Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-08
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL sUBMA.
RINE

There Is statement that the Tredegar
Iron works at Richmond, that great ar
senal of the Confederacy turned out ear
~ In 1861 submarine patterned after a
diving-bell. which speedily demonstrated
its complete futility. Much farther
South. in the soon menaced city Of New
Orleans, early in 1862. three men--Capt
w. l.. Hunley, Capt. James McClintock,
and Baxter Watson-began building sub
marines.
After two attempts, the builders con-
structed largely out OF cylln-
drical boiler which happened to
be on hand. boat thirty feet
long. four feet wide, and five feet
deep-a huge iron coffin in looks, a hugo
iron coffin in her brief career to fully
thirty-two brave men. and withal one Of
the most remarkable craft that ever rode
the waters. Her power was that of e'fht
men who turned the shaft Of an ordinary
propeller, in defaut of storage batteries
and gasolene motors There were bal
last tanks to take in sea-water. and a
force pump to eject il. She sub
merged by taking in water and by
depressing external fins like those of Il
fish and travelled very slowly when sub
merged, the men working in total dark
ness save for the light Of a single candle
and so crowded together that no one
could leave his seat or his postion-the
two navigators standing with their heads
in the two hatchways by which the boat
was entered and left.
In Charleston Harbor, in midsun.er 1863.
her career Of stark tragedy began Lieut..
John Payne G. S. N. volunteered to tax,
command and there was rivalry be-
tween this boat, the lIuney, or the
american Diver as she was called, and
the David. which assaulted the federal
Goliath. the New Ironsides, and did her
such serious injury,
To return to the Hunley, Lieutena nj
Payne was getting ready for first at
tack with his submarine. after several
successful under water plunges under
war-ships in the harbor, when swell
swamped the boat. drC wning eight men.
Lieutenant Payne alone escaping In a
precisely similar happening soon after
six more men We're lost. Raised again.
this floating boiler was turned over to a
civilian crew headed by Captain Hunley
himself. under whom she prhctised for
many weeks, until, on October is. 1868. be-
Hunley himself, she once more dived to
the bottom and there remained for nine
days. with nine additional victims drown
ed or asphyxiated within her, 1t would
seem as II that might have been enough,
but 1t was not for Confederates while the
enemy was in sight. Two soldiers from
Mobile who had helped to build her vol
unteered to operate her, and she was
raised once more
Throughout November and December.
1863, and January and part of February.
this devoted crew practised increasingly
under most trying conditions: night after
night they risked their lives in vain eff
forts to reach the federal fleet, being
driven back again and again, for they
could only make five knots at best, by
wind and tide and sea or the coming Of
daylight-a story of amazing endurance
in midwinter and the rarest heroism in
IA craft which might sink at any moment
once they remained on the bottom for
two hours and thirty five minutes as a
test of endurance. precisely AS modern
boats go to sleep" on the bottom TO rest
the crew. But the Hunley had no oxy-
gen-tanks or other artificial ventilation:
they breathed and rebreathed the air of
their thirty-five foot boiler. At last the
night came when conditions favored an
attack, With Lieut.. George Il. Dixon
in charge, the boat reached the fedora,
sloop-of-war Housatonic. The deck Of
ficer hailed there were shots fired but
this extraordinary engine Of death drove
steadily on, it's hour come. Tho brave
men within steadily turned their crank
shaft, not knowing what second their
lives would end. but prepared for the
worst