National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-31


signed and modelled such vessel, Of
which, by way of illustration, give the
principal dimensions and Weights:
Length between perpondiculars....,... 325 feet
bTeAulh extreme, me,.'..'.'..,",'...,,'.,.'.,.... @
Mean draught......................."o gJ
nlspaCement ''''''.' '.''''.''''.'' Su1U IONS
weight OF hull.......,.,.,. .....,,,..,..,, 3,bul
Weight Of armor Qncluding turrets). 1850
Weight Of armament u i2-lnUh guns,
including slides, &c. ),,,.,..,........... 80
Weight OF engines $500 ind. IL. P.)" 100 "
Total......................... e,7oD "
leaving reserve of about ? 200 tons
for coal, stores, aud miscellaneous equip
ment The general model aud design Of
this vessel would bo an enlarged Mianto-
nomoh but with n somewhat greater pro
portionate freoboard. The only important
modification had in mind was the dis
position of tho armor, which would be put
on so ne to present no vertical face at any
point above the water line, either on the
sides OF tho vessel or the walls Of the
turrets. This vessel, according to my
calculations, would have four feet six
inches Of freeboard with all her weights
on, and would be capable OF twelve knots
sea speed, which is enough for any vessel
designed As q battering ship pure and
simple. and not calculated to chase or TO
run. Five such vessels would provide
A FORMIDABLE MAIN LINE OF DEFENSE
for the principal harbors of the Atlantic
coast against all comers whatsoever, and
could be utilized for purposes of demon
stration or attack against the ports of any
of our immediate neighbors in case of
need.
1t is not worth while TO discuss the
proposition 80 often put forward by the
torpedo specialists that q torpedo system
alone eau be safely made the main limo Of
defense, and that therefore no armored
ships Of large size carrying heavy guns
are needed. This matter can be disposed
of by very brief catechism, something
as follows:
Has any torpedo. whether projectile or
automobile. been developed to the status
Of a weapon of precision
Are not tho properties of water, whether
in a seaway, roadstcad, or a channel,
such as to preclude the possibility of
making any appliance which must Das5
through water to reach its object,
weapon Of precision?
Can any weapon be sensibly depended
on as sole or even main arm of de-
fense unless its operations can bo reduced
TO fixed known quautum under the di-
rect and constant control of human skill;
in other words, is any weapon reliable
that is not ut all times and under all
circumstances capable of being employed
with calculable precision?
| am aware that vast sums havo been
mi ara now being expended by various
governments in developing torpedo sys.
'yls; tho flvOrite method being by the
IT, o. !ons spca,ally constructed for
...t ''l', Iiuyss and high speed, and cal
.,Ih'., ~ launch fish torpedoes against
.a ny NJ close range. But no nation
f.lt, Iatcs these appliances as anything
..a. "....iary to The operations of heavy
..t"..H ships either singly or in squad
a tho best aud under the most
.rH n" circumstances the torpedo boat
900 uDt tUg moro than the most des-
np! .urOrn hopes, whose crew must
rH'rl prospects of destruction by ma
.un 81, or otherwise that would
J'HRIily less Than one chance in a
mt ut saving their boat or them
-.n 40 matter whether they injured
enemy or not. 4 distinguished
% arentcrt in New York, has in
...,ai u peculiar torpedo boat to be
rw"V with a peculiar gun, which is to
..ie nr8c peculiar torpedo as a sub
ugSIt prgjcctle. This appliance is
&C.. A.ry Il ny its eminent inventor to
uS,rE5 all existing navics in the brefest
b .ygyuahle time, remaining meantime
lsty'c;iy invulneraDie itself and it 10
w that the invention has been made
T. basis Of joint stock company OF
,,,rIe capital and larger expectations, on
3hc truly American plan, and that divers
/jnd sundry enterprising gentlemen
| OF GREAT POSITION AND POWER,
have been made important stockholders OF
! preferred stock in the same.
Perhaps, as the late ArtemuS Ward
remarked, when he paid $3.50 express
charges ON package that proved to con-
tain box of sand, perhaps | have boon
deceived, but il have not been deceived,
think 1t is not difficult to trace con-
ncction between the opposition to the
monitors that prevails in certain circles
aud the stOckbook of the Ericsson
Destroyer Company.
Aside, however, from any Considera.
tlous of preferred stock, and viewing the
matter from tho standpoint Of received
knowledge and approved science, the
Ericsson Destroyer is simply torpedo
boat-on an enlarged scale, it is true, and
possessing certain elements of superiority
over lesser models-but still torpedo
boat, Oubject TO tho inevitable restrictions
Of that arm, and hence in q greater ol
less degree partaking of its necessarily
conditional and auxiliary properties
The Ericsson boat is undoubtedly tn,
most formidable torpedo boat yet dc
signed. But for all that it is still an ap
plaucJ that stands no chance of etfec
tivenos5 except at very close range, anC
even then its chances, like those of any
other torpedo boat, must be modified By
tho fact that its means of oflense mus
pass for some distance through the un
stable element Of water to reach its OBJ
ect-a fact which, to any person of scien
tihc knowledge in that direction, need
no further comment.
Two years ago the French navy de
partment conducted series of tOrped
experiments at CherbouTg which wor
intended to and actually did exhaust thu
possibilities of torpedo invention up /,
that date. The result of those expert
ments wRs simply to prove, what hay,
heretofore asserted that undor no Circum
stances could the torpedo be regarded q
weapon OF precision, and that hence II
utility must be considered qualified b.
elements of luck and chance, which, I
use the language Of the official report
necessarily exclude IL from the categor
OF Certainties and relegate 1t to tn
status of an auxiliary weapon, possessin
only secondary Importance and depend
ing wholly upon artillery support for an
reasonable probability Of effectiveness,
IL is said to take u mans weight of lea
to kill him in battle so IL is likely b
take ships cost in torpedo boats to de
strOy her in action, barring always th
one lucky exception which may at an,
time happen by way Of proving th
truth Of the rule.
That feet of torpedo craft is an In
portant element in any system of Goa;
upfpngn ia not n debatable urODOsi LiOr