, 1877-04-09
FRANCE.
EXPERIMENTS wtrif 4 TonrEDo-BoAT.

EXPERIMENTS wtrtf 4 TOhrED0-B0AT.
Map itch to Laadan 7ipt&.
PARIS, Mnrct, t2.--Somc ycry Interesting cx-
ptrltncnts wcrn made q few days ago ut Cher
bourg With The liltlo submarine vessel called tho
Tlsorncyeroft. It Was tho l1rst occasion Of Test
Ing In French watcra whether a torucdo could
he launched against d ship In full sail. Accord.
ingly, Admiral Jaurcz, who commands tho
squadron, ordered disabled ship. tho Bayon-
ratsc. during rather rough aca, to be towel
ort by steamer belonging to the navy. A
sccoud Lieutenant, u. LcrnoInnc, was sent for,
au1 informed tllat ho had been selected
to make tho experiment OF launching
the Thorneyrrott against tho Bayonnoiac while
both were In fntl sai lie, accepted the
mson vsGn ill., .t eks out two en-
Into the interor Of the Thorncycroft, OF which
only small part was abovc water: this visible
purtion being painted Kray'sl. enlor. 50 MS to
was placed ~ aa to project fro,,, te bow Ut tho
vessel, nt the extremity %of which we're two
latecn saIlyards about three metrcs I'll length.
s ornK II fbs seasf te @ o9k ~ " pst"n !.
IT, an interval 'f of tfso or fssfea ioae a.Ina Ioe
miles separating the torpedo, and the
oil wssa Set in motion, % tic steamer sdvaasae Sshn
in straight line, at.u tie Tl,orncyxruft obltc-
Is, 80 Us to take tho BayonnaIec IN Hank. Tic
stenit'tug went at fourteen knots MI t,o.ir
gong At attalspeed In order rseaI. tho 'rhorruy.
croft. lie latter went ut s,iilctcc, knots IN
hour. n ratc not attained by atlv vcsscl III the
squadron. Tho cl,asu lasteil about un taour,
Tic squadron kcepng ln the rcar 40 IS to Wit
tho distance between the Tlormeycroft and the
Eayonnatso tad sensfby t1unsllcl, nlsl ut d
G!vs'l @ moment stc former, n or.lss 70 come up
slacken ;,c speed t9 eight k1ots an hour:
phasc of tho struggle with brcathlcss inter-
cat. at'J people asked the,nsclycs whether
tlcttroy the litiis vessel which boro Il. II was
foascd tl,at THO liyca of tho Second Lieutenant,
Lennnne, and Ills three companions, were abso-
lntsly sacrificed. However, the tw1 vessels got
pitt On last spurt, md struck tho Bayo1naisc
with Its Whole force on tlle staroonrd bow. Tic
sca was tcrr!bly ag'tatcd, d deafcniug report wns
beard, at,d tho Dayonnalse. with rs,t as big as
thu rhorncycroft, reboundlng by Tue shock
sas st's explosion, l!;; r., occurred, II wsat round
a dhe r1unH ,o5 tfT moments and
run, No trace remained Of tho Baynnnaisc; it
was literally swallowed up by the sea. unani-
tnous p!a'tti'ts greeted thu courageous sailors
on the mission they Ind accomplished. Tic
experiment WIS repeated two t1ays later, ur,,!cr
the sanu conditions, with another disabled ship,
oild with thu Sans sugtcss: and, In the opinion
Of competent men, this is one Of the most DE-
clsiyc torpedo experiments which have set bcc,,
nude. Tho little torpcdo-loat, Eith tts lutecri
aaflyarts, resembles a emnll gray lizard, and is
scarcely dlsccrnEb'e in thu water, II Ii cvidrnt
Tint stugle boat Of this kind would be uuaole
to npproaell an cnclny's ship us,lcss nt dusk
or when It wonll bc impossible to distinguish It
at distance, for had surll OIL attack lvc,, At
tempted III hFoad daylight the Thorncycroit
would mauLfcstly hare been knockytl to plevcs
by tue guns vi the threatened ship bcfore It
could layc carricd out Its project. Oh, thu uthtr
hand, 1t would be quite Impossible fur one or
even several Ships 10 defend themselves ugulnst
ty.lye Tl,orncyerotts; and, US these cost only
ilftictll part u the Expense Ut u ,nal,-cf-war,
thla experiment presents formidable problem
to State Navies. Wtlnt IL ccrtain Is thst tlluso
WIN witnessed tho affair were greatly Impressed
by It. and are persuaded TINT It IL the starting
point OF an incyitab'o transformation Iu naval
factlcs.