The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-15

calling into the nying-machinc. wire
less telegraph, age. As Il matter of
.a:t tho submarine Of to-day has yet
craft though theoretically Il could ac-
complIsh wonders. Though boats OF
tiiA Kind were owned by tho United
States, Russia and Japan. not ono went
into action durim. ci;lLr the Spanish
American or the itrsso-iupancSc War,
whereas, so long ago AS 1861 a sub
rartno torpedo boat did go into action.
attarking and sinking q inan-of-war.
This distinction belongs In the Con
Tolerate Si9t"s s'lhmarinr %llunlcy. ana.
crude and imperfect as wns that
strange little era It. It's general plan
has been followed in the most modern
submarines.
The I!,nley. was constructed in the
IRON works OF Parks 4 Lyons. ut Mo-
bile. Ala i'or her huh tho builders
used what was most availabic-an or
binary cylinder boiler. forty-cight
inches In diameter and tWcuty.GVo feet
long. Tho limited interior spare was
stlll further restricted hy partitionius
on compartments for water ballast.
tho tanks being Allied and cinntled rs
valves. Heavy pieces of iron We're
bottled TO tho kocl in such nlanner that
they could he detached by the crow
come necessary to rise quickly to tho
surface. The screw propeller was az
,achsd to a shaft running through the
cranks OF different angles. These
cranks were gra.ped and worked by
Inc men. who sat upon the port side,
on the starboard, So coniinee was the
space that when tho men were In
their places IT was Impossible to nova
from one end OF the boat to the other.
The commanding omccr's position was
In tho bow, whence ne controlled the
ruddcr and tho two iron fms which
also attended, the torpcdo tho oi tn,nI
armament of tho boat. This Was a cop
per cylinder holding about ninety
pounds OF explosives. fastened upon
long, which extended from the nose
of the craft. The only means of Sc
curing a fresh supply OF air attor the
surface and remove a hatch cover.
Cnon the completion of the IIunicy
AZ Mobile, 1t was decided that Charles
operations, and she was accordingly
moved 20 that city by rail. The nara
tive OF her subsequent career is brief.
hut tho story slows with hcrolsm and
Despite tho strange nature of the
craft, 1t was not found dimcuit TO
readiness for an expedition against the
b~lockadinS feet. The crew took their
places; the hatch covers were about
alongside the dock. tho boat was
H%amped by 81 heavy swell, and every
man aboard was drowned. She wus
"'SI" uliu olIpilfl 'IsN Volunteered,
Again, and In almost tho same manner,
tue boat was swamped at the dock. six
men perishlnE.
After this occurrence the boat wa
turned over to her builder. Captain
Hunlcy, aid n volunteer crew from
Mobile men who had assisted in her
with the craft, and who, hearing of
Inc two disasters Mt Charleston. had
hastencd TO offer their services.
This tlinc 1t seemed as though all
I things ICnI.R 4 n 4 ~ CO BtrF 90 Nr{l,, -.
men took their places, the hatch overs
were holted down, the lines were cast
OH, tho boat moved away from tho
cheers OF the Spectators. Minutes
passed. then an hour. but the submu-
rine did not %reappear. Upon invcsti-
Sntior II was found that the boat q
driven her nose Into the soft mud Of
tho bottom with sucl, force as 10 rem
der IT impossible for tho crow To back
of and rise to the surface. All had
died from snffocation.
inc Huniey was raised and pre-
pared for service again. Already she
n fourth crow stepped forward In
stantiS when a call Cor volunteers was
No further trouble was Experienced,
ana Nlis crew spent some time In get
ting thoroughly acquainted with thu
boit and her possibilities practicing
n1ratively smooth water IL was pos
Ffblc TO make n speed of four miles
I'm hour. but il the wator was rough
hot nearly so good tine could he
made. AZ n test OF tho time 1T would
be possible tolSc"r the boat submerged.
she was SLOWED to lie upon tho bot
tom until the men could endure the
iack or air no lonEer-for TWO hours
and thirty-five minutes,
as the boat. when submerged. could
only be stccred by dead reckoning, Il
was necessary that any attack which
shc made should hc delivered at night,
when she could rise, take II sight, dive
and then steer in accordance with tho
observation. There was liitlc prob
ability that the small conninE-tower.
the only part necessary to bring above
be observed on a fairly dark night.
whereas tho officer of the submarine
could readily distinguish n map-of-
war.
tho blockndinI vessels or the harhor.
nut as the nearest lay twelve miles
away II was found that only under
the most propiuous conditions would
II be possible to go so far out and get
hack under the shelter OF the forts be.
fore lawn.
Conditions seemed favorable on tho
Eth Of February. 1854. however, and
late in the afternoon tho Uunlcy
slipped silently toward tho harbor
1T was not until the close of tho war,
when divers examined the wreck
Of the United States man-or-war
Housatonic. that the fnto OF the sub
marine was surely known. Then 1t was
discovered that; when at last tho Hun
ley had reached her foe. destroyed and
destroyer had gore down together, the
little craft being dragged down by
the suction of the boat she had tor
pcdoed.-Harper's Weekly.
S-H