Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-08-06
AR6rpedoBoat.

The Goubet submarine torpedo
boat is Of iron, sixteen feet Eve inches
long, three feet three and one half
|: inches wide, and five feet ten and one
hall inches deep, including the look.
out dome. - @.s.
The weight OF the boat, with its
water reservoirs empty and without
the crew, is 1896 pounds q, $50 Kill
-ograms), and it's displacement when
submerged is 4,O56 pounds in sea
water 1880 liters). It's buoyancy
is merged by the weight Of the crew
and the water admitted to the reser-
voirs.
Each man requires about 400 liters
fourteen cubic feet) of air per hour.
To provide for this reservoir con-
tains air at q pressure of fifty atmos-
pheres, in sufficient quantity to last
the crew Of two men for ten hours:
The carbonic acid and other acids are
absorbed by chemicals and an air
pump expels the foul air
To drive the boat at its maximum
speed Of five knots power OF forty
two Kilograms 1858 H. 7 is required,
and may be furnished by q Sielnens
motor, working from accumulators.
(This would necessitate a weight of
1000 pounds for motive power.)
There is no rudder, but a universal
Joint in the screw shaft permits the
screw to move through an arc of 80
degrees on each side.
In submarine boats it is essential
that the trim should be very exact,
as otherwise the motive power might
cause the boat to Jump out Of the wa
ter or dive to unsafe depths. To
maintain the trim in the Goubet boat
the boat connected with a double-act-
ingpunp, which draws and delivers
in opposite directions, according to
the direction of motion of it's operat-
ing shaft. This shaft ends in g. crown
wheel, which may gear with either of
two wheels on a shaft at right angles
to the first, and revolving constantly
in the same direction. AS long as the
boat remains with it's axis horizontal
the boat is motionless, but on any
change OF the axis a pendulum throws
the pump into gear with one 1.-THE two
wheels on the second shaft, and water
is pumped from the lower to the high
er tank, bringing the boat to a level
axis.
The torpedo is carried outside the
boat and is secured by a bay onet-catch
controlled from the inside. On arriv-
ing under the enemy the torpedo is re-
leased and rises by it's reserve ofbuoy-
ancy until it catches ON the vessels
bottom by spikes with which it's upper
surfaceis provided. The torpedo boat
then withdraws, maintaining it's con-
nection with the torpedo by unreeling
a wire. When the boat is at a safe dis
lance the torpedo is exploded.
The boat is also provided with a.
small torpedo which, when released,
rises to the surface and explodes, form
ing signal which, by it's noise and the
color OF its flame, calls attention to
the boat and Indicates the depth at
which it is. The torpedo may also
carry up a telephone wire.
A large weight is attached to the
bottom of the boat by a screw and
nut, and may be released at any time,
thus permitting the boat to rise.
! In case the motor breaks down
| there is an arrangement for working
| two oars, which habitually trail along
side. When in use they open at the
stroke and close at the recover.
To attack vessel the boat pro-
ceeds along the surface until it is
thought necessary to dive, when the
captain directs the boat at the enemy
by the sight-vane; the other man
maintains the course by compass,
and the boat sinks by admitting water
! to the tanks.
1t is stated 3OOof these boats were
| ordered for Russia in 1881, and the
| fifty were delivered in 1883. The early
form ofthe boat was driven by manual
power.