Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-08
C0NFEDERATEs USED
FIRST UNDERsEA BOAT
strange Craft Proved Deathtrap for
Many Brave Men, Who VIII.
ingly Gavc Lives.
PRECURSOR OF MODERN TERROR
after Several Unsuccessful Attempts
10 Use 1t in Breaking Blockade. II
s,inks Housatonic, but Is Caught in
suction and Fails to Rise.

me Record recently mentioned ,b,.
~ 'rst use or submarine in var
,hi made BY the Confederatas and
ms Item was so generally coni.a a ~.
inc hewspa pers OF this STATE 49,, y,
ALL ne OF further interes, IN 800
ABOUT this strange craft an.
IN" chatham On c. Record "3r
10, | was very crude sort OF
tho ."u cannot be compared to
latest improved submarines nov
"eimS used so effectively bv Germany
ms Confederate submarine vas
named the II. l.. Hunley, and was con-
Irnn, AT Mobile. and was brough,
from there on flat cars 70 Char,es1nn
!or the purpose Of trying to break m
.ne "iockade Of that port by the Fed
vessels of the harbor 1t was
ioTtE teet in length and six in
".if'er' and shaped like a cigar Its
n!''''c power came from seven men
,!!hs cranks attached to the pro-
peier SMART, and when working their
pest the boat would make only about
TOUT miles an hour. This Is in most
g.. 'hihS contrast with the speed OF tn,
houern submarines. one of which re
Gently made voyage Of 1000 miles IA
The Dardanellcs.
several experiments or a;,emn,s 20
uhe the Hunley we're unsuccessful eacb
tine sinking. and its crew OF ,ho,,,
.imt men drowned. until its hnal trim.
;hEtH-three men having los, ~;
lives. These experiments bcin, 49, !
IN the harbor at Charleston. where Tho
"iter was not very dcep. the bo,, /
was raised each time IL had sunk and |
."o "cad crew taken out II ~.
oeoin 70 Dc veritablc death-trc~!f'1 as
e"n', ana yet new crew was q zap or
,ouhn ready to risk their live always
VINO had been in H. ms of all
The las, experiment witG
r rasIa I9a' was on the this IL, I'll H.
tonic. but. while sucee. l,eamer Housa.
up and sinking that fssful in blowing
d sunk, and It's O., snip itself was
pedi, .ini4t Commander S OF this we're ere
ID In was Lieutenant George T.
"%on. OF Alabama. who with his crew
well knew the danger of the boat sink
ing ana their being drowned, and yet
they were willing to risk their lives
In the Inflated boat. The Federal ship
TO be attacked was the Housatonic
which was inside the harbor and about
hve miles from Fort Sumter Although
II was moonlight night and calm
sea, and although there was vigilant
watch on the Housaton!c, yet the APP
pEoacA OF the HunleY was not discov-
c'eN until quite near, and then II
seemed IN be a plank or log floating
IN the water. which came close along
SID" to the doomed ship and then shot
torpedo which struck the Housa,onic
on the starboard side between the main
and mlzzen nasts and sank her almost
Immediately In twenty-sevcn feet Of
water. Only five Of the sunken ship
were drowned, the remainder Cabout
100 men and officers found refuge in
the rigging (Which was above the
"a'erp. and were soon rescued by
an9ther OF the blockad!nE ships.
Although thus successful in sinking
the cnemy's ship. the Hunley and its
brave crew sank and met a watery
grave. /, Is supposed that the sue
Housaton!c drew the Hunley into the
vortex. from VIII n - could not arise.
The destruction the Federal warShip
greatly alarmed lie naval officers III
charge OF tht plockading fee. of
Charleston. and Admiral Dalgren urged
his -ov@inment to provide means TO
destroy these mischievous devices" as
he turned the Hunley in his official
report. And the Confedcratcs were
co-respondingly elated and encoura ged.
and hoped that they had disco, cred
the means OF breaking IN the block
4, ade OF their ports. But the fears of the
former and hopes of the latter wee
! not realized. for no other ship was at
J tackled by another submarine.
II should here be mentioned that
the ConfedeTateS never attempted 10
destroy a merchant ship and its crew
but our submarines always attack ed
warship whereon were armed men
ready for battle. When the Confed-
crate privateers and warships captured
q merchant ship Of the enemy they
always saved the crew and pa 5srng.rs,
II any were aboard. AS General Lee
stated in his orders against piundering
when marching into Pennsylvania, We
make war only on armed men," and not
on noncombatants."