Year: 1862

We find the following paragraph in an
exchange paper:


"a contract has been made by govern
ment with certain parties in Boston, TO
build an iron gunboat of between GOO
and 700 tons, to be furnished with Wood
bury's submarine battery. The vessel
will be 1876 feet long, and 80 feet beam,
and will be built throughout Of iron, in
the most substantial manner. She will
carry one gun on deck and large gun for
| submarine firing at the bow. She is 10
be built at the Atlantic Works, East Bos-
ton, and is to be ready for service in from
four to five months.


The period stated for the completion
of this vessel would put her in commits
sion in September next The term sub
marine battery conveys no adequate idea
of this extraordinary invention, and
hence we are tempted to copy from the
Boston Transcript the subjoined account
of the design, and Of a successful expe-
riment made with it in Boston harbor on
Thursday week.


"Thc idea of the inventor is to build
an iron-clad, bomb proof vessel of sulli-
cient tonnage to carry a gun at the bow,
one at the stern, and as many as desira-
BILE amidships. The vessel in action will
lie alongside of her adversary, and dis
charge her guns at as near range as pos
sible to obtain


"The cannon are TO be of the usual shape,
but longer than common, and can be cast
to discharge any projectile now in use.
The gun, when ready for action, has a
tin cylinder case fitted closely at the
muzzle, rendering the chamber air tight,
and preventing the entrance of water.
When the piece is fired, the charge at
tains its full velocity before reaching the
tin canister previously mentioned, and
an effective shot may be made at a dis
tance of two or three hundred feet.


"The cannon is fitted into a stufang
box, similar to that of the piston of a
steam engine, and an automatic portfolio
opens and shuts as the piece is run out
or withdrawn. The recoil on the gun is
so strong, and the action Of the port so
sudden, that it is expected very little
water will be shipped as the cannon is
drawn in.


"a twelve-pounder was fred under
water at target made of spruce plank,
crossed at fright angles, and heavily bolt
ed and braced, and placed at a
distance of ten or twelve feet. The
target was penetrated in such a manner
as to show that the invention is one OF
the most important which has been made
in naval warfare"


The inventor is Mr.. Joseph P. Wood
bury. We have not yet heard of any
English claimant to this device, bu


doubtless some such will turn up as soor
as the vessel shall go into successful OPP
Grafton. 1t was so with Capt. Ericsson,
, battery. and with nearly everything


else American of great utility. Ou


readers need not be told that if this in


vention should do what it promises, i


will be one of the most formidable en-


gines of naval warfare ever constructed
c tits peculiarly adapted to fighting agains
armor-clad vessels, which, while they


are amazingly strong above the water


have no armOr below, and are there per


fectly vulnerable. Hollins' submerged


ram was designed to combat such vessels
I as well as the ordinary war vessels, an,
g it appeared from the partial description
: of the Merrimac which has just bee
e published by the authorities at Rich
5 mond, that she, too, has both ends sub
4 merged, though we had not ascertaineC
l the fact. Besides the visible ram, there
r fore she must have formidable batterin
4 power under water.


! If this new battery of Mr.. Woodbur
can fire a twenty-inch gun under water


a single shot from it at point blank rang
would sink any vessel in existence. NaJ


a fifteen-inch gun, or even an eleven-inc
a would do such awful damage TO an an
a tagonist as can only be conceived by re
n ferring to the slaughter on the Cumber
g land and Congress, Captain Coles ma
u build as many Of his vessels as h
o chooses on Ericsson's plans; and thei
. being sunk to the water level, while
II would protect them against any othC
IS antagonist, would be Of no avail agains
s this Woodbury. battery, Above the sur
G face every shot fred is seen, and th
IS open port affords an aperture into whic
G the enemy pour their destructive missiles
D. But under water, where this new engin
Z Of death is worked, the terrible messen


ger wings its way unseen, the porthOl


pesents no mark 10 fire at, and the dc