The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-09-13

LESSONS LEARNED BY THE PRACTicE
OF THE PARTICULAR SERVICE"
Engiand's Torpedo Boat System Must 10
Reconstructei-Th Ram Polyphenus
Eannin. the Gauntlet - Costly
Folly of European Powers.
INeW York SUM

New York Sun.
1t is Announced that the British admiralty
arc to build several more rams like the Po-
lvphemus, which distinguished herself at
the late battle in Bantry bay The practice
evolutions OF the Particular Service feet on
shat occasion have led to varying infersnces
and surmises. In operations of that sort
there are so many llborious make yes
taat even skilled judges of such encounters
may roach opposite conclusions about them.
Occas iOnai!y, to, tie orderly character of
tl.o gamo is interfered with by real instead
of an imaginary disaster when the Lean
der, n war ship on her first cruise ran
upon rock near Blntry, and stove hole
in her bottom a neatly as the Tallapoosa
could have done it.
Yet Important les -oIs were taught by the
combat in Bantry lay, and lessons that
have value for other nations e5ides the
British. One of these is that the entire sys-
tenn of torpedo boats which England has
laid out much money and labor must be re-
constructed, since they cannot be trusted to
accompany a fleet of ironclads to sea except
in fine weather, and may be Inefficient at
best. A second lesson is that the type of
English gunboats there employed is thor
oughly disappointing. The naval opera
tions We're delayed week until four OF
these crafts could make the passage from
Plymouth to Bantry, and finally they had
" pS tO"Gl ny JE0iH u LniE.
Tyson is that the familiar device oil
a heavy boom for protecting harbors may
be usele against a fast steam ram.
Il will be remembered that in the sham
fight at Bantry Admiral HOskins took in a
fleet of small craft, consisting of torpedo
boats, rowing gun launches, steam pinnaces
and steam cutters, with which to attack
Admiral Whyte's obstruction, consisting OF
nearly mile of boom, formed with spars,
/ IL
boats, and protected on the outside by -four
lines of observation mines nearly fifty feet
| below the surface E!ectro-contact mines
and batteries of machine guns also sup
| ported the defense. Not to dwell ON details,
| the attack had not the ghost of chance OF
| success, and if the combat had been real
one, every boat of the attacking
| hOtilla would have been sunk. cap
| tured, put to flight Thus, to the in
| capacity of the torpedo vessels to go to sea
/ in all weathers must be added that of in
ability to do anything of consequence in al
| assault of that character. A torpedo travel
! ing on the surface was adjudge1 to have
| harmed the boom mora than the combined
attacks of the musquito squadron.
Tho next day, however, the Polyphsmus,
heavy, swift ram, ran the gauntlet of hall
a dozen torpedo boats guarding the boom
| shot clear of o quantity of Whiteheads
Jelfreys, her commander, and finally, driv
ing at the boom at a speed of seventeen
| knots, several the five-inch steel wire haw
| ser without the slightest shock or pause a:
if it had been paper.
But the most str liking reflection in study
/ ing this mock encounter is the testimony il
furnishes to tho costly folly of European
powers in keep up AMI constantly renewing
prodigious military and naval establis b
ments. What possible ground of satisfac
ton and confidence can performance lii,|
that of Bantry bay give to the British ad
| Iniraltys The British were fighting theil
| own means of attack The navy of En-
land is its great aggressive agent; yet an
| essential condition of its welfare is a per
| fectiy protected coast line. The failure Of
its torpedo vessel ut Bentry bay sugge-t:
til result of foreign srbors. On the othel
harl, the easy distraction % the boom 10y
the T. lypaemJs ,1tI ,se7t the reflection
that f0rei.yl nations = . o. can build ju i
[ as jwarfnl rams with which to breal
| through British harbor<Iofenses