Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-16
SUBMARINE ToRPEpO RnATS.
Tie Latest Step In Their Deyelopment-Cond
tons Which Limit Their Usefulness.
M Nnrl

New York Sun.
The latest step in the Development of
submarine torpedo boats is a novelty.
Lieut.. Zalinski, who has divided his stud
les and experiments at Fort Hamilton
between subp arine torpedo boats and
the dynamite shell throwing guns, pro-
poses to so arrange matters in his under
water boat that in case it should from
any accident get permanently sunk in
reasonably shallow water-say ten or fif-
teen fathoms-the crew could escape to
the surface with their lives. The details
of his plan he is not yet ready to disclose
but in general he proposes that in case
he finds that this boat can not be raised
to the surface the men will dress them
selves in some sort of divers
suit, which will of course be as light and
contain as much air as possible. Then
they will open valve in the side of the
boat and let it fill with water. This done
the manhole on the top of the boat can
be opened, and the men will crawl out
and rise TO the surface. Divers say that
this is practicable for diving in the or
binary diving suits it is necessary for
divers to weight themselves heavily be-
fore they can reach the bottom. To
prove the efficacy of his devices Lieut..
DIODOSSS W lul iln pOoti llAV q
dry dock, and there submerge it with the
men (himself included), after which he
will fill it up aud come to the surface.
That the men might save their lives even
if ia battle the boat should be sunk is APP
parent, provided the new devices should
work as they are expected to dc. But the
chief value of the proposed improve
ment is the influence it will have on the
in tbair vaasal Eaalinpr
confident of escape in case of accident,
they will have less hesitation in making
experiments, and in time of battle would
attack the enemy with greater bravery.
Lieut. Zalinski thinks, however, that the
influence of the submarine torpedo-boat,
in its present state of developement, in
time of battle has been greatly overesti-
mated. The speed of the boat with the
best known appliances in every limited,
three or four knots being all that the best
boats can continuously attain. Even with
speed of ten or twelve knots their
efficacy would not be so great as the un-
informed believe it would be. Once under
water, especially in such water as flows
in New York harbor, the navigators are
| in darkness compared with which the
blacklist of fogs on the darkest night at
sea is day light. 1t is easy work to light
| tn interior of the boat with the electric
| light, bnt that does not aid the pilot in
| finding the enemy: in fact, it might hurt
the chances of finding her, for pilots do
not want lights in the pilot-house. Only
such lights as would enable the men to
work the machinery would be wanted.
! The power of outside electric lights to
! light ny the water around the boat, and
] thno hla bnr n find the
! limited as to be scarce worth mentioning
Besides a light powerful enough to illu-
inmate water would disclose the location
of the submarine boat to the enemy and
! thus enable him to drop a dynamite
bomb on it and totally destroy it. The
submarine boat must get the bearings
of the enemy before it goes below the
water. If the enemy happened to be at
anchor, something not likhly to happen
in the case of fleet blockading New
York for instance, the submarine boat
might work with fair success. The tide,
however might upset the calculations by
drifting the boat out of its course, par
ticularly as the tidal currents usually ron
in one direction on the surface while run
ming in the opposite below. To find
the exact position of way, at most 60x4O
water, would be matter Of no little
difficulty for the submarine nevigators-
who would have to take their departure
from a point several miles distant. II
would require several trips to the surface
to renew their bearings, and at such times
they would have to rely on the snallmess
of the pilot house to escape observation
In case the enemy was steaming about
e l.. 81
of say eifihteen knots an hour, the sub
marine boat would be of no more value
than a torpedo at anchor, If the sub
marine navigators proposed to blow thu
enemy out of water by attaching torped'
to his heel.
: Iieut. Zahnaki thinks that the submar
inc boat must use some sort OF TORPEDO
throwing gun like the ones used by tn
ordinary torpodo-boat. Very NATURALLY
he thinks that the pneumatic gun whlc'
he has developed will answer the purpore
throwing as it does, an immense charg
of the explosive for two miles throug
7 the air better than the Whitehead metho
7 with a range of six hundred yards BE
sides, the recent British experiments II
Portsmouth harbor on a condemned lroA
clad showed that a steel netting at thlrt
feet from the snip eIecludily eOoPPou
Whitehead torpedo. 1t is apparent tina
the chief value of submarine boat Is l
its ability to sink unobserved within cas-
range of the enemy, and then rise to tn
surface and discharge the projectlle'
Z can then sink out of sight, If necessar.
and either escape or prepare for anothe
attack.
The pneumatic gun which Lieut. AaliI
!, ski is building for the new torpedo cruise
ordered by tho navy department WI
throw a proiectile with four hundre
pounds of nitro gelatins in 1t. The col
5 tract calls for two hundred pound pr'
y iectile, but the larger one is furnished
u order to more effectually dsmonstra
!, the efficiency of this method of disohsri
a ing large quantities of high explosives
70 HOW THEY MAKE 1T PAY.
Fellows Who Act as Co BetweenS for the FOL
ticians and Keep Up style,
Like the lilies of the field, .hey RET
not, neither do they sow, but the tlf
" avenue dude in all his glory Is no bott
/ ,..aa NOR has he more cash IN