The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-03-09
TO THE EDITOR OF rHF ENQUIRER,

TO THE EDITOR OF THR ENQUIRER,
SIR,
read with pleasure your account of Mr.
tulton's Torpedoes in the Enquirer of the 23d
| February. The policy or impolicy of Congress
aiding the ingenious inventor in his experiments
is question which it is not my design to discuss
nor do mean TO enquire into the humanity or
Iinhumanity OF To, bedo zuar. These are sub
Jects properly belonging 10 the politician and the
morallst. l only VISA through the medium of
your paper to make few remarks upon that part
| OF the Torpedo system which appears to rue most
detective, and to suggest such alterations as /
| think may produce with more certainty the dcsir-
ed effect
AS regards those Torpedoes called by Eir
Fulton " anchored Iorpedoes," it seems to me
that they are not calculated TO answer the intend
| cd purpose SO well the Hdyboon ToroedoeS-
For supPosing with the inventor, that two hun
dred OF the former were placed in three miles of
channel through which the enemy were to pass !;
1t would be no difficult matter for each ship Of
war 20 provide herself with sSpeebers, one fixed to
the head and another to the stern, which neces
sariy striking the lever of the anchored Torpe-
do sooner than any other part of the ship, an
explosion would instantaneously take place with
OUT any material injury to the vessel These
sWeepers, 1t is evident, might be variousy con-
structed and fitted to the ship only when occa-
sion required. The anchored Toybedoes are also
liable to another objection for the channel in
winch they are placed would be, for the time
beng, equally dangerous to own vessels as
10 those OF the enemy, unless the pilots were
well acquainted with the spots in which they are
sunk (; and even then, accidents might frequent
ly occur The Torpedoes, which, in my opinion,
will prove our most formidable defence and most
Dreadful TO The enemy, are the h%poon Torpe-
does The improvement of these well deserves
our particular attention.
Thsac ,I.ln- IL f.
attack with this species of Torpedo, appears to
be the mode of conveying it Immediately under
the bottom OF the enemy, and of calculating by
clock work the time when the explosion should
take place. The plan which Mr.. Fulton points
ous' although extremely ingenious, must fire.
quentiy tal and prove asOrtiye. Mr.. Fulton also
supposes, that the attack "unLess in case of
great emergency, should be in the night" But
am rather of opinion, that an opportunity would
seldom be offered of attacking The enemy in the
night, q II an attack were to be made in the day.
1t would be almost impossibIe that a row boat
could approach a ship of war within the distance
OF sixty feet, the distance which Mr.. Fulton pro-
poses, without running the most imminent hazard
OF being destroyed. a greater distance than this
also, would not produce the desired effect, ac.
cordlng to the present plan. An alteration in
tins respect, therefore beg leave to suggest, as
also another mode of firing the powder in the
Torpedo, in place of clock, work, which must
render the critical moment of explosion very un-
certain.
The nearest distance which would propose
tor The row boats TO advance towards the enemy,
would be one hundred yards and in place of the
harpoon having eye in which the line of the
Torpedo Is spiiced, would have an harpoon
with small pulley in place of the eye, over which
the line OF the Torpedo might pass. If one
| hupdred yards be the distance fixed upon for the
row-boat to approach. the length of the Torpe.
do line must necessarily be two hundred, for one
extremity of the linei is supposed to be made fast
TO the Torpedo, & the other extremity to the stern
of the row boat ghe the centre of the line passes
over the pulley of the harpoon. When the har-
ppon is fired, the Torpedo is dropped into the
water, and if the harpoon be seen to take effect
| IN the head OF the enemy's ship, then the row
boat makes oil in an opposite direction and dra WIS
the Torpedo towards the pulley OF the harpoon,
| III the same manner as any power raises weight
| by means of a pulley. In this case the Torpedo
! may be called the weight and the row. boat the
power. According to Mr.. Fulton, a TO ". boat
can run with the velocity of one hundred and
forty yards minute. Therefore, in one minute
| at most, the Torpedo might be brought with Ger.
tainty under the enemy.
lnplacc Of producing the explosion of the Tor
pedO by means OF clock-work, as Mr. Fulton has
practised, l would recommend the Introduction
OF principle which do not believe has ever vet
been introduced in the art OF war although l
! am confident 1T will be found productive of the
most astonishing effects. Tine principle mean
is the electrical fluid 1t is well ssccrtained by
experiment, that RunDowder NAV he fired nv