The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-03-06

A firm OF ship builders on the Thames. ~c
are told. is busy constructing some swirl '-
pedo vessels for Russian service i'll the Ell K
Sea. They are some eighty or ninety feet III
length, and are expected, it is sand, TO attain
q speed OF not less than twenty miles an
hour, SO as to be in a position 10 outstrip
any war vessel that might follow or be
followed by them. We are not aware of
the particular construction of these steam
torpedo launches, for such We lake item
to be; but for some time past experiments
have been conducted on the Than near
woolwich with long, low-lying cEaft,
which dart noiselessly through the wat r Mt
4 very high speed. Rumor says they are
to be fitted with Outraged torPedoes, u
attack vessels under cover of the night, or
perhaps even in broad daylight, being SINH
lar in many respects TO the torpedo launches
fitted up under the auspices of the Admiral
ity.
The explosive machine is fitted at the eud
Of a long spar, and this on nearing the
enemy is pushed out many feet in front OF
the prov; n second spar is made fast TO
the first, and thus the torpedo is kept Mt
q safe distance from the launch itself. As
the torpedo is projected, 1t sinks under
water, and when ready for attack 1t IS
nine or ten feet below the surface-a posi-
ton most favorable to its expo ion. \
bNAAt NCIDtuO MuuGn IullhAhb Ia bAA AN'H
ion full tilt at an ironclad, and exploding
the submarine machine nearly n dozen
feet below the water line. where the plating
is not very thick, would probably sink the
latter vessel, if the torpedo Were a heavy
one, while the frail launch itself, thirty
feet from the source of explosion, would
in all probability suffer little harm. II
prevent such attacks being made uuawares
is one of the reasons why some OF our big
iron-clads have recently been provided with
the electric light, which win nj once point
out the approach of these dangerous crafts
at nighttime. The torpedo Rung.'rs,
being so swift and SO low in the water,
would be scarcely diseornible at TWILIGHT
or in hay weather, did not their steam
and smoke betray them. fortunately Tor
our big battleships, and ut might the electric
light shines on the vapur from their smoke
stacks as il il were n solid screen. Under any
circumstances therefore. it will be seen that
the crews of these torpedo launches VIII be
engaged upon n most periious duty, aud i Is
on thisa account that several attempts have
been mad to do away with human aid on
board them. There are. it appears, only two
imperative duties to be performed when
once the lnunch is ready for attack, mud
these are the manipulation Of the engines
mud of the steering apparatus on beard.
The engines, after the fires have been
prepared, must be capable OF being pu,
out at full speed or stopped according to
the discretion of those in charge, and
there must likewise be some sort OF al
rangement whereby the vessel can be
turned to port or starboard rs may b.
deemed necessary. Several self steering
launches of this nature have bsen tried both
in this country and America, the torpedo
boat being in electric connection with anoth.
er vessel following in the wake. we or three
electric wires are sufficient to keep the en-
gines and rudder of the launch under con
troll, aud in this way the torpedo boat may
he sent forward upon its terrible duty
without risk to those who steer and control
IL