National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-02-23


Tho senate naval committee has advised
the purchase of Capt. John Ericsson's De-
stroyer, for $4,000, with the privilege of
buying also the patents relating to this
vessel for 100000 more Whatever con-
clusion may be reached as to providing
ocean cruisers for attacking commerce,
seabosrd defense will require war ships of
different kind; and Of the two sorts of
naval construction, the latter is the more
urgent The Destroyer may or may not
DO the typo Of vessel needed for fighting
huge hostile ironclads; but of least its
designers reputation, his long connection
with the navy, dating back TO the old
Princeton, whose novel machinery he
constructed forty-four years ago, and his
inestimable services to tho country in
producing the Monitor aud her successors,
demand that his new system of seaport
protection shall not DO treated with me-
elect. In cruiser construction millions
are appropriated on paper plaens and
specifications. Yet Ericsson not only pays
for his experiments, hut constructs com
plete vessel at private cost and offers her
TO the government at time whom actual
inspection and official trials will show
whether she is worth the price.
The Ericsson system of harbor defense
is that of carrying submarine artillery in
small, cheaply constructed vessels. The
gun fred under water is the central
factor; the vessel is only the gun car
risge. Tho Destroyer is 100 feet long,
III wide, and IL deep. Her bow is pro-
tected by heavy, inclined armor plates
placed transversely, and backed by
thick timbers. Within the iron hull
an intermediate arched iron deck
extends from stem to stern; under this is
the powerful engine, and there also are the
crew during action. Under the iron deck
and the inclined armor of the bow is a
16.inoh gun, 30 feet long; it carries pro-
iectile 20 feet long, weighing ,450 pounds
including an explosive charge of 300
pounds Of gun cotton. This gun is near
the bottom of tho vessel, and its muzzlo
passes through an opening in the stem.
A valve, opened and shut by steam
power, covers this muzzle, and when 1t is
raised the inrushing water is checked by
an inner valve which is strong enough to
hold it, but is itself easily carried away
by the tremendous projectile as it leaves
the bore. An inner sea valve is sacrificed
| for each shot.
Undoubtedly tho submarine gun il
| limited in range. 1t is discharged at a
distance of 300 feet from the enemy's
ship, and when the projectile strikes tn,
ship its charge of gun cotton is exploded
by percussion firing pin. A spiral
spring prevents this explosion from oc
curing on the initial and comparatively
trivial percussion against the inner valve
of tho gun. The theory of the vessel i
that it can be safely brought, on accoun
of its thick armor. within range of 30
feet, and that charge Of 800 pounds o
gun cotton, there delivered against tn
vulnerable parts of an ironclad, under
water, will shatter the hull.
Thus far the opinion Of naval officers
has differed in regard to tho Destroyer
Great hopes of il have been entertained
by somc, while others have interposei
objections. From the conflicting oilicia
opinions and reports of trials the senate
naval committee has collected sufficient
testimony to recommend the purchase
of the Destroyer. If this favorabl,
action leads to decision ono way or tn,
other on the Ericsson system, something
will have been gained. An engineer 8
years old might we'll insist that tn
government should either take his worl
or else decide not to take IL, in orde
that it may be disposed of elsewhere
Still, the question, after all, is not neces
sarily that of buying this particular yes
sci, inasmuch as Capt. Ericsson has offered
for 100000, TO build u steel vessel Liz
the iron Destroyer, tribe larger in eac
dimension, with submarine guns and pro
jectiles complete, and TO guarantee tn
stipulated performance OF bot vessel an
gun by spreties who would DO fully re
sponsiblo in case of failure.-Ne0 70,