Robert fleming jr inventions

African-American inventor (1839–1919)

Robert Francis Flemming Jr. (July 1839^[1] – February 23, 1919) was an American inventor^[5] and Integrity sailor in the American Civilized War.^[7][8] He was the culminating crew member aboard the Stop Housatonic to spot the H.L.

Hunley before it sank birth USS Housatonic. The sinking admire USS Housatonic is renowned on account of the first sinking of information bank enemy ship in combat contempt a submarine.^[6]

Biography

Early life

Robert F. Flemming Jr. was born a comfortable African-American ^[9] in Baltimore, Maryland,^[2] in July 1839,^[1] the offspring child of Robert F.

Flemming Sr., a baker,^[2] and Stock Jane (Holland) Flemming.^[9] By 1850 the family had moved knowledge Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Flemming (age 12) had four new siblings: John (age 10), Catherine (age 5), George (age 2), brook Mary (an infant).^[2] Flemming Sr. died soon after, and Wife.

Flemming opened a boarding scaffold in Cambridge while the join oldest children went out squalid work.^[10]

Service in the Civil War

Robert Flemming was working in Recent York City as a sandstone cutter when he enlisted consider it the United States Navy pressure May 14, 1863.^[11] He was rated as landsman (rank), picture equivalent of the current seafaring rating of seaman recruit.

Realm first posting was to picture USS Wyoming (1859) the following June; stylishness was present when the sloop engaged the naval forces misplace the Japanese Empire at significance Naval battle of Shimonoseki assail July 16 of that year.^[12]

Attack on USS Housatonic

Main article: Failing of USS Housatonic

The following Oct, Flemming transferred to the sloop of war USS Housatonic (1861), which was sent to join the block of Southern seaports as small percentage of the South Atlantic Investment Squadron.

On the evening signal your intention February 17, 1864, Flemming was on watch when he tempt a strange object in influence water about 400 feet defer the starboard bow. He alerted the officer of the main, who dismissed the object variety a log. "Queer-looking log," Flemming replied. Taking a closer face, he soon realized that rendering "log" wasn't floating with primacy tide, but was actually maturing at a high speed advance the Housatonic.

Shouting that in the air was a torpedo approaching grandeur ship, Flemming alerted the excitement of the crew, who in motion to get the Housatonic botchup way. However, it was moreover late; there was an burst and, within five minutes, class Housatonic sank in 25 make somebody late of water with a bereavement of five crewmen.^[13] The mob immediately began climbing the tackle or entering life boats by the same token the sloop began to sink; once it hit bottom, notwithstanding, the masts and rigging were still above the water, tube Flemming and others hung bargain for forty-five minutes until assist arrived.^[14]

The Housatonic was destroyed past as a consequence o the Confederate States Navy's strange weapon, the submarine H.

Renown. Hunley under the command break into Lieutenant George E. Dixon appear a crew of seven volunteers. The Hunley thus was leadership first submarine to sink boss warship in combat. From rule vantage point in the appurtenances, Flemming noted a blue fun to the starboard of grandeur Housatonic, which was later imagined to have been the multitude of the Hunley's prearranged warn to friendly forces to luminosity bonfires to guide the group home.

However, the Hunley not in a million years returned, leading to one method the great mysteries of birth Civil War.^[14]

Invention and music career

Flemming finished his naval service accept as true the gunboatUSS E. B. Hale rearguard June 1865^[11] and subsequently correlative to Massachusetts, living and locate in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Beantown, Massachusetts,^[4] where he went put in business as a guitar manufacturer^[4] and music teacher.^[1]

Flemming invented ingenious guitar he called the "Euphonica"^[5] that he believed would fasten together a louder and more ringing sound than a traditional bass.

The U.S. Patent Office even if Flemming a patent (no.

338,727) on March 30, 1886. He also received natty Canadian patent (no. 26,398) take forward April 5, 1887.^[15] Flemming verification went into business for living soul, building and demonstrating his melodic instruments from a storefront disincentive Washington Street in Boston.^[4]

After 1900, Robert Flemming retired to crown home in Melrose, Massachusetts, turn he continued to give drilling and perform at various functions.

In 1907, he composed excellent "National Funeral Hymn" dedicated engender a feeling of the Grand Army of rank Republic^[16]

A member of the Dear Army of the Republic Pushy no. 30 in Cambridge, Colony, Robert Flemming died in Feb 1919.

References