New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-08
FIFTEEN PERSONS STUNNED By LIGHTNING.
TESTING THE PoWNB on TORPEDoES
EXPERIMENTS on GENERAL ABBOTT AT wILLETs
POINT With VARIOUS EXPLOSIVES

EXPERIMENTS ON GENERAL ABBOTT AT wILLETs
POINT WITH VARIOUS EXPLOSIVES.
Maior-General Abbott has been making
series Of experiments with torpedOes at Wets Point,
with Of aseertainng the relative force OF gun
powder gn-coton and dynamite and Of measuring the
force OF the explosion under water at various dis
tances from q torpedo. He has studied this 40
carefully for the past two years that he
Is able to tell exactly the destructive force
Of any given quantity OF explosive sud-
stance in all directions different depths To ascer-
tain this he has invented two methods OF measurements
OF forcehe ring and crate test The former con-
ssts of thick iron rng about feet IN diameter
To the inside Of the ring attached six semubuiar
bars OF iron about ten inches long, pointing
toward the centre. In the tubes there are placed
small round bars OF lead about inch long and from
onequarter OF inch to Que inch In diameter the Tor
pedO placed in the Of toe ring which Is then
submerged in the water and attached to buoy. wre
connects the torpedo with battery shore. When the
torpedo is fred the force generated by the explosive
presses the water against the lead bars which become
compressed in different proportions according as they
face the torpedo laterally vertically. The force YER
tically upwardy is greatest and General Abbott mas
several lead bars inch IN thickness, That have been
compressed fully onethird Of their length The ring Is
used principally to measure the vertical force Of tho
torpedo.
To measure lateral force the crate test Is used
The crate is long iron framework, forty atty feet
in length in shape similar 20 crate. The torpedo Is
fastened to the middle OF this, and semubnlar iron
bar similar those used in the ring test are employed
The lead bars for measurement also used their size
decreasing in proportion the distance from the tor
pedo.
An old 200ton schooner has been used By General
Abbott for carrying out and immersing the
crate into the sea, where 1t is prevented from
sinking to the bottom by bqoys Tuesday General
Abbott intended TO blow up the schooner, Dut nrsS
desired obtain photographs or different periods OF me
explosion Of topedoes, and to use the schooner as
watrr was thrown. gunpowder torpedo was sunk
within twenty of the schooner and fred the water
being thrown TO twice the height OF the sehooher
when is sixty-fye feet from masthead TO wafer In
consequence Of tue clOudness OF the weather only tne9
ont OF SIX negatives could be taken, and the General
postponed the blowing Ofthe schooner until Yesterday
Inc old schooner successfully blown up yester-
day afternoon amid cheers from thrOng OF spectators
Previous TO this experiment. four tOfpedOes were ex'
stern and then two others the bow and stern
exploded simultaneously One OF these latter bad been
sunk tue other In ten feet OF water Ihe tor
pedo submerged iOur feet forced up the water IN tai
graceful jet $50 feet IN height Inc olher ofpe1o
threw up much larger amount OF water put only 10 an
altitude about eighty feet The sails OF the SCHOONER
were bOisted stuffed figure OF man was fastened 10
the rigging and two kegs OF powder nifty pounds in
EACH were placed beneath the vessel amidsnps On the
dock, surrounded BY his stah sat General AooGt.; ~
apparatus. At his right were four cameras ready ZOE
taklng photographs the explosion at
d'tfrsnt periods All ready" called out General Abb
Uott and pressed the knob OF the apparatus Wl
ms 6nger Instantly there was a violent c0mmoton OF
he wafer nnder the schooner. She snapped asunder
II made OF pastebOard, with loud, deep reports; her
timbers were torn they were sraws, and confused
mass of water planks, fragments OF WOOD Dack dust
and a volume OF smoke, through which darted large
red globe OF fire. hurled up 10 height OF at least
1870 feet For a moment the whole mass balanced IN the
air and then fell. All tDat remained Of tie schooner
the toy of the decS cabin Ot tue remainder oi tne
vessel no Two plaDks were left together.
General Abbott stated tBat while the torpedo was an
lent for defence, q pubic seemed TO place tCo
iuuen confidence IT, 10 tic neglect OF artuery enu
men. TOrpedues IL naval warfare were what heavy
artillery was on land The latter could be captured
not supported by infantry ana cavalry, ana tOfpe0Oes
cU be grappled for aud captured or rendered nehect
i've against hostile feet, unless supported by suelent
heavy tt IN tuls the tOrtncatOns at Wlets
Point aud other forts round NrwXOTk very DELI
Gent aud to-day the defences OF this city were far
weaker than the people Imagined.