Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-10

been made the subject of a report,
sometimes through ignorance Of the
dangers experienced or Of all the con-
Editions.
There is the case of James F. Scott,
a gunner's mate on the u. s. S. Mont
gomery, who, knowing Of his danger,
obeyed orders and went to the bottom
Of Narragansett bay in a diving suit,
latter a lost torpedo. which had slowly
sunk, after being fred from q sub
merged tube, and which might start
off at any moment. Down he went
and found the torpedo resting In a
dangerous position, but approaching.
he carefully inspected II, and thinking
lit still dangerous went up and report
ed conditions. He was again ordered
down to fasten a line to 1t, and he
went-but let him tell his own story.
ut was August "a, 1909, and we
were firing torpedoes on the range in
Narragansett bay. I was working In
the forward torpedo room preparing
an eighteen-inch Whitehead torpedo
for firing from the submerged tube.
The torpedo was set to run 1000
yards at 27 knots per hour. We made
all the adjustments and placed the
torpedo in the tube ready for firing
Having prepared the torpedo for the
run, / was naturally interested in its
performance, and went to the fore
castle to watch it. The gunner re-
mained below to see that all went
right, as the torpedo was to be fired
from the bridge-flring apparatus. The
torpedo left the ship without turning
over it's engines, but went about 56
yards with its initial impulse head
way, and then slowly sank to the bot
tom in about A feet Of water. Boats
were called in from the range and
buoys were dropped over the spot
where the torpedo sank. The diving
launch was prepared and ordered
away from the ship. I did practically
all the diving on the Montgomery for
lost torpedoes, so 1t was I who went
out with the diving launch. We get
ls1.2O an hour extra pay for diving.
you know.
"Well, the executive officer from
the ship had seen bubbles rising to the
surface from the escaping air Of the
torpedo and was in a terrible hurry
to get after 1t. I knew that 1t was
dangerous to go after a torpedo that
had gone to the bottom the way this
one had. 1t might start off at any
minute, and besides 1t would probably
float Of its own accord by the way the
air was escaping from 1t. You know
the compressed air charge gives
torpedo negative buoyancy, but when
a certain amount would leak out the
torpedo would have positive buoyancy
and rise to the surface. This was
understood, but it was insisted that 1
60 down, although I stated that we
did not generally dive for torpedoes
that sank like this one did. 1t was
thought, however, that the torpedo
might get adrift and that it would be
all right for me to go down If 1 went
right away.
$50 I went out in the boat and
donned the diving suit. Before the
hemlet was put on, 1 told them l
would find the torpedo first and look
over the ground and then come up for
line to put on it. Going down 1 fol-
lowed the buoy line. The water was
not very clear and I couldn't see
more than a few feet but just before
I touched bottom the head Of the tor
pedo appeared right before my eyes,
and / thought that 1t was already on
its way up, but when my feet touched
bottom I realized my mistake.
1.-The torpedo was only four or five
feet away and resting at an angle up
on its tail, the head slowly swaying
in the water. 1t showed me that 1t
was rapidly gaining positive buoyan-
CIV. stood still for two or three
minutes to let the mud settle and the
water to clear so that I could see
what I was going to do. My feet had
sunk into the mud over the tops of
my diving shoes; it was always nara
and looked the torpedo over, care
fully noting that the propeller lock
was off-for sometimes it Is accl-
dentally left on and that sinks the
torpedo-and that the starting lever
had been tripped and also that the
leak around the stop valve was let
ting air out. We always have leak
there Intentionally. Noting these
things I then knew that either the
main engine had stuck or the main
valve had failed to function. I knew
that a little jar might start the en-
gine going, but was afraid to try this,
for if those propellers got me!
after a moment of reflection l
carefully stepped up to the torpedo
and put both my hands on its after
body and lifted it bodily but easily
above my head; this was quite easy
as the torpedo was rapidly gaining
buoyancy, but it sank slowly back
to the bottom. This was very dan
gerous thing to do, knowing that the
torpedo was charged and that the
stop valve was open and no lock on
the propellers, but I reasoned that
perhaps with little start it would go
ND. I now took the fifty pound
weight, which was acting as anchor
for the buoy line. and placed 1t at the
tail of the torpedo and signaled to
come up.
.I was hauled slowly to the surface
and after my helmet was removed l
stated conditions to the gunner in the
boat. 1 told him I thought that the
torpedo would soon float, and this was
megaphoned to the ship. On the ship
little conference was held. Orders
soon came to go down again and
make the buoy line fast to the tail OF
the torpedo after removing the