San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-01-12
ERICSsON'S LATEST.
Navel Torpedo.Boat That Can Sink the Greatest
WV OF Ir0nclads.

Navel Torped0-B0at That Gan Sink the Greatest
or Ir0nclads.
New York World
successful trial of Capt. Ericsson's
.ornedo. boat destroyer took place at the
AWKWARD yesterday. The strong tide
- the ordinance dock compelled a
change of plan, and the target, square
frame covered with iron netting, was
successfully placed in the Cove. The
destroyer was made fast to the old
Constitution. The target was submerg.
cd 800 yards away. Everything being
in rediness, Mr.. Larroe, the represent
tatiye of the Delamater Iron Works,
the builders of the Destroyer, notified
Can't. Selfridgs and commanders Ply
tbian and Crowninshield, the board ap-
nointod to examine the tests. At 3
O'clock the signal was given, and gun
vas fred. There was but a slight re-
mort. and all that could be noticed from
the outside was trifing disturbance
of the waters under the bow of the
vessel. Almost instantly the portion
of the target which was above the
water was seen to vibrate, and second
later the projectile, wooden log fifteen
feet long, leaped from the water some
800 yards beyond the target, with a
motion exactly similar to that of a por-
poise playing under the bows of ship
at sea. From this point it ricochetted
along the surface of the water for some
200 yards further before it lost its
momentum. The target having been
raised, it was found that the netting had
been pierced almost exactly in the CEN
ter and about five feet under water.
The officers pronounced this trial emil
nently successful and ordered another
for this morning at 9 o'clock. The
Destroyer is an iron boat with hull al
most entirely submerged. Upon this
hull, placed well aft, is a deck-house
of sheetiron. The hull is 100 feet
long, twelve feet wide, and eleven feet
deep. She is double ender, and is
propelled by an engine of 1000 horse
power. The steering apparatus and the
torpedo gun in fact all of her effec-
appointments-are below the water
level. The armament consists of a
single gun placed just above the keel
son in the forward part of the boat, it's
muzzle opening directly into the water,
which is excluded from it by perman-
emit valve hung by an elbow joint to the
stem and opened or closed by piston
operated at the breech of the gun.
When the gun is to be fred the valve
is raised out of the path of the pro-
jectile, and it's place is taken by tenn
porary valve of wood and rubber cloth,
which fits the muzzle tightly, and is
placed in the gun after it is loaded.
This is shattered when the gun is fired.
As the projectile leaves the muzzle
the permanent valve again comes in
position, the little water that rushes in
runs through the breech to the bilge
and in pumped out by steam siphon.
The torpedo which it is proposed to
use in actual warfare is chamber of
iron or copper, large enough to contain
$40 pounds of dynamite, and it is
claimed that against this little vessel
the most powerful ironclads will be
helpless, as the submerged gun will
penetrate them beneath their amor
and her great speed and facility of
maneuvering would enable her to get
in her work among fleet of big ships
almost at will, and with entire safety.