Is anyone else out there interested in research on the explosion aboard the USS CHENANGO, April 15, 1864, which killed nearly thirty sailors on the vessel? I have been collecting much data from several sources, including a copy of a letter from the collections of the Chicago Historical Society, which indicates that the writer, Thomas E. Courtenay, had invented a "coal torpedo," which he hinted was responsible for the explosion. The Naval Board of Inquiry into the explosion actually placed the blame upon the shoulders of one of the engineers of the vessel, who was dismissed from the service. However, some two years later, in 1866, he was reinstated.
History has not adequately covered this episode, and the published Naval Official Records includes no mention of the explosion at all. One would need to peruse the New York newspapers of the day to locate any mention of the incident.
A descendant of Courtenay's, Mr. Joseph Thatcher, has an article online relating to the "coal torpedo" (see link below), and another descendant, Mr. Tom Thatcher, is also gathering much material on the item.
I would like to exchange data on the explosion, and Courtenay's "coal torpedo," with anyone else who is interested.