The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-05-09
ELECTRICITY ON WAREHIPS
HOV Modern Men-Oi-Wal Utilize htI
Valuable Inventions.
one Result Of ThIs New TOFes is %
Put = Vessel Into the Hands %
one MAn-EleetRie wOnaoTs.

American luea, ana was nrst tfleu On the
United States steamer Trenton in 1883.
Soon after the system had been tested the
vessel sailed on three-yeaTs' cruise, and
attracted much attention as the first
war vessel afloat to be lighted by electric
ity. The success Of the TrentOn's expert.
ment practically settled the question in
naval circles. Through the exeTtionS Of
Lieut.. Commander r. D. Bradford, who
was the Trenton's executive officer, elec-
tric lights were placed on the Vermont,
New Hampshire, Omaha, Dolphin and
Chicago. The Baltimore, Charleston,
Yorktown, Bennington and Concord will
be supplied with the latest improved
plants, and there Is nothing aAOat that
can excel the system. Each cruiser has
about five hundred lights, and the gun
boats two hundred and Afty, with suffi-
cient supplies to last three years. All
the cutouts and switches are made water
tight and tested by turning 4 stream Of
water OH any part Of the circuit.
There are innumerable devices BY
which electricity II made useful on board
ships. The value Of the search-light can
not be estimated, a. scouting parties, tor
pedo boats or swift steam launches can
be detected q mile away on the darkest
night. As motive power for small ma
chimes II 10 invaluable, and on the Chi
cago will be brought into play for train
ing the huge guns Of the main battery.
It is used also for discharging the rifed
ordnance and the entire system 10 under
the absolute control Of the commander
from his position in the fighting tower.
He requires no uncertain assistants 10
place him In communication with the
various departments Of the complex ma
chine. 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 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 second button
the great shields swing noiselessly aside
and the huge apertuTes. are disclosed,
filed the next instant by powerful rifed
breecb.loaders. There Is hush, Q mo-
ment Of expectancy, a. the commander
peers through the little slot on . level
with his eve In the tower, touches Q third
button, and the cruiser vomits forth
sheets Of flame. The long steel shot dart
through space at the rate Of 1000 feet in
a second bow, stern and broadside re-
spond In one terrific roar, and, crash the
fabric trembles meath the simultaneous
explosion Of 5000 pounds Of powder, and
70 OOD mounds of metal are sent whiEzing
through the mir by means Of the electric
sIave of the DYNAMO.
The merest motion Of the little polished
Iaver directly in front Of the captain
brirO. the powerful search.liQht into. &C.
t;on and sends a dazzling beam through
tbo dark void. To the left protrudes still
snothe1 concave innOcent-appearing
Olobe. which controls silent, though po-
TENT and death-dealing auxiliary. A
sIivht 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 rate Of