New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-20
A SWIFT ENGINE OF DEATH.
ERICssoN's PERFECTED TORPEDO.


| naval warfare. very great improvements have been
made In II and experiments looking toward its pcrfec-
tor have been No person probably has given
more thought and study 10 the subject Than the we'll
| known engineer, Captain John Ericsson. He has
| recently produced a torpedo and a torpedo boat
which. It is claimed, eclipse all other nven-
lions in that line. His work is the result OF the theory
laid by him before Napoleon Ill in 1884. but he has
thrown aside Of compressed air substituting
| gunpowder for it,
The torpedo boat is peculiarly an American invention
The first ever SHOWN was launched In New-YorK harbOr
| in 1916 A torpedo OF very primitive model was
by Captain David Bushnell, of the Engineer Corps
| United States Army which was TO be attached to the
bottom Of a vessel exploded by cock-work fuse. In
| 1777 schooner destroyed at Ncw-L0ndOn by a
| drifting percussion torpedo. which directed
| against frlgate, but missed its mark ln
| 1907, Robert Fulton experimental with four different
torpedocs OF own invention, in NewYork, with sue
Colonel Samuel Colt, the arms manu- dcturer. IN
1913 applied electricity to the firing of submarine tor
| pedoes Nine iron-clads eleven wooden vessels and
| nine transports DESTROYED during tue Re
| belon by American tOrpedoes Those used by
| the Russians the Danube were spar-torpcdoes
Of the pattern that used destroy the
Abemarle Abemarle Sound. by Lieutenant
William B. Cushing United States Navy. The Ericsson
movable torpedo was cxpermcnted with during the
ard fan of 1879 under the supervision OF the
inventors agent. aud a lul knowledge Of torpedo
VI echInIsm was obtained
For the last five Captain Ericsson has been work
Ing uDOn tOrpedocs. After many experiments he de-
cded gunpowder instead of compressed air in the
propu sion Of submarine turpedOes carrying destructive
charges dynamite. His recent trials hove been made
with a pIOccue of peculiar form and gun
OF novel construction. This trial Is thirty
feet III length aud Of fifteen inclc, calibre
mulze-Oader. suspended under the bottoms Of
two wrcckng scows, the gun beng lifted above
Tie water aier shot, by shears aud suitable tackle.
The present prQ~cte of tae DESTROYER q. CiDaln Eric
s.on ca Is perfected inventon) is the OF the
OK GUIDED referred to- length % feet inches
diameter lG inches, ana ITS weight 1000 pounds, ncud
ng $50 pounds OF ex loslve material ltls made prin
cipall, Of wood. and shape somewhat resembles
car. The point, dynamite section about five feet
III length, from the vertcX to the base Is made Of
cop en- and casi-ron armaure is affixed 20 the tail 10
balance the wcaht OF he opposite eud. ~ il is made
of wood principally, the experimental" projectle
after il has run course. vii to the suraco
/. readily recovered. For firing his proecule Captain
Ericsson has applied t. The Destroyer gun similar
10 tie used IN most OF The experiments, but q
brecch-loa1cr is smooth Bore 80 ferf iength
1G inches b,rc and hoopcd win steel The breech is
locked upon NE Dutch pnucpe. aud when IN OeHed
swung upward aud over, with hinge connection for
tn gun to the torpc.o aud the charge Of
powder
DESCRIPTION or THE TORPEDO vrssgI.
The results Of the fit eXper ments having proved
satisfactory ana successful. Captain Ericsson has
bull ar his cXrens' vessel, Vuich ne has
appropriately named be DESTROYER. Tnis is the
Hudson. WHORE the exncimc1t n, with The torpedO
have b.. Il carried on extensively for raj III n ns
These wer. concluded On November II. Preparations
arc uow making for stem trial To J,t rhine re 40"
tulI consumption Of coal m ni 10 doc.d" WIZ her
sufci.n' an be carried {" takc "a. $50, across
r ic. Tcrr Is no armament 10 he g. %, nor anN
III ng tnat ve- me Destroyer the app afancr ~ wal
vessel 10 .u observer, uulrs 10 ma! De her
.Il.sr .41fHn n r.
ends precisely aike. and terminating wiz Very
dne wedges. probably sharper Than any other
vessel of de p UrJueht yet buI'. 30
Icntnl- l3O ct. depth II e. AMI beam II iert thus
prcsenting unueual pOpio1 az eleven tunes greater
length tIan b'au Tue LEADING feature ~ me cnStrdc-
we'd deck Nthdug from SEN 10 slrh o"u =" en- ~
pate iron. -tro1-y robbed, ara perfectly Wa.er thi
Tins nlclmeIia o. OK ,u7'ans nv Su, zen c'i
feet the BOW nc ned a. an an le OF 49, an up
ported the ait side by wood backing cc' inches
deep AT thf tSe. IN. 'le' re 2ll
tciies for di>"hargg the edo Gun are p led b"Aiud
niV'0t ~ - re- INN AMI ifs fort-''d rTi
Comes con 10 the dcnrrtiag ar, or p t.. Tnis cIbn
and Tor the officer ~ command o. the .css- WAC has a
view oi every tung aue.d MA through giss port.
he the ye--cl ano discharge ia" gun without
fear Of the mys guns. he Is projected by a |
WI ueht arn.r plating in front OF HIM, sixteen |
inches tnickuoss. Prom tine steering whee. runs |
wire rope 20 vaiv near the stern ~ winch water /
dcr- At NJ sl'rn lh[ mou94 OF WHOSE P'ton- III ns
t. rndIer. T." iuddci TN, novei erait - ano her
m"ortant featur rs Is wholly wcon retrd with The
"A
wlougL iron poe welded % piOonPatl0n OF me Keel
lust az Of The iTopellor is up er pant being about
vessel is IN mo, on at fui sped. Tne
tlicrs consist % thm hlt's Oh , iron mvtird
boz ON. TIE. tiers op rated by straieht rods.
courec ed with thc pstons horizontal byoraulc
cylinders. fva inches diameter, atac cd 10 tie -Ce,
% Ihc keel Accordingly the steering gear VIII be laced
11c gan rom which lie torpedo is fred is placed on
hc Uouou of iue forward part NJ tie ssc the uuzzc
rrmina'. ng In the feet below the water
face
by an ou'bo1rd valve. opened and closed automIt-
f 6e Gun te%eca Til The 6rscarec Of the torpedo
aud the closing Of Ne wave, wucl IL
hr.ech and pumped with steam -yphou.
The prQiecl!e. WIN 1t. charge Of 23J pound OF WA
me lil of The prjrctle aud TIE hr'ech II tne
PIT the charge # cuup WIDER The brooch i then cOscd
wien nr Destroyer Is WITHIN 300 or 400 rect Of me
eneny's vessel the gunpOwdrIS gultcd by eec rclty
fhc SHE vessel bei1w tn, water linz AID dostr1vcd
her tue torpedo having peen discharged ~ conclusion
ic' YES tie .1ln is 25O lei a second. WIN minimum
OF powder n recent experiments, the pToeclile
the experiments wuicu have been nm .e. con-
mon cord MEETINGS hay been used 10 drt"rmne TIE
% "OV . n,n ,b ,nt. .traelf The pr' iecii,.i
suik vessel any point under me wIfer and vii
nftce any D. tInF ye aH ot u9eg iEr &
clad Il n xihe. even Wit hundred water tight com
partner o. could be sunk by the explosion OF single
prof, cle Tn ude currents nave serious eject
In, course Of III. torpedo its high speed. it's
course unuer water be detected as II makes
notion affcr IL leaves tde gun
SIMPLICITY AND COMPACTNE~s or TIL MACHINERY.
The machinery OF the vessel is entirely below The
waer-line and under the informed ate deck, that
II cannot disabled by he shot. OF the IL is
simple and compact and ARRANGED shat two engineers
ana two hiemcn take OF IT, The bo er AID
einc rooms are connected ana the e the quantity and
condition the water in til. boilers the pressure of
steam and working Of the engines und tie i'm
mediate observation OF the engineers. Two boilers
placed andships. where there ia The least morton
They have single and large amount of heating
surface The main condenser OF The two direct acting
engines forms the bcd-plae, and the entire
cmncry Is compact trai u occupies space
OF css than feet square The steam n1ers OF %