The sun., 1910-01-09
BELL BUOY MONUMENT
Marks the Position OG the H0usatOnIe
SUNK by C0nfederAlea &C ChArIoat0n.

SLaD0B 8C0AmBnlp dOuBatOnlc on INC ia
trance 10 Charleston Harbor has been rc-
moved to a clear depth OF twenty-seven
feot at mean low water" and that @the
bell buoy marking the wreck remains in
position Back OF this bald statement
says the Van NordsR Magazine. is a
story OF grim bravery and self-sacrifice
perhaps unequalled by any other series
OF incidents IN the civil war.
4 The siege OF Charleston was conducted
i with unusual vigor by the North. The
! Federal heot boasted the breech loading
rife and at least one armored vessel.
Old Ironsides To offset these advan-
tages the Confederates set themselves
to work on various. torpedo devices
One of tho earliest OF these was cigar
shaped craft called. by some Biblical
strategist a David
It had a torpedo attached to spar
projecting from the prov and could be
partially submerged Steam was the
motive power. Early. in the siege one
OF these -Davids" exploded a torpedo
against the hull OF New Ironsides. but
the damage was slight. for the Federal
vessel was able to proceed soon after
| ward.
Meanwhile on Lake Pontchartrain. near
New Orleans. a man named McClintock
had built submarine with which a num-
Der OF successful experiments were made.
| Before she was ready for serious work
Farra gut had taken New Orleans. and
in order to keep her from falling into his
| hands she was sunk.
In Isss McClintock went to Mobile, Ala.
and, associated with II. l.. Hunley. built
another submarine on a larger scale. This
bore Hunley's name and was destined to
be the destroyer Of the Housatonic.
The vessel was fashioned out OF steam
boiler cut in two longitudinally, the upper
half being raised about two feet by the in
sertion OF a strip OF plating. which gave
needed head room and decreased the roll
ing tendency. The ends were drawn
together and riveted. necessary arrange
ments being made to accommodate the
propeller shaft. which was to be operated
entirely by hand.
The steering wheel. compass and NOR
curry gauge to show pressure were located
forward. where the officer was stationed.
A small hatch over his head and a CORE
spending hatch aft were the only means of
entrance and exit. For rising and diving
| two lateral planes were fitted forward.
connected by a shaft.
BY means of lever the ofncAr could
| elevate or dspress these fins and direct
| his course upward or downward This
device eventually was found TO be more
effective further aft. Two water tanks,
fore and aft, fitted with seacocks and
pumps, were the means OF regulating the
vessels displacement.
Blocks OF iron ballast were also attached
to the keel by keys with which they could
he released from within TO add to the
buoyancy Of the vessel when 1t was found
difficult to bring her to the surface. No
device for supplying air was provided,
and this naturally restricted the length
of her subterranean excursions.
This crude submarine was secured by
Gen, Bcauregard for use in Charleston
harbor but not until after she had sud-
denly sunk during her trials at Mobile
and drowned all her crew OF eight men.
This was merely an incident, however.
and she was raised. cleaned out, and
shipped on two fiat cars to hor now sta
ton, whore she was 10 achieve perhaps
the most shocking record for the sacri-
flcn of life OF any vessel in the war.
Lieut. Payne, {. s N. immediately
took command Of hsr. He had scarcely
had time to get acQuainted with his
strange craft when in attempting to get
und0r way at her wharf she was caught
in the swell of a passing steamer and
sank forthwith. Being nearest to tho
open 'hatchway Payne managed to get
clear. but his seven volunteers all met
futile death. i
The Hunley was Immediately raised
freed OF her grim freight. and Lieut..
Payne again called FOR new recruits, more
than enough Of whom quickly responded.
For a short time she made trial trips
cautiously about the harbor. but Just as
her crew was beginning to have confidence
in her she sank suddenly on Fort Sumter.
This time PAYNE and two men were for
tunate enough to escape.
Again the Hunley was raised and more
volunteers stepped up 70 form her crew.
Thinking his invention was not being
proDerly handled Hunley himself now
came on from Mobile and took charge
OF her. She was taken up the Stono
~ zlN..a aNa.I
of experiments convincing enough to
restore faith in the craft.
But in the very midst OF these one day
she dived straight to the bottom and
rammed her PROV firmly into the mud.
Her crew perished in an agonized effort
to get her free before assistance could
come to them. She was raised. brought
back to Charleston, put into commission
again, and the success with which she
went through a number OF experiments
restored confidence in the deceitful little
death trap.
Twice she dived easily under the receiv-
ing ship Indian Chief and once under the
Charleston. 1t was the theory of her in
ventor that she could approach her VIC
tim undiscovered. ram a torpedo against
her side and then by diving under her es-
cape to safety.
But scarcely had the hope arisen again
that the Hunley might now be used to
break the blockade when in diving she
bles rising to the surface. instead of the
expected craft, told those watching the |
manoeuvres that the old story had been |
repeated-but they were powerless to |
help -All hands lost" was again written !
under the account of this fifth disaster.
Lieut.. George Z. Dixon of the Confeder- |
ate army was now -summoned from Mo- |
bile, Ala, where he had some previous
experience with the Hunley. He was a |
brave. coolNheaded man. and bad every |
f4hn fidanca in the boat and hifB ability tO 1
handle her. Without wasting time in |
further experiments he planned at once |
an attack upon the United States steamship !
Housatonio. which was guarding the north !
channel to the harbor.
Volunteers were again forthcoming and |
the Hunley was towed out through Breach |
Inlet to the open sea. There she was left |
to proceed alone, the men at the propeller |
shaft furnishing her motive power. They |
attained a speed Of three knots, and at |
this rate began to bring their victim within |
the fatal range Of the Hunley.
Suddenly there rang out from the deck
OF the Housatonio hoarse hail flung by |
the lookout to what he at first took for a |
aNNats plon -hatf ha NUaa