The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-10-28 00:00:00

THE TORPEDO EXPERIMENTS AT PORTSMOUTH.
(Prom our own oorroopowdent. )

A nival sham fight. in which t irpldoee are for the most
part the terribly destructive enmities used. is a very
oifferint thing from the tame affair which takes place
perm fealty at Aldershot. The spectators were not
altogether successful in leeving onshore their preconoeived
notions as to the erratic and independent method of
travelling which torpedoes Sr. prnne to undertake at
the prompting of their own sweet will..
The correspondent of one ot the London daily paper.
Wm fallen into the erroneous impression that the object of
the attack was In defiance of torp,does sad sunken mimes.
and to land troops under the muzzle of the guns at Fort
Monckton; but be could not possibly hese fallen into soch
an error had he known what Tort Koackton wee like. The
plan of operations was shortly as :—An imaginers
river bad been marked oat, with buoys placed opposite to
each other, in the Solent. A detachment of the Royal
Engfneora had for several days been occupied in Piecing
varioue descriptions of torpedoes in the bed of this
'imaginary river.
Thom torpedoes were connected with one another by
III•SUA of nets and other impedimenta and the mouth of
the rivir" was furthermore protectod by heavy booms
word., !esteemed to one another.

The object of the ensi niters WM to render the postage of
the river an impmeibility to an enemy's ships of war. and
In order to render the entrance of vessels still more daft-
edit thy were assisted by detachments of artillery and
infantry, who manned the forts, end the object of the navy
was to eater the " river; notwithstanding all that had
been done by the snail:leen, and in defiance of tam artillery
and infantry lire on shore. Colonel Shaw. E.Z, was In
committal of the line of defends

On the water were four guard boats, manned by marines
and bluejackets, under the command of Commander
Dowding, or the Asia. At the moment of the attack the
enemy was understood to have cleared a passage through
the advanced mines 120 yards wide, up to a sotto within
range of the defender: guns, and was about to dispatch
boata forward to remove ohetructons. The attacking
f•srce was represented by the Bloodhound (gunboat),
Vesuvius and Lightning (torpedo boat.), and etc launches
from the Vernon and Reel, (torpedo ships), towiog Boats
containing counter mines, Isc., the whole b-Atog under the
command of Captain (ludas, IL N., of HitB Vernon.
At eight o clock it 228. Sprightly left the South Rail-
way jetty with those Woo had been fortunate enough to
secure invitations, and proceedea to take up an excellent
position off the mouth of the river and between tee Fir,'-
en and the Admiral's steam-yacht The night • as all
that could possibly be dewed. The mars .bone not
brightly, bat there .as little or no moon visible, and a
alight mist prevailed which rendered it extremely diffi-
cult to distinguish objects at a distance.
Almost immediately after the Sprightly had taken up
her station, those on board obtained the Snit view of two
powerful electric lights, OM rays of one being kept con-
centrated on the boom from • lantern worked by 70
Groves' cells, stationed on hoard a boat, moored near the
shore end cot the boom. The approach of the dangerous
little vowels was frecoently diiscovered. to: rays f the
el•-c,ric light showing them up distinctly, the steam and
sus Ica bang vary conspicuoua
In order to counteract the efforts of the rays of the
electric light, and to prevent the defenders of the fort tram
a-mine at the boats with the heavy guns and rifles, a
b ire.-) of tar we. fired, the smoke from which certainly had
the elfeet of rendering the sighting of them., much 10/•411
difficult than it otherwise would have been; but at the
same ulnae it -.Ma WO general opinion of the anew-stole
who were competent to judge. that, had the fight been
rerd inroad of imaginary, the attacking boats must have
been silenced by the heavy tire from the fort,.
_ _ .

Bet sr* they were observed, however, the boats had
advanced almost right up te ihe large booms, which barred
the entrance to the' river." Oo being men they were
received with a very heavy fire of artillery and infantry;
bit, owing to the critical emu of Dr. Danville, the tubes
only of the heavy guns were exploded.
The attacking party, however. penevered, and although
the umpire. declared the Veeuvius to be disabled, ah•
succeeded in placing wills heavy charges of dynamite
under the boom, and by that moans blew it literally into
fragment... many of which, together with • great volume
of water, were prljected high Into the air.
Hayashi thus obtalued aeons to the "river the flotilla I
commenced the very dangerous feet of removing the 1
ciatrucuons which had been paused In ita bed.

Some of the t irpodoes were exploded by means of
countermines, which broke them up. while% the electric
wire, connecting others with the feria, were fished up b)
the aid of grapnels, Lod then cut, by which Medal the
torpedoes were rendered inoperative.
In this hasiminus duty the boat of Navigating Lenten ant
sem, Lilburn, FL N. (of FL If S. Mercury). 'Yu upeciilly
eucc resful, as they disabled no less than nix torpedoes and
cut away • lante number of nets. At 9.34 • goardhost,
belonging to the defenders, pissed within hail of this boat
at Its work, but s" quietly were they doing It that the
officers in charge 04th. guardboat did not me or hear them.
Their sweeten) career was cut short by the explosion ,if
the smooth torpedo they were trying to render melee., and
she was signalthi out of action. This " lit lethal machine'
seemel to explode right under the boiler of boat 20, and
bad it been charged with the usual amount of dynamite
not • fractional pert of the launch would have been left
afloat. Happily no one was hurt, but this fortunate
result is dm to the torpedo having been charged with only
one pound of gun cotton. The actual result of the operu
lions will be determined by the umpires. Them ofiloen were
Stationed at each of the 16 gunk on board of emu gunboat,
steam launch, and pinnaco, and with each detachment et
infantry; and their duties were to me that the conditions
were faithfully observed, to communigate with the chief
umpires with respect to the fortunes of the action and to
take accurately the Chino( every event that came wit'iin
their coning tear. The umpire: opiohns en to the hits
were recorded by • prearranged code of signals. To. !Wit
of • single rocket announced that the Bloodhound
hid teen struck by artillery, and two arrows stieui•
thomusly diechergei that the Vesuvius hul been hulled,
while the display of • distr.-es " fiare" eignifle.l that the
Lightning was ti retire, the injuries of the email craft
being notified hy the exhibition of coloured lights from
the umpires' bastion. Tbe Bloodhound and Vesuvius being
painteu of • leaden colour, could he distinctly nen, but
the black het, of the torpedo crafts balled even the
light" by means of which the horn; in we, searched, and
It was almost wholly owing to the gruelingly vividness
and apparent eilidity of their steam, when illumined by
the electric lights, that they were brought under the Co-
le,. of the the troops on the perthets. The whole of the
furnaces in the vessel* were shut In a. much as pouible
and no lights were carried, so that there au little beyond
the noise of the engines to warn the defenders of the
approach of the enemy.

Six imaginary hits, it wax agreed would pot • gunboat,
and three imaginary hit, • launch. out of action; whiie
if a row•blat came within the ray of the electric light for
one moment, and became •xposed to a musketry fire from
• distance not exceeding 30U yards, it wws at one. ruled
oat of existence.

The number of spectators afloat was very small owing
to the precautions taken by the &Moulds. Very great
inter. st war t it.. by the public on shore. thousands of
people lining Southern Pier &DJ beach and Realer beech,
I hot they could on hut little owing to their distance from
the fort. The Fire QJOILI paddle yacht of the Commander.
baring on hoard Admiral Fastsbare Mort sod
Admird and Naval Camosender-inthlef at Partsmonihk
and ELS.R. General Prince Edward of Size-Weimar
(lftramor of Portsmouth and Militsry Cantrosnder.ln.
chef of the Southern C sat), vow anchored Jest outside
the arra marked out. Oaly • select few • ere admitted to
Fart tioncktln. Among those who ',tenoned ein pro-
on tinge from the fort were attaches from all the leading
ropeaft powers. Anatria was represented by Lieuk
C out Oscar Cassini Prance, by Captain (kyrrain and
Loot nant Shilling of the navy, and the Marquis Perrot
a" is Verrowayt, of the military service: o.amany, by
Nil it Von Vistleglo,ff ; Italy. by Captan L amino not
kt • jot A. Leibnitz ; Russia, hrffice-Aslmlral L,khatcheff,
C *wain Licalkn, and litalor-Gonirral Spain. by
0 mimodore Don Jose de Conan. and Captain Dan Louis
Stared ; Portugal, by Lient.-0 pomander de Plato da
pacone Vn. The Admiralty were represented by
Admiral Sir As*" Cooper Rey. Seater Naval Sea Lord.
The proceedings concluded shout eleven o'clock. and it
is gratifying taboo ed. to stab" that from first to la t there
Woe no mishap of any kind worth mestioftlag.