Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-07-07

- LS' 80 - IL tney nave,
then goodby to
one or more Of our noble battleships,
perhaps the Indiana or Massachusetts,,
in case of hostilities. The "cigar
boat which had its career here in this
harbor was the pioneer torpedo diver,
the one that suggested the Nordenfeldt,
the Holland boat and all that. She was
a primitive affair, like much else in the
Confederate naval armament, but all
the same got in one piece of fine work
"When the cigar boat made its ap
pearance in our beloaguercd harbor, til
waters were jammed with Fedora
blockaders and every foot of vauta2
ground ON shore was occupied or threat
ened by Federal troops. The port W.
closed as effectua!ly as Havana NUrl
be today with the whole Atlantic suu',i
ron in the offing. Many daring atteL'y
were made by our people to rCt q
hated Yankee ships ont Of the way. tt
they did not hesitate al internal uuS iC.,
Twice the New Ironsides, the pride {"
the f1eet-for she was name in honor q.
the good ship Constitution-was attau.
ed, and the second time she received 81
rious damage. A companion vessel O.
the New Ironsiiles was the Housatnnic
noble new ship, lying in the Norti
channel ard completely Ilockading the
favorite passage for incoming blockad,
runners.
BLOCKADE running was life to tht
people of Charleston, and to the whol
Confederacy for the matter Of thai
that date, 1864. With the Housatcni
removed scores of swift blockade run
ners could pass the channel in a singl
night.
"Several experiments in destroying
vessels by torpedoes had been made in
the harbor. Beauregard, the Confeder
ate commander, was an enthusiastic al
vocate Of this method of warfare H
had recommended it as protection foi
New Orleans in 1869, but his advice
had been ignored and New Orleans had
fallen. At Charleston his plans were
not so much interfered with, but his
fixed submarine torpedoes practically
failed as ship destroyers. The New
Ironsides, which was SO seriously dam.
aged afterward by torpedo boat, once
stood for an hour over fixed torpedo
containing 1000 pounds of explosives
connected with land by electric wires
under the waters of the bay. Beaure.
CARDS electrician stood with his hand
on the key ready to blow the ship into
the air at the proper moment, but the
wires would not work and carry the ia.
tai spark.
'Beauregard was an engineer and u
man of science. Seeing the. uncertainty
of submarine devices, he hit upon the
torpedo ram, another form from that
now in use of floating torpedo ma.
chine. His government would not adopt
the ram, so he made the best shift he
could with simpler devices. The New
Ironsides on the second attempt was Sc.
riously damaged by torpedo thrust in.
to her sides from torpedo boat man.
aged by Lieutenant Glassel of the navy.
The explosive was fixed to the end of
spar extending from the bow like the
beak CT q ram.
"Soon after this attack ON the New
Ironsides little boat was brought by
rail from Mobile, and Beauregard at
once accepted it for immediate use in
spite of the fact that on an experiment II
trip at Mobile the craft had sunk and
carried down a crew of eight H. This
boat, called ON account of her shape the
"cigar boat" had been designed as "a
d;yar Tho tornado pac to no dragoad
by line underneath an obnoxious ship
and let loose to rise and explode by con.
tract with the ships keel or ribs The
boat was 30 feet long, 4 feet broad aud
had vertical depth of feet. Two
manholds having hinged caps fitted with
bullseyes for steering purposes furnish
ed means Of getting in and out. The
crew propelled the boat by muscular
power applied by turning crank and
shaft. On the exterior two wings or
vanes were attached to regulate the
movement Of the boat through the wa
ter up or down.
"A crew volunteered to risk their
lives in the unlucky boat, and Lieuten
ant Payne Of the navy took charge OF
her When sygrtii 8 on her first expedi'
tiop y swCli Of passing steamer
a. "','d ~ N ~ but Liel tenaI
T, me won't down Payne raised IL,
bo l. cleared out thy houles and put il
iresh crew The very same caus
swamp, Lung Payne and two me-
estHpinp rrrl gdisa ttrs took pl""
IN 4 a1r..rrr. F... I.r u,,d thu hnut a %,