Hide Article Text (OCR)
ALEXANDER, WILLIAM ANTHONY, business man, was born December 21, 1837, in London, England; died May 13, 1914, at Mobile; son of William and Sarah (Graham) Alexander. William Anthony Alexander came to America in 1859 and located at Mobile. He was a machinist by occupation. At the outbreak of the War of Secession, he enlisted in the twenty-first Alabama artillery, C. S. Army, and was assigned to Fort Morgan. He invented and built the first submarine torpedo boat used in the war and also the first used with destructive effect upon the enemy. A historical reference to the boat says, “ ‘The Hunley’ (Alexander’s boat) was a cigar-shaped iron vessel of some twenty-five or thirty feet in length armed with a long wooden pole at the bow, to which pole was attached a percussion torpedo. The boat was operated by a shaft with screw at the stern,the shaft crank being turned by hand, four men working in a shift. It could not remain under water any length of time with safety to the crew as there was no artificial air supply. The plan of operations was to proceed to a point as close to the enemy as possible, sink beneath the surface and approach until the torpedo exploded by contact with the enemy’s hull. Inpractice, the Hunley proved a craft very fatal to its operators. It was taken to Charleston harbor where twice-it sank, and remained at the bottom until raised by outside means, all the volunteer crew on board losing their lives. In 1864, the submarine passed down the bay, and attacked the U. S. steamer Housatonic at night. The bottom of the Housatonic was blown out and the vessel sank. The Hunley and hercrew were likewise lost, being victims of the heroic action.” After the war, Mr. Alexander was for many years superintendent of the Mobile fire alarm telegraph system. He also invented and built the first rotary dredge. He was past grand commander of the Grand Com-mandery of Knights Templar of the State of Alabama, and was a member of the Baptist Church. Married: June 27, Margaret Spence,
Newspaper Details
History of Alabama and Dictionary Biography
Montgomery, Alabama, US
Sat, Jan 01, 1921
Page 741
Full Page
Clipped by
Gregory V.
USA 15 Jan 2023
Other Publications Near Montgomery, Alabama
The Montgomery Enterprise
The Montgomery Advertiser
History of Alabama and Dictionary Biography
Montgomery Alabama Historical Quarterly
Alabama Official and Statistical Register
