Torpedo is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located on

Pennsylvania Route 27 Pennsylvania Route 27 (PA 27) is a state highway located in northwest Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at Park Avenue near U.S. Route 6 (US 6) and US 19 in Meadville. The eastern terminus is at PA 69 three miles (5 km) south ...

in Pittsfield Township,

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The village got its unusual name from an incident involving

torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

used in

oil well An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas may ...

s to increase the flow of oil, which contained unstable

nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating g ...

History

Torpedo was first settled sometime around 1845 after the construction of a mill, which closed 10 or 12 years later. A

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

was opened in 1875–1876. Torpedo acquired its name during the winter of 1882–1883, when a horse-drawn wagon loaded with of

bound for Clarendon got stuck on a nearby set of

railroad tracks A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

for the

Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad The Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad is a historic railroad company that operated in Pennsylvania and New York. Chartered in 1867, its first passenger train ran in 1871. After several mergers and name changes, it was leased to ...

. One of the horses had tripped on the gap between the rail and a wooden plank, and fallen. The driver, knowing a passenger train was due, attempted unsuccessfully to free the fallen horse. Failing to free it, he unhitched the other horse and moved it to a safe distance. The driver had started to unload the torpedoes from the wagon, when the train came around the bend. Even after applying the brakes, the train still struck the fallen horse at nearly full speed, severing two of its legs. The wagon containing the torpedoes was tipped over, but the nitroglycerin did not explode, because the wagon was mired in deep mud. None of the train's passengers and crew were injured.Schneck and Rann, p. 575.

Geography

Torpedo is located on

in Pittsfield Township, north of

Pennsylvania Route 36 Pennsylvania Route 36 (PA 36) is a long state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 26 near the Hopewell Township community of Yellow Creek. The northern terminus is at PA 27 and PA 227 in Pleasan ...

in Pleasantville,

Venango County Venango County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,454. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1805. Venango County comprises the Oil City, ...

and south of

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

References

Sources

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Warren County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania