Fort Mifflin on the Delaware
Digital Photos by S. Fox, Chadds Ford, PA, November 17, 2001
Kodak DX3500
Torpedo Casement
The narrow arched doorway on the left was taken from inside the Torpedo Casement that is built into a mound that protrudes from the East Wall into the parade ground of the fort. It is the last structure built at the fort, begun in 1874, after the end of the Civil War. The passageway turns quickly inside the casement and was very dark. It leads to a firing chamber and launching pool. Torpedos were discharged through a tunnel in the rampart of the fort, crossed the moat and continued through a tube in the riverbank to the river and their target.
The photo on the right is of the Citadel in the center of the parade ground as seen from the casement doorway. On the left is the artillery shed, built in 1837 to house artillery and carriages for field guns. Beyond the Citadel is the blacksmith's shop that was reported as early as 1802. It had two fires for metalworking. One of the hearths has been restored.
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