Sensitive Tubes?

[Fod]

(Now that Herr Schmidt is back mit uns)

What has been issued when an arsenal writes an invoice for "sensitive tubes?"

Since they're also listed, I'm assuming they differ somehow from portfires and friction tubes

(Y'know....were this a less gentlemanly bunch... :D )

[Jefferson Guards]

I was wondering the same thing. I was thinking that maybe they were the "tubes" for "tubelock" muskets. In all the records I have they were sent separately from any artillery equipment or ordnance and I have never hear of anything used in the artillery called "sensitive tubes." This is probably just the beginning of many new mysteries.

[Fod]

Brian,

I guess that something for a tubelock is a possibility, but I'm not seeing the numbers that would support that. CS small arms ammunition shipments are generally in the tens of thousands in multiple caliber and ball types and as you noted, these things are sent separately from other items. I've got invoices for "sensitive tubes" as single item shipments in quantities of 1000, 500, and 250 to Savannah, and Mobile. The other items I've seen in similar type shipments are friction tubes and portfires. That's the only thing that led me to think of an artillery association.

Took a look at www.civilwarartillery.com - great glossary there, but no sensitive tubes.

Still hoping someone else will jump in here.

Regards,

Daniel

[styler]

I'm no expert, but considering where they are going I'll theorize that they may be some sort of contact primer or fuse that would set off a charge - say on a torpedo/mine.

[10TnVI]

Just a possible approach-Perhaps something like this- from Scott's Military Dictionary-

The subject is Russian "powder box" mines-
"into the top of each box was inserted a vertical tin tube, connected with a horizontal tin tube at the surface of the ground. Within the latter was a glass tube filled with sulphuric acid, and coated with a composition of Chlorate of Potassa, sugar, sulphur and gum water, which immediately takes fire on contact with the acid. The space between the interior of the tin tube and the exterior of the glass tube, as well as the vertical tin tube, is filled with gunpowder. A little earth spread lightly over the whole completes the arrangement. A person walking over the ground, and treading on the tin tube, crushes it, and the glass tube contained in it, causing the escape of sulphuric acid and the explosion of the gunpowder"

perhaps the reference to sensitive tubes applies to a fuze system for use with mines or torpedos. Such a use would account for the scale of the shipments noted.

[Dignann]

It does appear that they are an integral part of the mechanics used in torpedoes. The following piece of correspondence is from the ORs, Series I, Volume XXVIII, Part 2, pp. 403-404


CHARLESTON, October 8, 1863.
Brig. Gen. THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: Some few weeks since I commenced making preparations for making torpedoes, with the object of destroying some of the enemy's vessels. My attention was directed to the Ironsides or <ar47_404> one of the monitors. I made known my plans to Captain Mickler, who agreed to go and take his men. The attempt of Lieutenant Glassell on the Ironsides has frustrated all our plans in that quarter. So the only feasible chance, if any, is to go outside and attempt the destruction of one of the blockading vessels. With that view, I have spoken to Captain Gray to put three of his sensitive tubes in each of my torpedoes.

...The tide forces the torpedoes against the vessel with force enough to explode the sensitive tubes.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. PLINY BRYAN,
Captain, and Assistant Adjutant-General.


The ORs contain a couple other references to sensitive tubes and their use in torpedoes.

Eric Mink
Co. A, 4th Virginia
Stonewall Brigade

[Jack Enright]

Eric; ref. Captain Bryan's letter;

Referring to the section where he talks about "the tide forces the torpedo against the vessel", it sounds like what he calls a torpedo, would these days be called a mine? I'm thinking in particular of the type of naval contact mine used up to and including WWII.

Can you confirm if this is correct, please?

It would tie in with the name given to a later explosive device, the 'spar torpedo', which was fitted on the end of a long spar. The spar was extended over the bow of the attacking ship, and rammed into the hull (below the waterline) of the vessel being attacked. The spar torpedo had no self-propelling system fitted.

Best regards,

Jack Enright
24th MI Vol Inf (UK)

[1stMaine]

Comrade Jack,
You are indeed correct. The term torpedo, in the 19th century, referred to what we would now call mines. It is also the reference used by Farragut at Mobile Bay with his "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead", etc....
There were some interesting attempts at floating torpedos/mines, whereby a device of suficient weight was attached to the underside of a standard torpedo, allowing it to "float" just beneath the surface and so hinder visual detection. The most common shape of these torpedos appears to be a simple water-proof wooden keg, strapped with either iron, tin, or wood, and filled with powder. A cone, made of tin, was attached to each end in order to assist it in floating and maintaining a level appearance.
Most of these torpedoes appear to use a variation or modification of the Navy caplock, used on Naval Ordnance, to ignite the charge, the impact of the vessel on the percussion cap being sufficient to cause it to detonate.
Some good information and line drawings/sketches may be found in Coggin's book "Arms and Equipment of the Civil war".
Respects,

[Fod]

Excellent. Thanks for pulling that out of the OR's.
I had considered the possibility of torpedos (sea mines) briefly, but didn't know enough about them to consider any further. Makes a lot of sense though. Thanks.

[SCTiger]

It took 7 pounds of pressure to crush the tubes, Colonel Rains lost his arm to a mine that prematurely exploded. Rains is also regarded as the inventor of the land mine. There was a "History Channel" special on land mines and his "torpedos" and infernal machines were featured.

Rains probably killed more Yankee's then any southern Army, there are no statutes to Col. Rains, but the war would have been very short without him and his brother.

Good work Dan!



Greg Deese