Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-09-18
Torpedo Boats.

A firm of shipbuillers ON the Thames, We
are told. is busy constructing some swift tor
pedo vessels for Russian sfrice IN the Black
Sea. They are some ei,lhS ur nuety feet i'll
length, and are expected, II y SAID, to attain
speed Of not less than twenty miles an hour,
30 as 10 he in II positionto oGtstrip any war
vessel that might follow or be followed by
them. We ar not aware If the particular
construction of these II nni torpedo launches,
for such We tak thum to be. bat Tor some
time past ,Aperinlr.d' have been conducted
on the Thames near N,u.Ylch with long,
low lying craft which Il at ao's ls-ly through
the water at n very high speed Rumor says
they are to be- fitted with 0utIiggc1 t0rpcdoes,
~ attack vrsse's under cover ot the night or
perhaps even IN brOad dwight being similar
in many respects To- the torpedo launches
fitted up under the au7,i,rs OF the Admiralty.
The explosive machine is fitted at the end
of long spur aud t.is on nearing the enemy
is pushed uut many i'rt IN front of the prov;
second spar - u.. G3 ilst TO tine irst, and
thus the t0rscGo % kept ut "a safe distance
from the inuucr tstif Is the torpedo is
protected Il Hks midrr wat,r. and when
ready for attack Il ls mae oi ten feet below
the suT.ac, position most ia\ orablc to It's
explosion. \ swift torpedo ltuch running
in this fnsli on iirl II az hn inmral, and eX-
plodmg the -t,luarng machine ntarly adozen
feet below I'll. Nst l'u'. where the plating
is not very thick. w"rll probably sink the
4atter vessel If a! torpedo were u heavy one,
while the frlil L,.u,., ts,ii. thirty feel from
the source of explosion. Nuull-in MI proba-
bility suffer little harm. Tc prevent such at
tacks being Inale1mRwAraS is onc.or the rea-
sons Why some OF oar big ironcltds have re-
J.. l ttI ,l.. G,,IA
which will ut once point ont the approach Of
these dangerous cmtt, 1T nighttime. The
torpedo kuach,S, being SO swift and 50 low
in the wafer would be scarcely discerniblo Mt
twilight or in hay athcr did not their
steam and smoke betray them, fortunately for
our big battleships, and at night the electric
light shines on the yapor from their smoke
stacks rs if it were a solid screen. Under any
circumstances therefore. it will be seen that
the crews of these torpedo launches will be
engaged upon a most perilous duty, and 1t is
OH this account that several attempts have
been made TO do away with human aid on
board them. There are, It appears only two
imperative duties to be performed when once
the launch is ready for attack. and these arc
the manipulation of the engines and of the
steering apparatus on board The engines.
after the fires ,hRve been prepared, must be
capable of being put out at full speed or
stopped according tn the discretion of those
in charge, and there must likewise be some
sort of arrangement whereby the vessel can
be turned to port or starboard as may be
deemed necessary. Several self-steering
launches Of this nature have been tried both
in this country and America the torpedo
boat being in electric connexion with another
vessel following in the wake Two rthree
electric wires are sufficient 10 keep the en-
gines and ru!der ol thr launch under control,
and il tins way the torpedo-boat may be sent
forward upon IT. terrible duty without risk to
those who steer and control it.