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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 shipping. 
T have thought that a correct and full account of that novel 
and original invention, would not be unacceptable to the 
public, aud particularly to those devoted to the pursuit of 
science and the arts. 
If the idea of submarine warfare had ever occurred to 
any one, before the epoch of Bushnell’s mvention, yet it 
may be safely stated, that no 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. 
But such an account as I have mentioned, must derive 
an additional value, and an increased interest from the fact, 
that all the information contamed in the following pages, 
has been received from the only person in existence pos- 
sessed of that information, and who was the very same that 
first embarked in this novel and perilous navigation. 
Mr. Ezra Lee, first a sergeant and afterwards an ensign 
in the revolutionary army, a respectable, worthy, and elder- 
ly citizen of this town, is the person to whom I have allu- 
ded ; to him was committed the first essay for destroying a 
hostile ship by submarine explosion, and upon his state- 
ments an implicit reliance may be placed. 
Considering Bushnell’s machine as the first of its kind, 
Tthink it will be pronounced to be remarkably complete 
throughout in its construction, and that such an invention 
furnishes evidence of those resources and creative powers, 
which must rank him as a mechanical genius 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 
Lee; confining myself in each case, strictly to the facts 
with which he has supplied me. 
Yours, &c. 
CHARLES GRISWOLD. 
Bushneli’s machine 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 
were corked, and the whole was smeared over with tar, so 
