Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-02-21

launch it. Such torpedo boats are from
seventy feet to fifty feet in length.
from seven to eight feet wide, and dis
place ten TO fourteen tons They are ex.
pected to work only few hours, and
carry a crew of not more than six men.
The engines and other equipments of
the second-cla boat are more simple
than those OF the larger, and up to the
! present time they have always been fur
nished with single screws which give a
speed Of seventeen or eighteen knots an
hour. They are used as adiuncts to
larger ships, and in an engagement ara
/ expected to harass the enemy by attack
ing from several points at once The
battleships Maine and Texas are to be
( furnished with two OF these second class
torpedo boats.
| Soon after the second class boa. came
into use, about twenty y-tive years ago, it
was seen that larger boat for harbor de-
fence was desirable, and to meet the de
mand the British Admiralty bull, the
Lightning, the first of her class. She
was e,ehtyfve feet long. Since then
these sea a-going torpedo boats, as
they are often called, have been increased
in length to one hundred and fifty y-fve
feet. and in displacement to one hundred
and sixty tons, while their range has
been increased from harbor to coast de-
fence. They aye also fitted with twin
screws.
Since the success of the torpedo SER
vice depends on ''dash, it is clear that
the highest possible speed is desirable
This has been developed with such sue.
cess that, in recent tria: OF first class
torpedo boats built upon the Baltic for
the Italian Government. a speed of nearly
twenty seven knots an hour was OBJ
tanned
The sea-going torpedo boat No. /,
named the Gushing, recently built in
brlsto,, r. l., for the United States
Government, affords the best example OF
vessels of her class. Although she is the
first ever built in America, all the ex
perience of foreign builders has been
utilized; and it is thought that some i'm
provements over all others have been in
troduced.
The Cushing is 13s feet long, and fif-
teen feet wide, is furnished with twin
screws driven by quadruple expansion
engines Of 1900 horse power combined,
and shows speed of twenty three and a
half knots light, and twenty-five and a
half knots loaded The hull is of the
best quality Of plate steel, and it is all
galvanized to prevent damage by sea
water. The Cushing is heavier by sever
al tons than her foreign predecessors,
and does not for that reason show such
high speed. 1t was thought best to
sacrifice something Of speed to durability
and strength. She is about one knot
less fast than the best record Of foreign
boats of her class, while her accommo
dations for officers and crew and her
manuuvreing powers arc far superior to
theirs.
The Gushing is required to carry four
Howell 'orpedoes, to have space for two
tubes used in discharging them, and for
crane OF capacity OF 1890 pounds lift
used in hosting them out Of the water
machine guns on deck, and a magazine
. in which ammunition for the torptdocs
and the guns may be safely stored. An
engine for hauling up the anchor may be
properly placed, and she must carry
full electric plant, that Is, dynamo
, with its engine and connections, with
which to light the vessel, and for use IN
two electric search lights.
The propelling power must develop
! force enough to drive the boat twenty
two knots an hour, and maintain = rea-
, souable rate Of speed for q distance Of
SOOO miles, winch means room lot
= large stock Of coal, and all other engine
: room equipments. Besides all this, she
. must have quarters for four officers and
q q crew Of sixteen men, who mus. be pro-
: perly fed and supplied with water, which
is distilled on board the vessel 1t the
/ rate of ten gallons an hour. Space there
} must be, too, for clothing, provision.
and medicines, in fact, everything that
8 is found on ship Of five thousand tons,
e though IN reduced form. = Yoasas c9n-
: pdnioz-
O TIE New York Indepeadea remarks
Political observers IN Europe hail the
y year upon which we have just entered Al