The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-01-19
sunk At PLYMOUTH.
How Cushing Sank the Confederate
Ram Albemarle.
oFT-ToLD TALE or INTEREST

In the Youths Companion of Janu-
airy 5, Hon. John D. Long in writing
of Little Demons" of the water, tor
pedo boats, makes tbs following refer
ence to the destruction of the Abe:
marie at Plymouth, which will interest
many readers of THE COMMONWEALTH
as the ram was built on Roanoke river
near Scotland Neck. Mr.. Peter E.
Smith, OF Scotland Neck, was the
builder
Mr.. Long writes:
"On the night of October 81, 1864,
Lieutenant Cushing, In a small steam
launch. succeeded in reaching the side
of the Confederate ram Albenaarle and
in exploding under her torpedo,
which caused her to sink. It was the
only complete torpedo attack made by
us during our Civil War, in which long
struggle the torpedo was first lntroduc-
ed as a weapon OF naval welfare.
"In the harbor of Wei-hai-wei, on
the morning of February 5, 1895, a
fleet of japanese torpedo-boats of mod
ern type and high speed made an at
tack upon the Chinese fleet, and by
means of modern automobile torpedo,
sank the Chinese flagship Ting Yue',.
"The span of thirty years which con-
meets these two events is strewn with
the wrecks of experiments, out OF
which have been evolved the fastest
boats and most destructive weapon OF
modern warfare.
"To emphasize the differences be-
tween Cushing's attack and one made
under modern conditions, let us ex-
anime them in detail.
"The Confederate ironclad AlbenaGrle
lay at wharf at Plymouth, on the
Roanoke River, in pen of logs placed
as protection against torpedo attack.
The night was dark and rainy, the
watch on board had been doubled, and
fire ashore, around which stood the
watchful sentlnels, lighted up the sur
rounding water.
"Cushlng's weapon. was spar tor
pedo attached to the steam-launch
The spar was of spruce, rugged out
twenty-eight feet beyond the bow and
tipped with the torpedo, which was
cylindrical In shape, and made OF gal
vanized iron. The forward end, con
tanning the powder chamber, was con.
teal. Through the centre was tube
made of ordinary sheet iron, large
enough to allow an eight-lnch grape
shot to pass freely through it.
"Near the front of this tube was
screwed nipple for percussion cap
and through the tube was thrust pin
which held the grape-shot suspended
above the cap. When the torpedo was
lowered and the pin drawn, the shot
fell upon the nipple, exploding the
percussion cap and the torpedo.
"The rear end Of the torpedo was an
arch mber, which made it, wher
elected, assume a vertical position, the
forward end pointing downward, and
the buoyancy of the air causing it t.
rise against the bottom of anything
under which it had been thrust.
"Cushing's boat was an ordinary
steam-launch armed with a twelve
FOUNDER howitzer. It was necessary
that he should get alongside the Abe
marie, and his hope of success lay IL
the element of surprise. Despite thu
precautions of the Confederates, hs
was not discovered until within a shor1
distance, and whsn hailed by the look
outs on the ram he put on full speed
and struck the pen of logs just abreas
of the quarter port. He sank the Abe
marie, but his launch was sunk, ane
but one member of his party beside
himself escaped"