Year: 1876

HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND OBJECT Oh


THE TERRIBLY DESTRUCTIVE AGENT.
To THE EDITOR LONDON THEs:-


SIR-Perhaps . short by one who is 40.
quanted with the origin and object OF the torpedo
referred to in the Times Of yesterday may interest
some OF your readerA


In the winter of 1868 Captain Courtenay obtained
from the Confederate War Department the facilities for
making experiments with his coal castings at
Richmond, Va, TO be used for collapsing the
boilers of the enemys vessels and transports by
introducing the sham coal into the government coal
piles at the various United States naval depots along
the coast and on the great rivers in the interior


The experiments successful that the system
was finally adopted, and operations were commenced
shortly after. The torpedoes were irregular or
steel castings three-eghths Of an inch thick except
the hole which was rein forced TO allow thread
being turned in II TO receive the fuse plug The mod
els were taken from polylateral pieces of coal
picked at random from pile, not so large IS
90 require "trimmlng' by the fireman before being
shovelled into the furnace. The interior rendered
smooth by centrifugal motion with emery to reduce
risk Of explosion by chatting while introducing tho
charge. The shell, being filled and closed with a brass
plug, IL dipped by OF a string into a boiling
mixture Of coal tar pulverzed coa-either anthracite
or bitumlnous whichever desired TO be repre-
sented-and small quantity of resin or beeswax then
instantly into bucket of iced water the result being
coating OF about threequarters OF inch in thickness
which gave the she'll when the surface gloss had been





weight, smell and general appearance.


Several OF these dropped INTO the United States
government coal depot at Fortress Monroe and led to
the destruction OF the soop-of-war Chenango and
also OF the splendid ste amer Greyhound used tho
headquarteT boat OF the Army OF the James, the Illus
trous commander of which General b. Y. Butler. and
Admiral Porter nearly lost their lives having just le
tho vessel before her boilers collapsed Both these
vessels had coaled up rom the pile at Fort Mon
shortly before


The coal torpedo has, to my knowledge, been seri.
ousy examined and considered by than one gov
ernment and sums OF money have been awarded by
two OF them for samples and information connected
with their manufacture Ii is very probable that the
coal torpedo which be made Of less size and,
! therefore, more difficult 70 detect and easily
handled and distributed as our knowledge OF Eliminates
advances play conspicuous part IN the
itime war few years past the whole system Of
! pedo attack or defence was denounced barbarous
and outside the laws OF war and common humanity.
Both Admiral s. r. Lee, commanding the United states
squadron the James River during Grants Peters
burg campaign aud Admiral Dahlgren, commanding on
Charleston, O., proclaimed no quarter to Confederate
torpedo OPERATORS and after the destruction OF the
United States ship Commodore Jones IN the James
River by the submarine torpedoes Deep Bottom in
charge OF Commander Hunter Davidson Confederate
States Navy OF the operators, warrant officer in
the Confederate States Navy, who el into the enemys
hands was immediately put TO death In 1864. Now in
1875, the United States Navy Is ahead Of all others in
the science and practice offensive torpedo warfare
and maintains elaborate torpedo school at New
port X l., through which all officers are obliged TO
graduate


the war Of 1872 the British press and public denounced
the use OF the rife by the American troops bar





murderous and inhuman. Iempora mutdntur.


The blowing up Of Grants powder hulk at City Point
in 1864 not accomplished as your correspondents
supposes, by Internal machine the villain
Thomas model, but by volcanic fuse, with gimlet
point, witch screwed into a barrel of fixed
nitlon on board, It's way to the powder vessel
moored OF City Point, and containing nearly 400 tons
OF powder and ammunitIon-the supply OF the
Grand Army OF the Potomac then investing Peters
burg and Richmond. IL was accomplished by mem
bet OF the Secret Service Corps, who entered tho
federal lines a refugee and obtained employment at
City Point In the quartermaster's or ordnance
department until an opportunity offered. HIS fuse
regulated for three days from the time he crushed
the vial OF sulphuric acid contained In the head OF
the fuse II that for the released acid
through the copper plates placed under II and commun
cate with the composition beneath them, when the
fuse exploded. In the meanwhile the operator mado
his escape and having carried his desperate
terprisc returned safely TO Richmond.


IL Is fortunate that Thomas and hts associates
were ignorant of the certainty Of the McEyov vol
canc fuse and retained the antiquated exploded
system Of the clockwork firing apparatus.


In conclusion, ! may say that It proposed by
committee OF the Fenian Congress assembled in
New York in 1867 to distribute quantity of coal tor
pcdoes IN the coal cellars OF Her Majesty and
prominent public men In London, but was abandoned
the suggestion that many kitchens In London
would have Irish MAIDS connected with the sculcry
department. | am, SIR very respectfully


1879