Griswold on Submarine Explosion. 95 
has looked over the history of her revolutionary war, has 
heard of the machine invented by David Bushnell, for sub- 
marine navigation, and the destruction of hostile e shipping. 
I have thought that a correct and full account of that novel 
and original invention, would not be unacceptable to 
public, and particularly to those devoted to the poronit of 
science and the arts. 
If the idea of submarine warfare had ever oceurred to 
any one, before the epoch of Bushnell’s invention, yet it 
may be safely stated, that a ideas but his own ever came 
to any practical results, » To him, I believe, the whole merit 
of this invention is unanimously agreed to belong. 
ut such an account as I have mentioned, must derive 
an additional value, and an ots ees inte: rest from ‘aes ; 
that all the information the follow 
as been received from the ‘only person in n existence DOs- 
sessed of that information, and who was the very same that 
first embarked in this novel and perilous navigation. oe ae 
Mr. Ezra Lee, first a sergeant and afterwards an e 
in the revolutionary army, a Fae a worthy, and elder- 
ly citizen of this town, is the person to whom I have allu- 
ded ; to him was committed the ar essay for destroying a 
hostile ship by submarine pono pues upon his state- 
ments an implicit reliance may be 
Considering Bushnell’s machine as vets first of its kind, 
[ think it will be pronounced to be remarkably complete 
throughout in its construction, and that such an invention 
furnishes evidence of those resources ‘nde creative powers, 
which must rank him as a mechanical conte of the. first 
order. 
[ shall first attend to a description of this machine, and 
afterwards to a relation of the enterprise in it by sergeant 
e; confining myself in oon ease strictly to the facts 
with which he has paren 
Yours, &c 
CHARLES GRISWOLD. 
Bushneli’s saline was composed of several pieces of 
large oak timber, scooped out and fitted together, and its 
shape my informer compares to that of a round clam. It 
was bound around thoroughly with iron bands, the seams 
oe 
were corked, and the whole was smeared over with tar, se 
