The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-10-01

far as know, the only one that ever
DESTROYED vessel of war was the
Fishboat. which operated in Char
lesion harbor. John A. Payne, her
first commander, was lieutenant on
the Chicorn and her first volunteer
crew were seamen from the vesse!'
nine in all, including the command
ing officer. The boat was constructed
at Mobile and was received at Char
lesion in February, 1854. 1t was
built of boiler iron, diameter, had
movable fanges, or fms on the side,
and had a propeller that was worked
by hand from the inside. These fms,
or wings, were depressed for diving
and elevated when it was desired to
come to the surface. There were
two manheads, one forward and the
other aft, through which entrance
was had to the interior. A torpedo,
a copper cylinder filled with powder
and provided with sensitive glass
tubes, was carried on a staff project
ing from the bow.
1t has been stated that the boat
met with disaster six times and de-
stroyed so lives. If my memory is
not at fault she sank in Charleston
harbor only three times and drown
ed or suffocated 25 men. In the
first disaster seven were drowned,
in the second nine were suffocated
and in the third nine more met the
same fate.
One day when Lieut.. Payne, my
friend and shipmate, was aboard the
Chicora l arranged to go down un-
der the water with him; but as the
boat was obliged to leave before my
watch on deck was over, Lieut..
Charles H. Hooker took my place.
She dived about the harbor success
fully for an hour or two and final
ly went over to Fort Johnson,
where the little steamer Etiwan was
lying alongside the wharf. She fas-
tened to her side with a light line
with the fms in position for diving.
Both manheads were open. Payne
was standing on top of the Fishboat
and Lieut. Hooker's body was half
way through the forward manhole,
when the steamer started to move
away from the wharf. The line by
which the boat was attached to the
steamer snapped, and she went to
the bottom in five fathoms of water
like a lump of lead. Payre escap-
ed by jumping aboard the Etiwan,
while Hooker was carried down
with the boat, the manhead closing
down as he struggled through the
opening and crushing his foot. He
told me afterwards that he had to
stoop down and raise the manhead
to release the imprisoned foot. He
came to the surface in an exhausted
condition and was picked up by one
of the Chicora's boat. The crew of
seven men were drowned. Later the
illfated boat was raised, the bodies
taken out and another volunteer
crew obtained from the Chicora,
Charleston and Palmetto State of
the Charleston squadron.
Another day l happened to be
aboard the receiving ship Indian
Chief on some temporary duty off
Adger's wharf when the Fishboat
was observed approaching the YES
sci on the starboard side and when
within a biscuit throw disappeared
and successfully dived under the
ship, reappearing on the port side
a short distance from the docks,
Presently she dived again, and when
after half an hour had elapsed she
failed to come to the surface we
knew the men in her were dead
Divers were sent down immediate
ly to search for her, and Wnen she
was located it was found that in
moving along the bottom of the bay
her propeller had caught piece OF
old hemp cable and jammed it sc
that it was impossible to move il
from the inside and thus the impris-
oned crew of nine men were suffo.
Gated. When the bodies were re-
moved, one of the men was found
on his knees under the man heac
with a piece of candle in his hand
evidently trying to open it to admit
water to drown them and end theil
suffering. for they could have enter
tained no hope of escape with five
or six fathoms of water above them
The boat was again raised ant
placed under command of Lieut.
Dixon of Alabama, with a volunteel
crew from the army and the shi"s
She was adjusted to float at tn,
surface with her manheads just ou
of the water and was Drovide6 Will