San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-06-01

nipuIated. Guns Fired, Torpedoes steered
and Ships Pnoted by Electricity.
Electricity on ships of war is purely an
American idea, and was first tried on the
United States steamer Trenton in 1888 Soon
after the system had been tested the vessel
sailed on a three years cruise, and attracted
much attention as the first war vessel aioat
to be lighted by electricity The success of
the Trentons experiment practically settled
the question in naval circles. Through the
exertions of Lieut.. Commander R. B. Brad
ford, who was the Trenton's executive officer,
electric lights were placed on the Vermont,
New Hampshire Omaha, Dolphin and Chi
cago Each cruiser has about $40 lights, and
the gunboats about $50, with sufficient sup
plies to last three years. All the cutouts and
switches are made water tight and tested by
turning a stream of water on any part of the
circuit
There are innumerable devices by which
electricity is made useful on board ship. The
value of the search light cannot be estimated,
as scouting parties, torpedo boats or swift
steam launches can be detected a mile away
on the darkest night. As motive power for
small machines it is invaluable, and on the
Chicago will be brought into play for train
ing the huge guns of the main battery. 1t is
used also for discharging the rifled ordnance
and the entire system is under the absolute
control of the commander from his position
in the fighting tower. He requires no uncer-
tain assistants to place him in communication
with the various departments of the complex
machines. Electrical devices perform all the
duties, transmit the orders and control the
movements with far greater accuracy and
safety than would be possible by the old
methods
The simple pressure of a button endows
the huge monster with life and activity,
causing 10000 tons to glide smoothly through
the water at speed of twenty knots. At
the touch of a second button the great shields
swing noiselessly aside and huge apertures
are disclosed. filled the next instant by power
full rifed breech leaders. There is a hush,
moment of expectancy, as the commander
appears through the little slot on a level with
his eye in the tower, touches a third button,
and the cruiser vomits forth sheets of fame.
The long steel shot dart through space at the
rate of 1000 feet in a second; bow, stern and
broadside respond in one terrific roar, and,
crash! the fabric trembles meath the stimuli
taneous explosion of of 5000 pounds of pow
der, and 1900 pounds of metal are sent
whizzing through the air by means of the
electric slave Of the dynamo
The mereSt motion of the little polished
lever directly in front of the captain brings
the powerful search light into action and
sends dazzling beam through the dark void.
To the left protrudeS still another concave
innocent appearing globe, which controls
silent, though potent and death dealing aux
Hilary A slight click is heard, a puff Of
white smoke and the Whitehead torpedoes
glide from their smooth tubes and are driven
through the water at the rates of thirty
miles an hour An electric bell signals the
officer in charge of the quick firing and ma
chine guns when to play his part and ere the
gong has ceased to vibrate, thousands upon
thousands of explosive projectiles are flying
through the air at the rate of 1900 feet per
second.
4 FEARFUL RESPONSIBILITY.
The latest electric appliance is system of
engine room telegraph, invented by }. B.
Wallis, an Englishman. 1t has been thor
oughly tested in the royal navy, and adopted
on her majesty'S ships Camperdown, Rodney
and Aurora 1t is also fitted to the Magici
enne and the Marathon, two second class
twin screw cruisers. The Wallis system COM
prises an engine room telegraph, revolution
order telegraph and a steering telegraph, the
principle being the same in each case. The
engine room telegraph consists of combined
transmitter and reply indicator, inclosed in a
case mounted on a pedestal This inStru-
ment has dial, around which the orders to
be transmitted are distinctly marked, and a
handle at the back turns pointer to the de-
sired command.
The moving of the handle or lever gives
the attention" signal TO the engineer. The
engineer putting his lever over causes a bell
to be sounded on the bridge, which calls at
tention to the fact that he is acknowledging
the orderand repeoting it back. The revolu
ton telegraph is a simple means of transmit
ting to the engineer the number of revolu
tions at which the commander wishes the en-
CINE to run The admiral may S: nal to the
fleet that he is going at seventy revolutions,
which signal has to be repeated to the en-
gineers, in order that all the vessels may keep
in line with the flagship The steering tele-
graph is another application Of the same
principle. The tranSmtter and receiver are
similar to those of the CINE room telegraph
the latter being ingeniously attached to the
rudder which makes the record automat
icaly
In connection with the steam steering
wheel, which in the fighting tower of an IRON
clad is directly under the commanders con-
troll, he has at his disposal a terrible and de-
cisive weapon once it is put III motion
Projecting a number of feet in advance is
the ram attachment, its proportions and
deadly qualities concealed under water.
Emerging from whirling clouds Of battle,
guided by the will of the commander, the
great fabric, impelled by the combined
strength OF the immense engines with fur