The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-11-19 00:00:00

A NEW TORPEDO AND GUN.

The New York Correspondent of the Standard, writing on
Tuesday night, says :

In the presence-of a distinguished company, a sue-
cessful exhibition took place yesterday of a torpedo
vessel of entirely novel design, the invention of the
famous John Ericssen. When he was consulted by
Louis Napoleon, in 1854, Ericssen submitted plans for
a monitor and this torpedo; both were, however,
rejected. The monitor, at Hampton Roads, revolu-
tioniaed naval warfare; and similarly this torpedo
promises to mark a new departure in submarine opera-
tions.

The torpedo boat is one hundred and thirty feet
long, eleven feet deep, and twelve feet wide. The
vital parts are wholly submerged. It is as strongly
armoured as any vessel afloat; is of one thousand.
horse power, and has realised a speed of over sixteen
knots. Its novel hydraulic steering apparattis
enables it to change its course instantly. It moves
ahead and astern with equal speed and facility.
Nothing afloat could dodge or escape it.
Passing by many considerable but minor novelties
about it, the gun challenges attention for its simplicity,
novelty, boldness, and efficiency. It rests on the
keelson, with the muzzle submerged six feet, and dis-
charges the projectile directly into the water. Two
chief difficulties had to be overcome—first, to prevent
the inrush of water, which would sink the boat;
second, to obviate the deflection of the projectile when
passing suddenly from the air into the denser medium
of water. These difficulties are overcome in the fol-
lowing manner :—First, two valves close the muzzle;
one is permanent, and moved by machinery at will;
the second is carried away by the projectile. An in-
jury to the vessel is obviated by a valve of soft india-
rubber, which advances with a second missile, so
arranged as to seal the bore hermetically. The missile
thus carries with it a volume of air into the water.
By this plan a passage is accomplished from the air
into the water through gradually increasing densities,
and the result is merely a retarding of the passage of
the missile without disturbing the accuracy of the
aim.

Yesterday twelve pounds of giant powder formed
the explosive charge, which in practice is intended to
be 3401b5. of dynamite. A dummy torpedo was pr -
jected accurately a distance of 600 feet; it passeda
target five feet under water, and pierced the netting
designed to represent the customary torpedo guard.
The French officers who were present declared before
the expeihneists began that the operation of the gun
was impossible, and the result amazed them. Alto-
gether the murderous engine seems to deserve the
name it bears, "Destroyer." The inventor says he
has made 52 trials of it, and each was successful.

Another remarkable weapon deserves mention. A
casting has just been made of a cannon designed to
test upon a large scale an invention which, tried in a
model, was perfectly successful. The invention is
called the Lyman Haskell Accelerating Multicharge
Gun. The bore is six inches, and the length of the
gun twenty-five feet. Instead of the usual single
charge, four charges are disposed in chambers at
intervals along the bore. These are successively
ignited as the shot passes along the barrel, with the
result that its velocity is enormously increased. It
is calculated that a ten-inch Haskell will be equal in
destructive effect to an eighty-one ton sixteen-inch
Armstrong.