The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-14


CAPTAIN RICHARD Z. MAURY.
without the use Of proper mechanical re-
sources. Ia XII 6. tg Y
His trial experiments to explode I'm
der water were made with minute
chnrgcs Of powder and submerged In an
ordinary washtub In his chamber at tho
house OF his cousin, Robert II. Mhury,
oil Clay Street. and tho tank for actual
use, with their triggers for explosion
and other mechanical appliances for SER
vice. were made by Talbot and Son, on
Cary Street, under their ready and in
telligent direction. & Xiii
In the early summer Of 1861 tho Sec
rotary OF the Navy and the chairman
Of the Naval Committee OF Congress
ana others, were invited to witness an
exploson In James River at Rockets The
torpedo was a small peg Of powder,
Weighted to sink, fitted with n trigger
TO explode by percussion. to BIO fired,
when In place, with a lanyard. The
Patrick Henry gig was borrowed; Cap
tain Mnury and the writer got aboard
" It'll the torpedo, and were rowed to tho
middle OF the channel Just opposite where
TIE wharf Of the james River Steamboa
Company now is, wherein the spectator
stood; tho torpedo was carefully lowered
to the bottom. taking great care not ito
full cock; the lanyard loosely held on
board. The boat pulled clear, and the
writer pulled the lanyard. The explo-
sion was instantaneous; up went col
umn OF water fifteen or twenty feet;
many stunned or dead ! fish floated
around; the officials Scn the wharf ap.
plauded and were convinced and shortly
otter a naval bureau OF coast harbor
ard river defense !. was created. and
Captain Mnury placed at Its head with
abundant funds for the work. and the
e ery best Of Intelligent, able and jealous
younger naval officers for assistants
MINED THE RIVER.
In a month or two he had mined the
channel Of the river just opposite Chat
Tins Bluff, with fixed torpedoes to be
exploded by contact. having then no In
suated wire with which 10 explode by
electricity. and during that summer and
fall several attempts with floating tor
pedoes were made against the Federal
| squadron at Fortress Mnroe, one OF which
he personally directed July, 1S6i); an
other October, 1851 by one of his skill
i ful associates, Lieutenant Robert D.
Minor. also OF Fredericksburg.
! He thus describes them: These torpe-
does were In pairs, connected together by
span 500 feet long.
! The span was floated on the surface
| by corks, and the torpedo barrels, con-
| tanning 2C0 pounds OF powder, also fioated
| ct 1.-THE depth OF twenty feet, empty
| harregas, painted lead color. so as not
| - Hn for tho
| The span was connected with trigger
| In the head OF each barrel, so set and ar
ranged that when the torpedo. being let
I so In 4 tide way under tho bows and
| athwart the hawse had fouled, they
| would be drifted alongside and In 81
drifting tautea the span, and so set off
the fuse, which was driven percisey ms
a ten seconds shot fuse. only 1t was cal
culated to burn fifty-four seconds, be-
cause 1t could not be known exactly in
| which part of the sweep along! tide the
trigger. The torpedoes were launched at
| three fine frigates the Minnesota" the
J "Roanoke" and the Cum berland.''
Finding that they oil missed,tI attrib-
uted It to he fact that such fuse
could not burn under pressure oftwen-
/ ty feet OF water. The conjecture was
confirmed by experiment. The fuse
could burn very. surely at the depth OF
| fifteen feet. never at twenty feet, u s
Some time afterwards those torpedoes
were discovered by the enemy, Spans.
barrels and barregas were soon got up,
| and carried off as relics.
| The enemy prevented any further at
| tack III his way by dropping the end
Of his lowor studding sail boom in the
water every night. anchoring boats or
beams ahead"
GREW IN FAVOR. II.
| To obtain insulated wire an agent was
| sent to New York in secret but failed,
and as there was neither wire factory
| or insulating material in the South. the
| difficulties Of preparing electrical torpe.
! does to which he attached the greatest
!, Importance and greatly preferred, seem.
! ed lnsuperabIe. until by n a, remarkable
coincidence, In the following spring. Il
happened that the enemy attempting 10
\ lay cable across Chesapeake Bay ia
Fortress Monroe We're forced to abandon
the attempt and loft the wire to the
mercy Of the waves. which cast It up on
4 the beach near Norfolk, where by the
Kindness of a friend. 1t was secured for
Captain Maury's uses, With part Of this
\ he WAS enabled to mine James River be,
/ low the obstruction with electrical ton.
pedoes which destroyed every Federal
vessel that attempted to pass them, and
kept their powerful fleet at bay during
the entire war, and with part to enable
other southern harhors to be similarly
protected.
Meantime torpedoes were rapidly grow.
i ing In public favor new designs and Inn
proyements, suggested by experience
were multiplied by, lhe active brain OF, the
many clever young maya officers. whose
Il ~, 1I,tto Ntot tor