Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-03-06
THE TORPEDO BOAT
A MODERN ENGINE OF Naval
WARFARE.
rorpedoes arc Divided Into Three
Ciasses-The Boats That Garry
Torpcdoes ana Their EQUIP
ments-The Speedy Gushing.

nent OF nations that is moro intorestino
to the people than the torpedo boat, and
its peculiar duty. Yet. with the exccp.
ton of some slight use on the Danube.
thirteen years ago, the torpedo in its
present form hes never been in action.
On that one occasion, moreover, the
effect was chiefly upon tho minds of the
combatants. Each was in such terror of
the torpedo boats of its adversary, that
the result was achieved through fear
rather than fighting. Yet we may safely
assume that the torpedo boat may be re-
lied upon as q practicable weapon of
war.
The boat at present in use, whose main
duty is coast and harbor defence, requires
an automobile or self-propelling tor.
pcdo, which shall run for half a milo
under water, and be exploded by CON
tact with the cnemy's ship.
Torpedoes themselves may be divided
into three classes. In the first are tho
fixed torpedoes, which are planted at the
bottom of the water near harbor en-
frances, and exploded by electricity.
The second includes movable topcdoes.
which are dependent upon connection
with fixed base. A coil of fine wire
concealed upon tho torpedo unwinds as
it advances, and by means of electric in
fluenco the operator can make it stop,
start, turn to right or left, and finally ex
plodc at will. The third class embraces
the strictly automobile torpcdocs. of
which there arc two kinds, the White
head and the Howell.
The Whitehead torpedo has. been
adopted by all the naval powers of Eu-
rope. Its body, which is cigar shaped,
is OF polished steel plate, about eighteen
iect long and fifteen inches in diameter
midway. Near the stern is diaphragm
and small screw propeller. The body
of the Whitehead torpedo is divided
into three sections. The front portion
is devoted to the storage of fifty pounds
or more of dynamite, which is dis
charged by contact with the hull of the
vessel destined for destruction. In the
central section is a very compact engine,
which has nearly 100 horse power. and
is usually made OF phosphor bronze. In.
the last section lies the stored power,
which is air compressed to n pressure of
1900 pounds to the square inch. Ex-
pcriments mado in Portsmouth, England,
have established for tho Whitehead tor
pedo speed of about thirty-fiyc miles an
hour when It's set for a 500-yard flight.
The torpcdocs used by the English Gov
crnmcnt are made at tho Arsenal at
Woolwich on tho Thames, and cost
about $500 each.
Thu H0runlI torroJo :, 80.
machine. 1t resembles the Whitehead,
but differs from it in its means of pro-
pulsion. Its motive power is furnished
by aiy-whecl, to which rapid motion is
given just before it is to DO used. The
amount of power stored in the wheel is
astonishing, and, by its force, the tor
pedo can be made to perform flight of
nearly two miles. Great nicely of finish
is necessary in order perfectly to balance
the machine, which would otherwise be
torn to pieces by the vibration of the
wheel, enclosed as it is in the torpedo,
and running ut the rate of 1900 turns
minute. The Howell torpedo leaves no
visible trace of its fight through the
water, and is, in this respect, superior
to the Whitehead, whose course is PLAN
ly disccrnible by tho bubbles of exhaust
dir which rise to the surface. But, on
the other hand, the spinning of the fly
wheelin the Howell torpedo is accom-
panied by tremendous noise, caused
by the exhaust steam which is used to
give it the requisite speed.
The mode of using the two machines
Is the same. In the side or bow of the
vessel is fixed tube containing the tor
pedo, which, when it is on line with
the object to be destroyed, is projected
by charge of slowly buring powder, or
the release of quantity of compressed
air.
The boats used for carrying torpedoes
are moro complex in construction than
the instruments themselves, and have re-
ceived much attention from naval de-
signers. They are divided into two
classes. A boat which can be carried by
ship belongs to tho smaller class, and
is limited in length and displacement by
the capability OF the ship which is to
launch it. Such torpedo boats arc from
seventy feet to fifty-fvc feet in length,
from seven to eight feet wide, and dis
place ten to fourteen tons. They are ex.
pcctcd to work only o few hours, and
carry crew of not more than six men.
The engines and other equipments of
the sccond-class boat arc more simple
than those of the larger, aud up to the
present time they have always been fur
uished with single screws which give a
speed of seventeen or eighteen knots an
hour. They are used as adjuncts to
larger ships, and in an engagement are
expected to harsss the enemy by attack
ing from several points at once. The
battleships Maine and Texas arc to be
furnished with two of these second class
torpedo boats.
Soon after the second class boat came
into use, about twenty-five years ago, it
was seen that larger boat for harbor de-
fence was desirable, and to meet the dc.
maud the British Admiralty built the
Lightning, the first of her class. Sho
was oighty-five feet long. Since then
these sea-going torpedo boats, as
they are often called, have been increased
in length to enc hundred and fifty-fiye
r