The Portland daily press., 1891-06-20
TO DEAL DEATH BENEATH THE WATER
Torpedoes With Which the Navy De-
partment Will Experiment.
What Is Said To Be the Beginning of
Extensive Operations.
Plans TO Make Our Waters Very
Dangerous for Hostile Ships.

New YORK, June 19.-The Times today
says that Commander George A. Converse.
commanding the United States steamer
Enterprise. has been directed by the Navy
Department to hold himself In readiness to
be detached from the command of the Enter
prise on or about July 10 and receive an as
signment as president of permanent
torpedo board. The board will consist Of
three members. Lieut.. G. A. Bradbury, Of
the yorktown, has been assigned to the
board In addition TO Commander Conyerse,
but the third member has not yet been
chosen.
The torpedo board will not only be perma.
nent but will be Independent of the Navy
Department bureaus. The president of the
ooard VIII receive orders direct from the
secretary OF the Navy. Ii Is proposed 10
commence the building Of torpedo boats on
an extended scale. One hundred Whitehead
torpedoes have been ordered as a starter
from the English Whitehead establishment.
ms order amounts to something like half a
million OF dollars. The order has been made
through representatives of the Whitehead
establishment having headquarters in Brook
lyn.
The 100 Whiteheads are to be delivered
before next fall. They will be distributed
on receipt among the various new ships of
the navy. The contract calls for higher
grade of torpedo than is being furnished to
British war ships. Each torpedo. in order to
be accepted. must have speed Of 81 knots
per hour over the first AGO yards of run, and
a speed OF 20 knots per hour over the second
400 yards of run. The lateral dev iation on
any point of the 800 yard course must not
exceed 10 feet The vertical deviation must
not exceed two feet
The torpedo board will conduct all trials
and tests at Newport Fifty Howell auto
mobile t0rped0eS have been ordered by the
Navy Department. They are being con-
structed at Providence. r. l. The first of
the lot will be ready for examination by Au-
gust l. The Howell torpedOes must have a
speed Of 81 knots over the first 400 yards of
run.
1t is thought that the Howell torpedoes,
which are American in design and make,
glish Whitehead. The coming tests will de-
monstrate the relative efficiency Of the two
weapons. The order for 100 Whitehead tor
pedoes is to supply the pressing needs of the
service. All the new warships are supplied
with torpedo discharge tubes, yet not sin
Ing, has modern torpedo aboard. The
Gushing is fitted to carry two torpedoes in
the bow tubes, two torpedoes in the deck
tubes. and two t0rpedoes In reserve. 1t will
require In all 200 torpedoes to fill up. the toI-
pedo allowance OF the new vessels Of the ne-
Wy, Ii war should be declared tomorrow
there could not be found torpedo aboard
ship available for use.
In general features the Whitehead and
Howell tOrped0es are similar. Both are dis
svss from launching tubes fitted In the
hulls of ships. These tubes are eitiier
placed in broadside or In the stern or stem.
Both the Whitehead and Howell are auto
mobile, their pr0pelling power coming from
engines set in the body Of the torpedo. The
engines work twin screws. The tOrpedOes
are hurled out of the launching tubes by
small powder discharge operating against
compressed air. The torpedOes leap into
the water some fifteen feet away from the
ship, dive, and take a course parallel to the
surface of the water and In the direction In
which they have been aimed. The machine
ry OF the t0rpedoes Is set In motion before
the discharge. The depth of the torpedo be-
low the surfuce of the water is regulated by
valves which respond, closing or opening. to
varying depth pressures.
Ordinarily the torpedOes run on course Is
feet to II feet below the surface. This depth
brings the torpedo against the underwater
hull Of the enemy's vessel. The torpedo ex-
plodes on concussion. The general shane OF
the Whitehead and Howell Is that of cigar
The diameters are as great as Is inches aud
length IL feet Smaller sizes are EMPLOYED
The explosive charge is carried In the for
ward end OF the torpedo. 1t consists In the
larger tOrpedOes of several hundred pounds
OF gun cotton. The effect of torpedo ex-
ploding against the underwater hull of a
vessel, and particularly when there is a
weight Of 10 feet of water for tamping, is to
bodily lift the largest ship aflOat