New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-05
LAUNCHING ZALINsKPs TORPEDO BOAT.
SHE KNOCKS HOLE IN HER BOTTOM AND SINKS

IN FOUR MINUTES
score of men In various attitudes of expectancy
standing ts gSss Gi Ga UR The
pedo boat which has been In process Of constTuc,
tion there was perched up on set OF ssn
pointing at the bottom Of the, back
channel Under the said stern four oil casks fEs
were a4anged 50 that the weight o0 OF va ans
inclination and leave her sticking In the mud; Be
yond these excrescences there was nothing 70 inter-
fere With her perfect taper except sPglte With an
outlook. double tackle, so arranged as 70 start
the boat down the ways, led back to capstan an
small cable intended TO keep the boat from going
too fast when started was wound around piece oI
timber trusty man was put IN charge OF tns mltn
Are we all readyp' asked Lieutenant Iaiinski,
as he canked back and forth In a pair OF cavalry
boots with big brass spurs. ,;,o an
"Ail right" replied Mr.. Cowles the marine en-
gineer who had come down to assist at the launch
"Heave away, then" and the lieutenant spd a
dozen labOrers strained at the capstan bars mean
while John T. Holland the inventor of the petrol
cum engine which is TO furnish the power ana the
man who Is mainly responsible for the boat ndgot
ed nervously about, and DIR. Cyrus Edison VINO is
generally reported TO be the financial power
behind the throne reheetively chinked Q Dunch oi
keys in his pocket The men heayen aga egan a 10
move. Faster and faster 1t went until nan way
down and just over some wicked-looking rocks
formed DIV tine DItHklOg uoWu VI tno we"
Here something went wrong and the cigar-shaped
structure careened to the left. .
"Snub herp shouted some one. but the rusty
man in charge of the snubbnR arran gements iailed
TO make connections. Ii would have made nttle
difference. however, If he had "snubbed her until
she died under the insults, for with a. great crash
the WAYS sank under the twent weight tons OF
weight and became so much kindling wood 10 five
seconds The boat slid through the wreck nnd over
the rocks intJ the water. Then everybody breathed
easier.
"Hurrahl she's all right" shouted one enthusi-
astic spectator Yes, she did TO sit gracefully
enough in the water, but the casks were floating up
the harbor on a strong food tide and there was
curious depression of the stern that kept growing
more and more noticeable.
"By Georgel she's sinking" said the Lieu
tenant, and enough she Kept GO
ing down, down, until after hoating
ont into mid channel there nothing but the
tin of her turret visible and thon she disappeared
altogether IN twelve feet of water, four AMI one
half minutes after launching. The crowd stood
about on the pile Of old iron aud listened TO the
consumptive cough of the dynamite gun while
Lieutenant Xalinski. Mr.. Cowles ana. liz, bdsOn
went out in q small boat to investigate. Ae1nsen-
sus OF opinion from the engineers present finally
settled on the theory that pile which was stick
lug partly out of the water had punched hole In
the boat. As she is eight feet In diameter amid,
ships she can be easily pumped out at low tide ana
lOatcd
Lieutenant ZalInsk said that In the few minutes
while the boat was in the water she verified Mr.
Hollands calculations rs 20 her displacement