Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-03-02
ELECTRICITY IN WAR
ELECTRICIANS WILL PLAY AN I'M
pORTAkT PART IN BATTLE.

Get Out of Order So Frequoasiy ss 20
Reader Necessary the Presence Of .
Corps OF Electricians
So far as the stationary torpedoes are
concerned. methods aro quite well settled
and the practice has been reduced 10 .
science. one, however. which requires O
good deal Of electrical skill for its proper
application. Tho automobile torpedo
involves problems that are O worthy sub
iect for the exercise Of the highest cleo
trical skill So far as the Whitehead
and similar missiles of destruction are
concerned. there is not much to be done,
electrically speaking, for q torpedo Of
that class Is purely q missile discharged
from gun. but supplied with means for
continuing its course 10 IN efficient dis
tanco under water.
Inasmuch as q high initial velocity
does not agree with powerful explosives,
tho falling of In velocity would DO too
marked II any long range wcre attempt
ed With dirigiblo torpedoes, however
tho case is very different Then ono
must depend on electricity for steering
II not for motive power, and thero Is
room for considerable Improvement both
In speed and certainty Of operation, two
primo essentials. But the function OF
tho electrician is by no means ended with
torpedo service, for In the equipment Of
any modern man-of-war tho electrical
apparatus plays n very important part.
Tho modern gun. twenty to forty feet
In length, with corresponding weight,
cannot bo handled by man power as
quickly as the exigencies Of service
sometimes require, and tho choice lies
between electricity on tho one hand and
hydraulic machinery or donkey engines
on tho other. Tho latter havo been very
freely In use; tho former has made Its
influence felt often enough to show that
IL is fully mp to its work. Tho 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 fire and
must be protected at oil hazards Hero
tho motor. from its very small sizo, Of
fers particularly difficult target, and
besides can 10 cnsconced behind the gun
shield or even behind the gun itself, so
that nothing short OF blow sufficient to
disable the latter would cripple the
motor. and in addition the means OF
communicating power to the said motor
arc very unobtrusive and exceedingly
easy to duplicate.
II Is q perfectly simple matter To sup
ply it through half dozen different CIR
cults In parallel with each other, oil Of
which would have to be shot of before
tho motor went even temporarily out of
use. Even then an electric wire can be
handled with such case and rapidity
that temporary communication would
be re-established very readily although
under fre, while II o steam or water
pipe wero shot away there would be no
replacing 1t during action
The search light, too. comes in for its
share Of attention, both as O weapon Of
defonse and ofense, and more attention
should be given 1t than has yet heel
done The destruction Of q search light
during @ torpedo attack would DO a very
serious calamity. and when one remem-
bers that torpedo boats are usually sup
piled with rapid fro guns, such q possi-
bility Is by no means remote.
DANGER FROM RAPID PIRISo GUNS.
From q 87-millimeter revolving can
mona size frequently used for tho pur-
pose-nearly o shot O second can DO
fred, and at half or three-fourths Of o
mile tho accuracy Of this weapon Is so
great as to render hits quito probable.
and o single projectilo or fragment Of
o shell would stand good chance Of
putting search light out OF use. All
this points to reduplication Of tho ap-
paratus on considerably more extended
scale than has usually been tho habit,
and besides all this thero Is a question
Of communication between different
parts Of the ship, and especially with
the coming tower, and here, as every.
where, tho convenience Of electricity,
tho readiness with which circuits can be
multiplied and ro-establishcd mako Its
use almost imperative.
In case Of war tho electrician viii find
plenty to do. both in tho way Of routine
work and improvements. and may play
q part Of great importanco.-Electrical
World.