Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1877 — Blowing Up a Monitor with Torpedoes. [ARTICLE]

Blowing Up a Monitor with Torpedoes.

The correspondent of the London Daily News, at Plojesti, gives the following account of the destruction of a Turkish monitor by torpedoes, by Russian officers: “ The little expedition which succeeded in blowing up tne Turkish monitor was composed of tour small steam launches, two of which were to make the attack ana the two others to hold themselves in readiness to render assistance in case, as was probable, of an accident to either of the attacking ones. The two launches which were to make the attack were commanded by Lieut. Dubasoff and Sbestakotl, and manned, one by fourteen, the other by nine, men. The crews were protected by an iron screen or awning, which covered the boat completely over from stem to stem, and which was sufficiently thick to stop a bullet. “After an hour’s steaming they ‘came within the immediate neighborhood of the enemy’s flotilla. The engines of the launches were so constructed as to make very little noise, and when they were slowed down all the sound they made was a low, doll kind of throbbing noise, that was almoet drowned by the continual croaking of the frogs, which are very large and very numerous along the marshes of the Danube. Nevertheless, the quick ear of a Turkish sentinel caught the unusual sound and cried oat, ‘ Who goes there f in Turkish. “ Then the Russians, who were by that time very near the doomed monitor, heard a noise in the ship. There was a scuffling of feet, tne rushing about of sailors, cries and shouts, and the voice of an officer commanding them to prepare the guns for action. They heard the order given for the gun in the bow to be fired. Thev heard it given three times', and three times

they heard the click of the hammer, showing that an attempt had been made to fire, and that the gun had refused to «o oft. Finally, the third time the order was given, a globe of flame leapt over the side of the gunboat, and a shell went whistling over their heads. They were evidently seen by the Turks. One of tlie boats, that of Shestakoff, now drew off, while that of Dubasoff continued to advance. Each boat was armed with two torpedoes, attached to the end of a long spar that projected from the bow. These spars were arranged to move on pivots, and could be swung round so as to describe a half-circle. “ A lively fusillade had now been opened upon tlie boat by the Turks, but in spite of this the launch of Dubasotf shot under the bow of the monitor, the chain which was fastened to the torpedo was flung round a chain or rope that was hanging from the bow of the ship, the torpedo was dropped from tlie spar and th? current of the river carried it against the bottom of the ship. The launch then shot away again until the fuH length of the electric wire had been reached. The officer applied it to the battery round his chest, and at tlie same instant a huge volume of water rose up into the air which half filled and nearly swamped DubasofTs launch, and a fearful explosion was heard, which completely drowned the shouts and cries and firing of the Turks. “In the meantime llie other monitors bdeame alarmed, and without knowing the cause fired at random, and a fearful scene of terror and confusion emued. They not only fired on the Russian launches, that still kept dodging about like mosquitoes, but in their panic and confusion fired into each other. The bullets rattled over the iron awnings of the launches, but did them no harm. They were not once struck, although the bow of one was pierced aud sunk by a piece of a shell that exploded near it. The two launches were now on opposite sides of the doomed ship. Dubasoff perceived that the monitor was sinking down before, but very slowly; while the Turks continued to fire awav blindly, out incessantly, both with small arms and .cannon. Dubasoff cried out to Shestakoff to try and place another torpedo in order to make sure of the ship, and the latter slipped in under the stem and put down another torpedo in the same manner as the previous one. He then shot off until he was at a safe distance, applied the electric battery in the same manner and a still more terrible explosion followed. “ Parts of the ship were blown into the air, ss they very soon perceived by a large plank which a few seconds later came down endways, driving its way through the iron screen into the boat between two of the sailors who were back to back close to each other without injuring either of them. Then the monitor sank rapidly, and after afew moments nothing but her masts was visible above water.”