Letters Relating to Alligator’s Construction & Deployment
The following letters come from the National Archives Record Group 71, which were photographed by Jim Christley at the Submarine Force Museum Library and transcribed by Chuck Veit. There are a number of other letters in this file, all of which will be added as they are transcribed.
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2. The
owners of the Villeroi Sub-marine Propeller having proposed to dispose
of this new arm to the Government of the United States respectfully
submit the following proposition: They
will sell the said invention with all the specifications, plans,
drawings, and secrets pertaining thereto, and the boat already
constructed for salvage purposes, with all the apparatus connected
therewith for a sum of money to be hereafter agreed upon. Mr
Villeroi would offer his services to superintend the construction of the
boat, drill the crew, and conduct in person the sub-marine operations. Should
the first proposition made by the owners of the Villeroi sub-marine
propeller not meet with approval by the Government of the united States,
they respectfully offer to substitute the following. Proposition
No. 3: They
would agree to superintend the construction of an iron sub-marine
propeller for hostile operations, not to exceed in cost fourteen
thousand dollars, and to be completed in forty days after the contract;
(the Government to pay for the work as executed), and to dispose of said
invention with all the plans, specifications, secrets, etc. pertaining
thereto for a sum of money to be hereafter agreed upon, contingent
upon the success of aid vessel, the money to be paid as soon as the boat
shall be satisfactorily tested by a commission appointed by the
Government. As
it would be necessary to the Government to have the boat already built
(the same reported upon by a Commission of Officers at the Philad’a
Navy Yard July 7th 1861) as a school of instruction
to drill a crew while constructing another
upon a larger scale for war purposes, the owners would expect the
Government to take the same at cost. Should
the first and second propositions respectfully submitted to the
Government of the United States by the owners of the Villeroi sub-marine
propeller be rejected, they would agree to contract to perform a
specific undertaking. They
will contract to blow up one or more vessels of war at the Norfolk Navy
Yard for a sum equivalent to the damage inflicted upon the enemy, to be
paid them on the destruction of the property. |
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3.
Navy
Yard Phila. July
7th 1861 Sir, In
obedience to your order of May 3oth 1861,
the Diving Machine of Mr De Villeroi being reported ready for
inspection, we proceeded to Delanco, New jersey to examine it, and have
the honor to make the following report: The
submarine propeller submitted to our inspection consists of an iron
cylinder, cone shaped at the two extremities, about thirty feet in
length, by four feet at its greatest diameter. It is propelled by means
of a screw in the stern, with two pinions, one on either side,
resembling somewhat a whale in external form and appearance. Light is
communicated to the interior by means of glass bulls eyes on the back,
thirty six in number. An ellipsoidal section eight inches in height,
opening and closing at will, affords entrance and exit to a crew of from
six to twelve men, according
to the speed required. A corresponding section at the bottom of the boat
admits the egress of the divers, who breathing by means of tubes
attached to the boat, are enabled to perform submarine operations, such
as raising sunken cargoes and attaching torpedoes to the bottoms of
hostile vessels. An artificial atmosphere perfectly respirable by the
men is generated by the inventor, by a chemical process, so that the
submerged boat executes its maneuvers without any connection to the
surface. Its entire apparatus is contained in the interior and invisible
from the outside. In
justice to Mr De Villeroi we should state that the boat in question was
constructed for salvage purposes and not for war uses (for the latter,
he proposes if his services are accepted by the Government, to construct
another on a larger scale, whose greater capacity would afford
additional facilities for the maneuvers of the men, while it would also
be provided with a greatly increased power of propulsion, so that in the
experiment we have considered the machine employed simply as a model to
demonstrate the principles to be established by the inventor. From
the experiments we have witnessed, corroborated by those made
previously, we consider that Mr De Villeroi has demonstrated the
following principles: 1st
– The ability to remain submerged for a length of time without
communication with the surface or external atmosphere, and without the
least fatigue or exhaustion to the men. 2nd
– That of sinking and raising his boat at pleasure six [?] immersions
and emersions. 3rd
– Ability of the men to leave and return to the boat while under
water. 4th
– Ability of a man leaving the boat to live for a length of time under
water, breathing by means of a tube connected with the boat. With
regard to locomotion, the commission cannot form any decided opinion,
but are under … [missing page] The
examination of the telescope called for in your order has not been made,
[it] not having been brought to our notice by the inventor. Very
Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant Signed: Henry
K. Hoff, Commander Charles
Steadman, Commander Robert
Danby, Chief Engineer Capt.
S. F. Dupont Commanding U.S. Naval Station Philadelphia |
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5. Philadelphia,
March 8, 1861 To
the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln Excellency, I
have had the honor to remit a letter to you by Mrs Villeroi, my wife, a
letter containing the proposition and description of a new maritime
weapon, under the title, Submarine navigation. After
the different experiments required by the commission, named by Commodore
Dupont, the reports having been satisfactory, the Navy Department
ordered the construction of a propeller, according to my system on a
large scale, nominating me chief engineer and superintendent of the
construction. Now
the propeller is finished and ready to go on an expedition. The crew
consists of 20 select Frenchmen whom I am to command in person. My
nomination as officer, with a salary of 2000 dollars a year, has been
announced tome in a letter from the first of November last, signed by
Commodore Joseph Smith for the secretary. But as I have not yet received
that commission as officer, commander of the propeller, I should be
happy to receive it from the hands of Your Excellency as having received
the first proposition of my services for the national cause when worthy
representatives … …
properly equipped, it becomes an easy matter to reconnoiter the
enemy’s coast, to land men, ammunition, etc., at any given point, to
enter harbors, to keep up intelligences [and] to carry explosive bombs
under the very keels of vessels [--all] that without being seen. With a
few such boats, manned [each] one by about a dozen men, the most
formidable fleet could be annihilated in a short time. The one that [we]
have experimented with is thirty-two feet in length, is built of iron,
and is furnished with a screw propeller. It can be made to go on the
surface of the water [and] at any depth almost—below and without any
communication whatever with the external atmosphere. When under water,
the men can go out of the boat to perform any work, to remove any object
from the bottom, etc., and come in again without the least difficulty
(see the relation in the North American and United States Gazette
hereinclosed). After
this communication, Sir, should you [find] my services to be profitable
to the grand cause of [the] Union, I could place myself at your disposal
[also] my boat and a well practiced crew. And [should] several such
boats be deemed necessary, I could have them promptly built and [their]
respective crews could be made to practice . . . …
I have the honor to be with distinguished consideration, Your
Excellency’s Most
Obedient Servant, De
Villeroi, civil engineer 1325
Pine Street |
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6.
Philadelphia,
26th Sept 1861 Hon.
Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Washington Sir, Some
time since two reports were made to the Navy Department relative to a
proposition I had made tendering my services to the Government of the
united States. They were submitted by a Commission of Officers attached
to the Navy Yard at Philadelphia appointed by Capt. Dupont. One
of those reports referred to my plan of submarine navigation and the
other to a telescope so constructed as to show the distance from one
point to another (whether accessible or not) without the necessity of
any calculation or actual measurement whatever. The
experiments having proved satisfactory to the Commission under whose
inspection they were made, I am desirous to know the result of their
reports, and therefore beg leave to request, Sir, that you will come the
favor to cause me to be informed of what conclusion the Government has
come to in regard to the offer of my services. I
have the honor to be Sir, Your
obedient servant De
Villeroi, civil engineer 1325
Pine Street, Philadelphia |
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7.
Bureau
of Yards & Docks 16th
Oct. 1861 Honorable
Gideon Welles Secretary
of the Navy Sir, I
have the honor to acknowledge the reference to this Bureau of the report
of a Board of Officers of whom Captain Hoff of the Navy was the senior,
on the plan and performance of a submarine apparatus by Mr De Villeroi,
and beg to submit the following remarks. I
have given the report a cursory examination and find that some of the
features of this invention have been used by Professor Ryerson of New
York, but to what extent I am unable to say. Mr De Villeroi supplies an
atmosphere by chemical process, but the means are not stated, nor the
mode of raising and lowering the vessel in the water at the will of the
operator. The
experiment appears to have been quite satisfactory to the Board, but in
my opinion the trial was made on too small a scale to test the
efficiency of such a vessel for war purposes. For
many years the ingenuity of man has been taxed to invent means of
destroying an enemy’s vessels by attaching explosive machines to their
bottoms, but such means have not, to my knowledge, ever yet proved
successful. There is a difficulty of holding on whilst attaching the
instrument of destruction to the vessel, when the operators cannot touch
the bottom. I
infer that a vessel could be constructed upon the proposed plan, which
would enable those trained to the work to move at pleasure under water
at a slow rate of speed, provided the current be not too great, and the
compass be properly adjusted to the interior of the iron vessel. If
the boat proposed by the inventor can be propelled at the rate of three
miles per hour, and the persons working it can detach themselves from it
and operate outside, returning to it in safety, the invention might
prove useful against vessels in an enemy’s port or in a roadstead. To
make a more extended and perfect test, a boat should be built under the
direction of the inventor, the cost of which I am informed will not
exceed $14,000, and men employed who are trained to work it. Such a
vessel could be used for war purposes as well as for general submarine
explorations. The
inventor and his friends propose to enter into contract with the
Government for a given sum, to destroy the vessels in the port of
Norfolk, without pay in the event of failure. This would be a safe
experiment for the Government and probably the most satisfactory for
both parties, provided the price to be paid is limited to the amount of
damage inflicted on the enemy. How
far the Department may feel disposed to patronize this invention by a
further test of its merits, or by contracting with the owners to perform
certain service for a stipulated sum, is for you to decide. The
report of the Board is herewith returned.
I
have the honor to be Very
respectfully, Your
obedient servant, Joseph
Smith |
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8.
Bureau
of Yards & Docks 1
November 1861 DeVilleroi,
B. Engineer Philadelphia By
order of the Secretary of the Navy you are hereby appointed and put in
charge of the construction of the iron sub-marine propeller, on your
plan, under the contract of this date with Mr Martin Thomas; the vessel
to be built at Philadelphia; you to select the crew on terms to be
approved by the Department, to work the same when completed. Your
pay will be at the rate of $2000 per annum for the time you shall be
employed by the Navy Department, to be paid monthly. You
will employ only such men for the crew of the vessel as may be
absolutely necessary for your purposes, and the Navy Department will
furnish more men when you require them. You will please be particular in
the construction of this propeller that no mistake be made and see that
it be well provided, according to contract in all respects, for
immediate action in the service intended, of which you have been
informed. Respectfully Your
obedient servant Joseph
Smith |
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17.
Rec’d
21 Dec Phil’a
Dec 20, 1861 Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau etc. Dear
Sir, In
view of the threatened trouble with England, would it not be well to
build four or five more of Villeroi’s submarines? The expense would be
a trifle compared with possessing the means of clearing our rivers
and bays of blockaders. Mr
de Villeroi has put his invention in writing, and I have read it and
sealed it up, as provided in the contract, and signed the certificate. I
have no doubt of its success.
With
great respect Yours
most truly W.
L. Hirst |
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18.
Bureau
of Yards & Docks 21
December 1861 Hirst,
W. L. Philadelphia,
Penn’a I
have yours of the 20th inst. The Navy Dept. will not order
any more of Mr de Villeroi’s submarine propellers till after the one
now contracted for shall have been tried. If it performs all that the
inventor sets forth, no doubt more will be required. I
presume you translated the description of Mr de Villeroi’s secrets and
certified that it truly describes the invention.
Yours
Respectfully, Joseph
Smith |
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19.
Phil’a Dec.
22, 1861 Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau of Yards and Docks Your
communication of yesterday is rec’d. The
suggestion as to multiplying the propeller was my own. I had not seen
the parties. I felt, as a citizen, that such a means of protection to
our inland waters would be very effective in the contingency of a war
with England. The
statement of M. de Villeroi is simple and complete. I do not recollect
whether it is translated. I know that the original is in French, for I
went over it carefully and minutely, and was satisfied, but I do not
recollect whether a translation accompanied it, and as it is sealed up,
I am unable to say. I
rec’d your telegraph this afternoon, and sent for Mr Thomas. He says
the propeller is on the point of being finished; it will be done in a
day or two; but he is very … on the subject of towing it by sea. He
thinks it cannot be done, but that there is no risk in taking it by the
way of the canal and Chesapeake Bay. I certainly think it is the most
judicious mode of getting it to the point desired, unless it could be
taken on board the Brooklyn. Mr
Thomas will call on you on Thursday. The
sealed package, with my certificate, are in my fire proof, ready to be
forwarded when requested. They have not been out of my possession.
Respectfully, Your
most obedient servant W.
L. Hirst |
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21.
Philadelphia,
December 29th 1861 Commodore
Joseph Smith Sir, I
have the honor to send you the list of the new men on my equipage. According
to your instructions I have delayed their engagement as long as
possible; but I could not leave to the last day to complete their
number, as the men I need are scarce and must be taken as soon as they
are found. Too many persons of high standing in the present
circumstances give the example of treason and insubordination, to be
prudent to trust the first comers among sailors. Consequently my crew is
entirely composed of French. Not because they are better than others in
other respect, but I am sure of their fidelity and obedience.
Moreover they learn during the construction to get familiar with the
pieces, which they have to manoeuvre afterwards. And soon after the
workmen have left and on Sundays they help me to prepare the work for
the next day. I only want the divers, but they are difficult to find at
this season. I am obliged to go to New York for that, whilst the vessel
is being painted inside and outside, after variation. As
to the bounty, if you can not grant anything under that name, it is
possible to pass that miserable small sum of ten dollars under the title
of recruiting and travelling expenses. Reliable men of good conduct who
de[v]ote themselves to an exceptional service for the national cause
deserve well some little favor. If
the contractor had been willing to pay more liberally to have the work
done on Sundays or in the night as it is done at present in the workshop
for other kinds of work, there would have been no delay. As to me I work
day and night at the plans and surveying a good execution. I
have the honor to be Respectfully
Yours [sic] Very
humble servant De
Villeroi (Crew list from separate page:)
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67.
Phil:
May 5th 1862 Commodore
Jos Smith My
dear Sir, I
regret that you have any doubt as to the success of the Propeller. It is
a sure thing. I am not sanguine, generally, but in this
matter I have not the slightest doubt of success. But we must force M.
deV. On, for his own sake, as well as the Government. If he will not
act, without delay, do not hesitate to strike the blow. It is a thousand
times more sure and safe than the Monitor was. That depended on a
fight—this, on no such danger. The young Frenchman …
last night is willing to go without DeV., as
is his companion and they say would do better without him,
under the orders of an energetic young officer. There is no
risk in the experiment, at all—I
hope you will not allow an hour to be lost. I can’t understand DeV. He
has been chattering with other parties, but they won’t touch him, nor
will any honorable man collude with him to supplant the parties now
interested, who have advanced so much money, time, and energy to
befriend DeV. I would like you to write him the [changed?] kind of
orders, even stronger than the last, tho’ that had the real gist in
it. The Gov’t must keep this invention. DeV. Is old and
if this fails, and he dies, it is gone. You
might safely write DeV. that I have all the
power to settle the matter. I shall
not abuse your confidence, nor use it in any way except first approved
by you. But it will bring him to me and enable me to advise with effect.
He always used to trust to my advice, implicitly, and I can easily
restore his confidence if there is a chance.
… W.
L. Hirst |
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73.
Bureau
of Yards & Docks May
7th 1862 Hirst,
Wm L. Attorney
at Law Philadelphia Your
letter of the 6th inst. has been received. I have written a
letter to Mr De Villeroi, of which the enclosed is a copy. If
you cannot see him and make a satisfactory arrangement with him, the
Department authorizes you to use the secret confided to you, and prepare
the boat with a crew to go to Fortress Monroe as soon as possible,
notifying the Department when the boat is ready to be shipped. I
enclose an order to Comm. Pendergrast to reclaim the apparatus which ahs
been paid for and is the property [of the] U. States, now deposited at
De Villeroi’s boarding house. Commo.
Pendergrast has been directed to order a Board of competent officers to
witness the experimental trial of the boat tomorrow.
Respectfully, Your
obedient servant, Jos.
Smith |
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80. Rec’d
13 May Phil’a 12
May 1862 Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau of Yards & Docks Dear
Sir, I
wrote yesterday to you, on hearing the glorious Norfolk news, asking
whether your instructions are still in force, and desiring a telegram if
you had otherwise determined (tho’ I think not) as I proposed to
enlist the crew today. I postponed that until tomorrow when I will do so
at $40 per month, during your pleasure, every thing included, unless I
receive your telegram. It
is necessary to do so or they will scatter. One has already shipped on a
boat, a merchantman. I
would recommend the payment of the back wages of the first four who
signed the original articles, as they have been constantly faithful to
the boat and are indispensable. Their names are Alex Rhode, Henri and
Jean Lambert, and Jean Frank. It
is necessary to have a head in place of M. DeVilleroi on the boat. Mr
Wickenham, who was on the Expedition to Sebastopol to raise the sunken
ships, warmly recommends Mr Samuel Eakins, who was 18 months at that
submarine work and … the protect/protest c…, skill of activity
there. For his fitness, he would be available right-… if you can rely
on the testimony of M Wickenham. Mr Eakins was on board the boat today
and expressed the most perfect confidence in its success. Mr E. is a
practical electrician and perfectly experienced in submarine explosions.
If you approve I will ascertain his terms. Mr
DeVilleroi is not yet heard from, and I consider that he has, for some
comprehensible reason, abandoned the matter. I have acted accordingly,
pursuant to your instructions. Mr
Thomas is pushing on the boat. It was tried today while Mr Eakins was on
board, and propelled, mainly submerged, with 12 fins, faster than was
expected of her. The
Commodore has approved the boat and I am daily in expectation of being
ready for the test trial.
Respectfully, W. L. Hirst |
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81. Rec’d
13 May Bureau
of Yards & Docks 13th
May 1862 Hirst,
Wm L Phil’a
Your
letter of the 12th inst. has been received. You
will pay the four men who were first engaged and took the oath of
allegiance their back wages, as you recommend. You
will engage Mr Eakins, provided De Villeroi still declines to comply
with the request of the Department, and such of the crew as you may deem
necessary, to be continued during the pleasure of the Government upon
their taking the oath of allegiance. The pay of Mr Eakins is to be the
same as that allowed to Mr De Villeroi, and the wages of the crew at a
rate of $40 per month. The Propeller will remain at the yard for the
present, there being nothing now for her to do. I
regret the trouble which arose between De Villeroi and the contractor,
and was in hopes that you would effect a reconciliation and secure his
services. He
has however only himself to reproach for his contumacy.
Respectfully, Jos.
Smith |
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82.
This
agreement in two parts entered into this thirteenth day of May AD 1862
between Alexander Rhodes, John Lambert, Joseph N. Bates, Amos W. Austin,
Howard Bates, William Ross, Philip C. McCarran, Benjamin B. Claypool,
and Cooper Woodington of the first part and Commodore Joseph Smith,
Chief of the Bureau of Yards & Docks acting under the Navy
Department of the United States of the other part, witnesseth, We
parties of the first part agree to serve the United States as operatives
in the Submarine Propeller under contract with Martin Thomas for and
during the time they shall be employed by the United States at the rate
of twenty four dollars per month each for … for [subsistence?] and
necessary clothing for the work; and they further agree to sign the oath
of allegiance to the United States as prescribed and which to the law of
the United States enacted for the government of the Navy of the United
States. And
the party of the second part agrees to pay them the said wages monthly,
with ten dollars bounty each on signing this agreement as bounty for
engaging in the perilous services of this propeller under orders of the
Government placed over them. It
is further agreed that the pay of the said parties of the first part
shall commence from the 12th day of May instant. In
witness whereof the said parties have hereto set their hands and seals
this day and year aforesaid. Signed,
sealed, and delivered in presence of W. L. Hirst as to parties of the
first part. (Listing
names of crew) Alexander
Rhodes John
Lambert Joseph
N. Bates Amos
W. Austin Howard
Bates William
Ross Philip
C. McCarran Benjamin
B. Claypool Cooper
Woodington (Also:) Names
of the old crew of the Submarine Propeller, with the time each served,
etc., as given to me by Alexander Rhodes and Jean Lambert, May 13, 1862. Alex
Rhodes, engaged Nov. 4,
’61, still in service, has received $15. John
Lambert, “
“ “
“
“
nothing …..
Lambert,
“
“ “
“ left
1 May
$24 John
Frank,
“
“ “
“
left April 20
$50 Pachan
[?]
“
Dec 15, “
left April 20 Pullan
“
“ “
“
“
“
“ Delron
“
Feb 1, “
“ March 25 Carpentier
[same as above] Porte
[same] Poste
[same] Royer
[same] Bartian
/ Bartrain [same[ 2
or 3 others, names not … [same[ Enuette
“
Dec 1, “
left May 1 Joseph
[same as above] Emile
“
Feb 1, “
left March 25 Reported
by W. L. Hirst |
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86.
Philad’a,
May 14, 1862 Sam’l
Eakins, Esq. Philadelphia Sir, I
am authorized by Commodore Joseph Smith, Chief of Bureau of Yards &
Docks, to engage your services as superintendent of the Submarine
Propeller now at the Navy Yard Phil’a, at a salary of $1500 per year
payable monthly at during the pleasure of the government, on your taking
the oath of allegiance prescribed by law. You
will signify to Commodore Smith your acceptance, and report to him for
instructions without delay.
Respectfully, W.
L. Hirst |
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88. Rec’d
15 May Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau of Yards & Docks Sir, I
have received a communication from Mr. Hirst to the effect that he is
authorized to engage my services as Superintendent of the sub-marine
propeller now at the Navy Yard Philadelphia at a salary of $1500 per year
payable monthly during the pleasure of the Government, on my taking the
oath of allegiance prescribed by law. I
have the pleasure of accepting herewith said appointment, and of enclosing
to you the oath of allegiance duly signed and sworn. Awaiting
your instructions,
I
remain Very
respectfully Your
obedient servant, Samuel
Eakins |
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93. Philadelphia May
17th 1862 Honorable
Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Sir, I
do not wish to make accrimination on the past, nor on the tribulations
that I have experienced. I am devoted to the Government as much as ever,
but my correspondence with your Department having always been direct,
I have given the right to no one to make arrangements for me, not more to
Mr Hirst than to any other. On
account of difficulties that arose between the contractor and myself, I
have been discharged (for the French character this is a
humiliation). The contract was broken as has been announced to me.
Accordingly there is no more engineer nor contractor. But the rights of
the inventor are still in question, and in respect to that I depend
entirely on the equity of the Government. But things must pass direct with
me. If you think my services of use for the Government, please make your
conditions. I think they will be just enough to be accepted by me. Allow
me only to recall to you, that 20 men have been at my
expense from January 1st till April 15th, and as I
have received only 21 days pay (from Dec. 10th till 31st)
fro 17 men, I have spent a great deal of my own money. For this affair I
have worked more for the glory than for money. My nature is not that of
contractors.
I
have the honor to be Respectfully, Your
obedient servant, DeVilleroi |
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92. Bureau
of Yards and Docks May
19, 1862 M.
DeVilleroi Phila’d’a I
have received your letter of the 17th inst., and in reply would
state that all my communications have been addressed to you direct,
passing only in one or two instances through the hands of Mr. Hirst. I
called upon you to complete the boat on Government account, agreeing to
pay you and your crew from the date of suspension of your pay on the 1st
of January last, but you declined to receive or take any notice of the
Bureau’s communication. The
Government therefore was compelled to make other arrangements for
completing the boat, and to engage a commander to take charge of and
operate her. I
had always considered you as a party to the contract, although you did not
sign it. Your quarrel with the contractor should not interfere with your
duty to the Government. I
can only regret the course you have seen proper to pursue. Some of the men
whom you have engaged will be paid by the Government. The
Department has no further propositions to offer.
Respectfully, Your
ob’d Serv’t Joseph
Smith |
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107. Rec’d
5 June Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau of Docks & Yards Sir, By
order of yourself communicated to me by Wm. L. Hirst, Esq., I assumed charge
of the submarine propeller lying at the Navy Yard Philadelphia and reported
to yourself for duty on 14th ult. I have since been diligently
engaged in the duty assigned me and I now report to this date May 31st. 1st
The absence of all the air tubes and couplings necessary for connections
with the air pumps and air chambers of the boat, as well as pipes and
couplings belonging [to] the apparatus for distributing the air through the
boat, all of which had evidently at one time been in place but could not now
be found. These have all been replaced and the proper examinations made to
ascertain the completeness of the other fittings. These experimentations
disclosed a number of leaks and an endeavor was made for three days to make
the repairs at the Navy Yard. During this time so many leaks were discovered
from the air chambers around the flanges, bulkheads, and manholes as to make
the return of the boat to the yard of builders (Neafie & Levy) a
necessity. 2nd
The want of a look out place has been supplied. For this it was [necessary]
to take of[f] the upper covering of entrance to the boat and prepare
patterns and castings and this the workmen are now putting in place. The
covering of the entrance to the diver’s room has been altered and refitted
and is now reliable. An alteration has also been made to the door of exit
for the diver that will improve it and I hope may be entirely efficient and
sure in its closing. 3rd
The arrangement for discharge of ballast was very defective. The lever
handles being entirely too short as well as being hid away among pipes for
filling and discharging the water from the tanks. New levers have been made
for these and they are placed in such position as to be immediately
available and sure in operation. A
water pressure gauge and level have been placed in position upon the boat,
water and vents (cocks) inserted in the tanks, which will insure there [sic]
filling. The paddles have been overhauled and made sure of being in good
working order. I have also repainted the
outside and a portion of the inside of the boat and some minor
alterations have been made of the internal arrangement making the parts
easier to access by the crew for working and adding to the efficiency of the
boat.
Very
respectfully, Samuel
Eakins |
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117. Bureau
of Yards & Docks June
5th 1862 Hirst,
Wm L. Your
letter of the 4th inst. with enclosures has been received. You
will use your own discretion as to paying the orders of absentees. Having
receipted for the amount of their services, it remains for you to settle
with the crew of the Propeller. The Bureau always requires the receipt of
the party to whom it is indebted, and payment is made to the agent
authorized to receive the money when he produces the receipt of the
principal. I
enclose bills approved for the amount due for the past month, including
the charge for your own services, which is satisfactory, as it embraces
any future requirements which may be made on you. I propose to put the
crew of the Propeller on the roles of the Paymaster of the Yard, and the
men under regulations from the 1st instant. After
you shall have seen M. De Villeroi, you will let me know what he says, and
how he seems disposed for service. I
presume from Mr Eakins’ report the vessel is now ready excepting the
application of supplying her with air.
Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant, Joseph
Smith |
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118. Rec’d
9th June Philadelphia June
7th 1862 Commodore
Joseph Smith In
your last letter of May 19th you announce to me that a new
commander is to superintend the operations of the propeller and that my
men will be paid. For this letter I thank you, but it is necessary that we
should understand each other. In
granting 16 dollars a month for the board of my men, namely $3.39 a week,
the Department has well understood to make a bargain with me, to avoid the
embarrassment of the difference in price, the mean sum of $3.69. Thus the
most simple manner to regulate this part of the account, that I have
either paid or given security for, is to deposit the whole sum due from
January first for board of the 20 men, whose petition I have approved. I
will settle the accounts for board due to others as well as to me. The
orders will be paid by your agent and the remainder will repay me for what
I have advanced. The receipts will prove it. The
payment for the 21 days of December which I received in May only
(see my receipt) I have kept to repay myself partly for the money that I
have advanced for board and cash during four months, and for some even
more. I will have to pay the balance of their accounts of the 21 days. My
written orders with the sums that they have received will be equally
closed by your agent. Thus all will be settled without misreckoning and
confusion. Why complicate such simple things? As to the month of November
all has been settled in time with the four men according to their own
conditions. They have nothing to claim. I will give this note also to your
agent to avoid all false claims created by malevolence. As
the Government does not admit my services, I think there will be no
difficulty in returning to me the sealed packet that I have deposited with
Mr Hirst, and which was not to be opened but in case of
my death in the service of the
Government.
I
have the honor to be, Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant, De
Villeroi |
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119. Bureau
of Yards & Docks June
9th 1862 De
Villeroi, M. Your
letter of the 7th inst. has been received. When
the Department decided to take the boat and pay the builders, it notified
you that your services were required and you were directed to go on and
complete the boat. You were also informed that your pay as well as that of
your crew would be allowed from the date of it suspension. You thought
proper not to notice the letters—the crew of the vessel have been paid
according to agreement. As
you have become responsible for the board of the crew, you must look to
them and to Mr Hirst to be reimbursed. The Department made no engagement
to pay for subsistence—the bargain was a stated sum in full for pay and
subsistence In
not complying with its requirements the Department considers that you have
been derelict to your engagements according to the stipulations of the
contract to which you were a party, and feels justified in employing the
invention without your aid.
Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant, Joseph
Smith |
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120. Philadelphia June
9th 1862 Commodore
Joseph Smith Chief
of Bureau of Docks Your
communication [?], with pay bills enclosed was duly rec’d. I enclose the
receipts of the [?] crew. I
consider it best that the absentees themselves [? ?] the receipts, as the
[?] are given/gain when the [?] was [?]. I enclose the receipt of Chr.
Dittman who came from New York and of D. Carpenter of Allegand who is out
at Beth___. The two in the army have been written to, at Harpers Ferry,
where I learn they are, with a formal receipt for their separation. The
boat was submerged three times on Saturday—the last time for 20 minutes,
the others 15 minutes. Mr Eakins was perfectly satisfied she is a success.
He detects some small matters to be corrected, which will take 2 or 3
days. He wishes to make to make her perfect. I have great confidence in
him. M.
De Villeroi has not made his appearance. His men, I learn, have [prospects?]
out for him. I have given up all hopes of seeing him, and have settled
nearly all the boat bills on the [?] I could collect. I
am glad you have placed the men on the [?] May Roll. It will improve the
discipline of the crew. I think Mr Eakins ought to be authorized to enlist
a full crew, as room [?] on the boat is [?]. I have the most …ment
confidence in her success and value to the Government.
Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant, Wm
Hirst |
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121. Bureau
of Docks & Yards June
13th 1862 Hirst,
Wm L. The
submarine propeller being reported ready for service please turn her over
to the Commandant of the Navy Yard, to whom I have written directing that
she be sent to Fortress Monroe by the first conveyance. The
crew of the vessel will be borne on the rolls of the Paymaster of the
Yard, and hereafter be paid by him.
Respectfully, Your
Obedient Servant, Joseph
Smith P.S. The
Secretary of the Navy requests that you will make such arrangements with
the master of the boat as will enable him to use her as proposed. |
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122. Telegram Bureau
of Yards and Docks Hirst,
William L. A
vessel was ordered on Saturday to go from Hampton Roads to Philadelphia to
tow the Propeller. Let her be dispatched. Com’d Pendergrast has been
ordered to send her forward immediately, and to fill the crew at
Philadelphia or at Hampton Roads from the vessels. Joseph
Smith |
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123. |