The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-28 00:00:00

Trial Trip of the Federal Torpedo Boat

Stromboli,

The first built of the new class of ironclad ves-
sels, called torpedo boats, on which the attention
of the naval authorities of all countries is at pre•
sent directed as threatening to produce another
complete revolution in maritime warfare, has been
recently despatched on an experimental trip, of
which the following account is given by the .New
York News:—

"On the 25th inst. the Stromboli made an experimental
trip to thoroughly test all her machinery, and on Saturday
she took her departure from these waters for the purpose of
making her debut upon the stage of active operations, and,
we may be permitted to say, to fully demonstrate the
power, efficiency. and destructiveness of this new system of
naval warfare. Before we proceed to describe the trial trip,
let us first give a brief outline of the history of the vessel,
and even to go back to the inception of the idea. Several
years ago William W. W. Wood, tho present senior chief
engineer of the United States navy, conceived the idea of
using the submarine torpedo in a manner' not previously
experimented upon or known. As the time passed the sim-
plicity and perfect working of his plans became so patent
that he felt satisfied in his mind that it would perform
the work required beyond a doubt. Less than two years
ago the subject was casually brought to the no-
tice of Admiral Gregory, who immediately urged
upon the Navy Department the appointment of a board of
examiners to inquire into the merits of the invention and
report upon the same. The board, composed of some of the
most practical officers in the service, unanimously reported
in its favour, recommending the construction of a vessel to
fully demonstrate the idea. The Naval Department, alive
to the great importance of the system, immediately ordered
the construction of what is now the Stromboli. First
Assistant Engineer John L. Lay, a young officer who had
also been investigating the subject of torpedo warfare, was
selected to superintend the construction of the vessel and
her machinery. As it was necessary to keep the matter
quiet, and beyond the inquisitive eye of traitors and foreign
mercenaries, the hull was built at Fair Haven, Connect',
cut ; the engines at Mystic, Connecticut; and the torpedo
machinery at Schenectady, New Yurk. Mr Samuel H
Cook, a young and skilful naval architect, was selected to
build the hull ; the Reliance Machine Company, the pro-
pelling engines; the Clute Brothers, the torpedo machi-
nery; and Benjamin and Root the torpedo engines; and in
this way the work was distributed, so that it was not easy
for the inquisitive to put all the parts together and be much
the wiser. After she was launched she was towed to Myse
tic, and there received her boilers and engines. From
thence she came over to Messrs Secorts' yard at Jersey
City, where she received her deck plating, pilot house,
and her final corn; leting. Such is the brief history of the
inception and production of the first tot pedo boat of the
United States navy, designed, built, and sailed by native
born citizens. On Friday, the 25th inst., the little Strom•
boli made her experimental trip to test her propulsive and
torpedo engines. She left the wharf at Secorts' yard about
11 o'clock a.m., and under the pilotage of Captain John
M'Ginn, proceeded up the Hudson River some distance,
making an average speed of nine knots per hour, and steer-
ing beautifully from on top of the pilot house as well as
from below decks. After some tests of the propulsive ma-
chinery it was decided to fire a wood torpedo of the same
pattern as was furnished to and used with such success by
by Lieut. Cushing in the destruct of the rebel ram Albe-
marle. The torpedo was charged with only 481bs of powder,
and was placed in the basket, run out, detached, and when
at a given point, about one foot below the surface of the
water, it was exploded, less than 2} minutes being consumed
in the whole operation. The explosion, and the peculiar ap-
pearance of the column of water thrown up by the torpedo,
can be but poorly described with a pen ; instantaneeus pho..
tography might have done it, but no painter could have
depicted the scene with justice. The water was thrown up
about 180 f t in a perpendicular column, which measured about
10ft in diameter. Branching off from the main column were
thick jets of heavy spray, or rather broad sheet of snowy
white water, which the breeze bore back on the deck of the
vessel. Around th is huge column of water and mingling
with the jets, the whitish fantastic clouds of powder smoke
circled, making a beautiful picture, ever changing and pass•
ing away in a brief space of time. The torpedo, when ex-
ploded, was only 15 feet distant from the bow of the vessel,
yet the shock, as felt on board, was very slight indeed.
Everyone was charmed with the experiment. It was now
decided to try a torpedo placed 20 feet below the surface of
the water, about the same distance from the bow of the vessel.
The torpedo contained 601bs of powder, and was placed in
position as in the former experiment, but was exploded
by Beardsley's magnetic electric machine, a beautiful spe-
cimen of art- The explosion at the time produced different
results, and still more interesting. The water was 30 feet
deep, and the torpedo at the instant of explosion was ten
feet from the bed of the river; consequently it was a trifle
longer before the tremendous result made itself manifest.
When it did come it was awfully grand. A black cone,
surmounting a blacker column, arose from the
surface and quickly mounted aloft, at least three
score feet, being 20 feet in diameter and thick with
mud. The muddy jets did net leave the column quite
as soon as in the former experiment, but the white smoke
curling round the dark centre, column, maths a picture
novel, and at the same time one which a reflecting
mind could not fail to be awed with. It presented an
unmistakable evidence of the power which the machine
possessed for harm, and which, at times lying
dormant, could be roused in an incalculable short space
of time, and let loose for the destruction of life
and property. The shock of this torpedo was felt over a
space of about 150 yards in diameter ; it lifted, or felt as if
it did, the bow of the vessel about nine inches, but pro-
ducing no unpleasant sensation. Space prevents us from
going into the details of the sensations experienced while
witnessing these experiments. We are satisfied that this
vessel, for destructive purposes, has no equal in the world.
No ironclad can withstand its power. It is perfectly safe
to operate in, and the nearer she approaches an enemy the
safer she becomes; while every foot nearer she approaches
her victim only hastens her certain destruction. The ex-
periments being over the Stromboli and her consort, Picket
boat No. 6, steamed back to their stations."

CURIOUS NEW YEAR'S•DAY CUSTOMS.—January
1, 1865. So we must date our letters to-day, and
just as merchants of years gone by would head their new
ledgers with " Lana Deo," we would do the same, or rather
write that word of Bible note, " Ebenezer," and say,
" Hitherto has the Lord helped us." " January" we
call this month, as the Romans did from their god Janus,
who, at the threshold of the New Year, stood with two
faces, one looking back on the past and the other forward
to the future. He was the god of gates and avenues, and
held a key in his right hand and a rod in his left, to sym-
bolise his opening and ruling the year; and sometimes he
held the number 300 in one hand and 65 in the other, to
signify the number of days in the year. The Saxons call the
month Wolfmonth, because wolves, driven by hunger,
were wont to prowl about and attack even men in their de-
sire for food. It was also called by the Saxons, "lEfter-
Yula," or after Christmas. The month was often repre-
sented by a man with faggots and a woodman's axe, shaking
and blowing his fingers. The lst•January, according to
some, was ushered in with rejoicings, presents. and good
wishes as early as the days of Romulus and Tacitus, and
the usual presents then were figs and dates covered with leaf
gold; and pieces of pottery have been discovered bearing
inscriptions, and evidently intended for presents. commemo-
rative of the season. In our own country, so far back as the
times of the ancient Britons, we read of Druids, on a certain
day, cutting down branches of mistletoe with a golden
knife, and distributing them as gifts for the New Year,
Coming farther down, we find our kings receiving and, as
some say, extorting presents from their subjects. Both
Henry 111, and Edward VI. are mentioned by an antiqua-
rian writer, the former requiring New Year's gifts, the lat-
ter rewarding from the public revenue those officers and
servants who had sent presents to the "King's Majestie."
In Henry VIII.'s reign honest old Latimer is said to have
given to the King, instead of a purse of gold, as was the
custom, a New Testament, with the leaf turned down at Heb.
xiii. 4. Good Queen Bess, too, received her share of princely
gifts from her nobles and courtiers—very princely, if wo
may judge from lists given by Dr Drake in his' Shakspere
and his Times." Oranges stuck with cloves were popular
gifts, and pins were considered acceptable by ladies of the
15th century, when wooden skewers were the only things
they had to fasten their dresses, Sometimes they received
money instead ; hence allowances for their separate use
came to be called "pin money." Gloves were often given
as New Year's gifts. Sir Thomas More, when Lord Chan-
cellor, having given judgment in favour of a certain lady,
received on the next New Year's day a pair of gloves, with
40 angels inside. In thanking her, Sir Thomas said, "It
would be against good manners to forsake a gentlewoman's
New Year's gift, and I accept the glover, their lining you
will be pleased to bestow otherwise." We could lengthen
this paper beyond proper limits by telling of customs in dif-
ferent parts of
.England and Scotland. Of " Candlemas
bull and Riding Stang," the former a custom in the High -
lands, where "mu nese choil " My Candlemas bond
upon you," is the customary salutation, and he who, on
coming down in the morning, is the first to say this, be-
comes entitled to a gift from the person saluted. The latter
custom prevails in the north of England, where the "slang"
or "cowl-staff," a large basket with two handles, is carded
about, and whoever does not join the procession of merry
youngsters is mounted across the stang, and not let off till
they come to the door of the next public louse, where the
payment of 6d releases the prisoner.—Churchinate s Fantidy
PROPOSED CENTRAL SCOTTISH HALL IN LONDON
—At a meeting composed of the representatives of
the Highland Society of London, the Caledonian Society
of London, the London Scottish Volunteers, the Scottish
Hospital, and the Caledonian Asylum, and held at the hall
of the Scottish Hospital on Wednesday last, Sir J. Heron
Maxwell in the chair, on the motion of Dr George Webster,
seconded by Captain Mackenzie, it was unanimously re-
solved, "That it is very cleanable to have a central build-
ing for the business purposes of the various Scottish So-
cieties in London, and for other national objects.: The
meeting then resolved itself into a committee, and adjourned
till the 31st of January next, when the propriety of calling
a public meeting of the Scotehreen in Londonyill be dis-
cussed,