HIS PART IN THE CIVIL WAR 149 



rowed away. But no explosions followed, for something 

 had gone wrong with the mechanism of the mines. 

 Afterwards it was found that the type of fuse which had 

 been used would not burn in a pressure of twenty feet 

 of water, the depth at which the mines had been floated. 

 Later, the torpedoes, as they were then called, were 

 discovered by the Federals, taken out of the water, and 

 carried away as relics. 



Maury was not overly discouraged, but returned to 

 Richmond to continue his experiments so as to perfect 

 an apparatus which would be more successful next time. 

 These experiments were made possible through the 

 assistance of the Richmond Medical College, which fur- 

 nished batteries and offered the use of its laboratory, 

 and by the help of the Tredegar Iron Works as well as 

 those of Talbot and Son. Maury carried on these experi- 

 ments at the house of his cousin Robert H. Maury in 

 Richmond at 1105 East Clay Street, which was marked 

 in 1910 by the Confederate Memorial Society with this 

 commemorative inscription: ** In this house, Matthew 

 Fontaine Maury, LL. D., U. S. N., C. S. N., invented 

 the submarine Electrical Torpedo, 1861-62". 



While engaged in this work, Maury set forth his hopes 

 of success in the following letter: "I am experimenting 

 upon my deep sea batteries and so far, as difficulties have 

 presented themselves, they have one by one been over- 

 come. I shall be ready for demonstration next week I 

 hope. . . . Then if I can get the powder, I will launch 

 in the Potomac, the Chesapeake, and its tributaries 

 hundreds of these things in pairs, each pair connected by 

 a line several hundred feet in length and in such a manner 

 that if the line fouls the vessel while she is at anchor, or 

 any vessel crosses the line while she is under weigh, the 



