Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-06-20
THE DESTROYER.

The most pol ferrous and alleged invulDer-
able war ShiNS in existence are the Italian
lnfexible and Dull q, and the British Thun-
derer and Devastation. But against even
these giants torpedo boat like the De-
stroyer would be as the needle that pune
lures toy balloon.
The boat has been built. She lies mos
grown and rusty at the dock somewhere
about New York This Is because yhe
sapient United States government neglscts
to purchase her, or in any way to remunerate
her veteran inventor for his time and
trouble. 1t will probably be another
HotchkiSs gun case. Certainly, so far as
anything can be judged which has not yet
been put TO long-continued actual test, the
nation that should equip her ports and fleets
with Destroyers would have far-reaching
advantage over her opponent
The Destroyer is a submerged torpedo
boat, which fires 25O-pound explosive she'll
under water. The great ironclads are heavily
armor-plated only above water If the
plating was carried to the bottom of the
ship below the water, the weight would BE-
so tremendous as to render the vessel prac-
tically useless, The Destroyers fatal torpedo
sneaks along, ten feet or so under water, and
presently the great ironclad ship thinks Mt.
Vesuvius has opened under her.
The illustration shows the Destroyer's ex-
ternal appearance, at the bow. For the mat
ter of that, either end might be the bow, as
she is built alike at both extremitles.
She is 100 feet long, ~ feet wide and IL
feet deep. She lies almost entirely under
the sea, the water-line being shown where
the dark lines at the upper edge of the hull
are seem The house upon the deck is of iron,
but is no essential part of the vessel. 1t is
for the temporary shelter Of the crew, but
may be all shot away, and the action of the
boat be in no way interfered with.
The vessel is wholly of iron Inside the
hull is plate-iron mid-deck. The space be-
tween this and the upper deck is filed in
with cork and inflated air bags. The rudder
is fixed upon stern-post built upon the
keel, and its top is four feet under water.
The torpedo gun is, however, the object Of
most interest. 1t lies upon the bottom of the
boat, away down between the ribs. The
keel is so narrow and sharp that bulg,
must be built in it, upon the sides, to admf
the gun. This is shown In the illustration
The torpedo or explosive she'll itself is o~el
twenty-five feet long and weighs 1,5O
pounds. 1t is fired by electricity. The tire
mendous she'll moves through the water TO
a distance of 400 to 700 feet and burst
against the hull Of the hostile ship, blowing
her to atoms. 1t makes no noise or rippl
upon the water, and is therefore all the NOR
deadly. The black, fiat raft, with an iroi
house on top, steamS swiftly to within fey
hundred feet of the vessel, discharges tn
shell and steams away again instantly.
II is difficult to see how she could be eail
harmed by ships guns The sea end of tn
gun is closed by valve, which is opene
when the weapon is ready to be fred TIL
submarine gun can be fitted to any ship.
will probably not be trenching on politics
hope that the government will yet take hol
OF this invention before another nation gel
1t. The inventor, John Ericsson, is now
ycas old.