The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-01-21
SHORT AND TRAGIC
Career of the First Submarine
Used In Real War.
SHE WAS BUILT IN MOBILE.
Constructed Of Boiler Iron and Crude
In Design, She Was Operated Against
the Federal ship housatanis With
DISASTROUS Results.

the Federal Ship housatanie Wlth
DISASTROUS Results.
1t Ia q fact that submeryibls boat
did actual service In the war between
the states and was perhaps the frst
practical submarine used In actual
warfare.
The boat was built In Mobile In 1884
by two men named Hundley and Nc
Clintock. 1t was OF boiler iron, sharp
at both ends and WAS about thirty fe~t
long. Eve or six feet In beam and ave
or six feet deep. 1t was propelled by q
Zontally along the hold. almost from
stem to stern and was turned By sAght
men, who sat four on each side Of ths
shaft.
The only hatchway, placed we'll foe-
ward. WAS two feet In diameter. and 1t
was closed by an iron cap that worked
on hinge and was alright In the
forward part OF the cap there was a
clear glass bullseye, through which the
pilot could see. The boat had water
tight compartments. by filing or empty
ing which IT could sink or rise A bal
last OF iron rails was placed outside the
hull. and by means Of keys they could
be detached 80 that the boat could rise
instantly IL necessary
nant
paddles, or fms. which could be used
to guide 1t up or down through the wa
ter.
The boat could go perhaps four knots
an hour. 1t could remain submerged
for half an hour or an hour without
serious inconvenience to its crew, and
once 1t remained as long as two hours
under water without actual injury to
them.
A floating torpedo was fastened to
the boat by line 100 feet long, and
the inventor proposed that the boat
should dive beneath the keel OF the
enemy's vessel and haul the torpedo
after her The triggers or sensitive
primers of the torpedo would press
against the ships bottom. explode the
torpedo and sink the vessel
The boat was sent to Charleston 70
operate against the biockading feet
General Beauregard had the torpedo
fastened to the bow 1t terminated In
front with sharp lance head, 80 that
when the boat was driven against q
ship the lance head would be forced
into the ship below the water line and
The boat was then to back or and ex
plode the torpedo by lanyard.
General Beauregard called on the
Confederate fleet for volunteers. and
Lieutenant Payne. Virginian, and
eight sailors volunt@ @red. On the even
ing fixed for the expedition the crew
had embarked. aud the boat was sub
merged until only the combings Of her
hatch were above water Lieutenant
Payne was standing In the hatchwey
when the swell of Il passing steamer
rolled over the boat. and ID sank In
stantly with her eight men. Lieutenant
Payne sprang out OF the hatchway as
the boat sank, and he alone was saved
In few days she was raised, and
again Payne volunteered and with him
eight more men. The embarkaticn fof
the second attempt was made at Fort
Sumter, and. as before, all being made
ready, Payne, standing at his post In
the hatchway, gave orders TO cast on,
when the boat careened and sank In
stantly. Payne sprang out, two OF tbs
men followed him, and the other ak
went down with the boat and per
ished
Again the boat was raised, and her
owner, Captain Hundley. took her for
an experimental trip to Stone river,
where after going through her usual
evolutions, she diyed into deep water
and disappeared. After weeks search
she was found at an angle Of forty
degrees, her nose driven into the deep.
soft mud of the bottom.
Her crew OF nine men were stand
ing. sitting or lying about in her hold.
asphyxiated. Hundley had died at bis
post with a candle In one hand. while
with the other be had been vainly try
ing to unclamp the hatch. The angle at
which the boat had gone down had
jammed the keys SO that the men could
not cast of the iron ballast thar held
them down.
Again the Ill fated vessel was prepar-
ed for action, and volunteers were
called for. Lieutenant Dixon of the
Twenty-frst Alabama volunteered and
eight men with him.
The ship Housatonic was selected
for attack and on a quiet night the
brave crew set out from Charleston.
Lieutenant Dixon guided the boat
straight TO the Housatonic and ths ex-
plosion tore open the ships side. 20
that she went down with all her crew
In two minutes.
The torpedo vessel never returned.
and whether she went down with her
enemy or drifted out to sea was long
unknown. Many years after, In the
work Of deepening the bar or Charles
ton harbor, divers In submarine armor
visited the wreck of the HousatonSc
and found the little torpedo vessel ly-
ing by her huge victim. and within her
the bones OF as devoted and daring men
as ever went to sea.
In the history of the submarine Ger
tainly the Hundley Is entitled to hon