Probably | | | | several mines were placed in the | | | | form of a circle. | | | | July, | Captain | Experiment with his | Brighton, | The vessel completely destroyed. 1844. | Warner. | invisible shell, on a | England. | | | barque of 450 tons. | | | | | | Jan. 1, | Colonel S. |Experiment with an electric| New York. |Successful. The operator being at 1845. | Colt. | submarine mine. | | a distance of 40 miles from | | | | where the explosion took place. | | | | 1846. | Professor | Discovered the explosive | .. |Brought into use for military | Schonbein.| agent "gun-cotton." | | purposes about 1863, by | | | | Professor Abel. | | | | 1846. | Sobrero. | Discovered the explosive | .. |Brought into use about 1863, for | | agent nitro-glycerine. | | blasting purposes by M. Alfred | | | | Nobel, a Swede. | | | | 1854. | Russians. | Attempted destruction of | Cronstadt. |Several torpedoes were exploded | | the English men-of-war | | near these ships, but with no | | _Merlin_ and _Firefly_, | | other results than a wetting to | | by stationary submarine | | some of their men. | | mines. | | | | | | Feb. 18, |Confederates.|Federal gunboats attempting| America. |Considerably delayed, caused by 1862. | | to force the Savannah | | the submarine mines, but no | | river. | | actual damage done. This was | | | | their first appearance in a | | | | practical form during the civil | | | | war. | | | | Dec. 13, | " | Destruction of the Federal|Yazoo River,|Two torpedoes exploded under her; 1862. | | ironclad _Cairo_, by | America. | vessel much shattered, and sunk