war, CushnS'S deStruc
To- tion of the ram Albemarle near Plymouth
, y. c.. with the Wood q Lay disconnect
:, ing spar torpedo.
1864, August 5-I'nitcd States monito
( Tocumseh, sunk i'm Mobile bay the sh
- disappearing almost instantaneously. Tn
p captain and 20 of the crew were lost.
s 1864, Juns l9-Tnited states transpOr
e Alice Wood destroyed by submarine MN
a in t. Johns river
g 1864, May 9-United states transport II
= A. Wood destroyed by submarine min
: i'm St. Johns river.
1864, May 6-United states gunboat Com
modore Jones destroyed in James rive
II by an electric torpedo.
/" 1864, April l5-United states armore
IS ship PASSPORT sunk in Red river by
n submarine mine.
II 1864, April Limited States transpor
e Maple Leaf sunk by floating torpedo /
e St. Johns river, Fla.
~ 1864, February 17-United States frigat
II Housatonic sunk at Charleston. A sui
- marine boat was used and she ran int
- the hole made by her torpedo, going dow
u with the ship.
a 1868. July 22-United States ironclad Eur
boat Baron DeKalb sunk i'm Is minute
J. by submarine mine in YaZoo river.
,r 1862 December l2-United States iron
clad Cairo sun in 12 minutes by station
p airy torpedoes in Yazoo river. First ves
m sci destroyed by torpedoes in the civ
\ war or any other war,
ID MOST FEARFUL SIGHT.
-. The union gunbOat CommodoT
K Jones, 542 tons and six guns, whic