Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-03-01
ELECTRICITY IN WAR
ELECTRICIANS WILL PLAY AN IN
PoRTANr PART IN BATTLE.

Electrical Apsiianees on shipbosrd May
Oct out Of Order So Frequently ns to
Render Necessary the Presence OF u
Corps of Lioetrioians.
SO far as the stationary ,orpedocs arc
concerned. methods arc quito well settled
and tho practice has been reduced TO u
science. one, however. which requires n
good deal Of electrical skill for its proper
application. The automobile torpedo
involves problems that are worthy sub
1oct for the exercise OF tho highest cleo
trical skill 80 far as tho Whitehead
and similar missiles Of destruction are
concerned, there Is not much TO be done,
electrically speaking, for torpedo OF
that class Is purely missile discharged
from gun, but supplied with means for
continuing it's course TO an efficient dis
lance under water.
Inasmuch rs u high initial velocity
does not agree with powerful explosives.
tho falling of in velocity would be too
marked II any long range were attempt
ed. With dirigible torpedoes, however.
tho case Is very different. Then ono
must depend on electricity for steering
II not for motive power, and there Ia
room for considerable improvement both
in speed and certainty Of operation, two
prime essentials. But tho function OF
tho electrician Is by no means ended with
torpedo service. for In tho equipment Of
any modern man-of-war the electrical
apparatus plays a very important part.
The modern gun, twenty to forty feet
In length, with corresponding weight,
cannot bo handled by man power as
quickly as tho exigencies OF service
sometimes require, and tho choice lies
between electricity on tho one hand and
hydraulic machinery or donkey engines
on the other. The latter have boen very
freely in use; the former has made It's
influence felt often enough 10 ahow that
II is fully up TO its work. The electric
motor Is undoubtedly better suited TO
such sort OF work than any other kind
of mechanism.
THE SEARCH LIGHT.
Since the introduction Of secondary
batteries every bit OF working mechan-
ism is exposed to formidable iro and
must be protected at all hazards. Here
tho motor, from its worry small sizc, Of
fers a particularly difficult target, and
besides can DO ensconced behind the gun
shield or even behind tho gun itself, so
that nothing short Of blow sufficient to
disable the latter would cripple tho
motor, and In addition tho means Of
communicating power TO tho said motor
are very unobtrusiye aud exceedingly
easy TO duplicate
1t is n perfectly simple matter to sup
ply 1t through half dozen different cir
cults in parallel with each other, all OF
which would have TO DO shot of before
tho motor went even temporarily out Of
use. Even then an electric wire can DO
handled with such ease and rapidity
that temporary communication would
be ro-established very readily although
under Gre, while II steam or water
pipe were shot away there would DO no
replacing 1t during action.
The search light, too, comes In for lis
share Of attention, both as q weapon of
defense and offouse, and more attention
should DO given it than has yet beef.
done. The destruction Of u search light
NN'h'b w. INNS aNNnNh Nuhlh 10 N NtTN
serious calamity, and when one remem.
bors that torpedo boats are usually sup
piled with rapid tire guns, such posi-.
bllity 10 by no means remote.
DANGER FRoa RAPID FIRING GUNS.
From u 37-inilimeter revolving can.
mona size frequently used for the pur-
pose-nearly shot second can DO
fired, and at half or three-fourths Of q
mile the accuracy Of this weapon is so
great as to render hits quito probable,
and single proiectile or fragment OF
shell would stand good chance Of
putting a search light out Of use. All
this points TO reduplication OF tho APP
paratus on considerably moro extended
scale than has usually been the habit
and besides all this there is question
Of communication between different
parts Of the ship, and especially with
the coming tower, md here, us every
where tho convenience of electricity.