kegs floated past and strained the lanyard, but there was no explosion.
Impatient we backed water to the buoy and the writer leaned over the stern
and caught the lanyard to give the necessary pull, but in the very act
the explosion took place, a column of water went up twenty feet or more,
and descending, gave us a good wetting and filled the surrounding water
with stunned and dead fish. The officials on the wharf applauded and
were convinced, and that the experiments might continue Governor Letcher
loaned power, and shortly after the Naval Bureau of Coast, Harbour, and
River Defense was organized with ample funds for the work, and the very
best of intelligent and devoted young officers as assistants and an
office was opened in Richmond at the corner of Ninth and Bank Streets,
where Rueger's now is.

In a few months he had mined James River with fixed torpedoes to be
exploded by electricity should the enemy attempt to pass, and a means
thus indicated to protect the city. During the summer and fall attacks
were made upon the Federal squadron at Fortress Monroe, under the
personal command of Captain Maury from Norfolk. The first of these was
early in July, 1861, from Seawell's Point, at the mouth of the James
River, and was directed against two of the fleet there--the "Minnesota"
and the "Roanoke." Friday and Saturday night he sent an officer in a
boat to reconnoitre, but there was a steam picket on watch, Sunday as he
was spying them through a glass, noting their relative positions, he saw
the church flag on two of them, a white flag bearing a cross displayed,
flying just a little above the ship ensign. When he thought that those
men were worshipping God in sincerity and truth, and, no doubt, thinking
themselves in the line of their duty, he could but feel for them when he
remembered how soon he might be the means of sending many of them into
eternity. That night the attacking party in five boats set off about ten
o'clock. Captain Maury was in the first boat with the pilot and four
oars. Each of the others manned by an officer and four men carried a
magazine with thirty fathoms of rope attached. These magazines were oak
casks of powder with a fuse in each. Two joined by the rope were
stretching across the ebbtide and when directly ahead of the ships were
let go, and floating down the rope caught across the cable, the torpedo
would drift and the ship strain the trigger, ignite the fuse and
explode. "The night was still, ca