Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-08
ELECTRIC TORPEDO BOATS.
Upon Their Use Success In the Next War Will
Largely Depend.


Fro, the Pail Mall Gazette.
l he torpedo boat is one Of the weapons upon
which VIC are to rely in the next great naval
war, and nen-of-war are provided with second
class torpedo boats, which arero be hoisted out
and detached when occasion arises. 1t is
obvious that one of the great requirements for
boats built for this service il that they should
be always ready for work With a steam
launch some delay must be incurred in raising
full pressure Of steam, even if the launch boiler
be fed with live steam from the main boilers The
electric torpedo boat can be charged from the
dynamo, which is now necessary part Of any
steamships outfit, during times when there is
slackness in the demand for steam and when
few lamps are switched on.
The cost of charging is therefore reduced to
a minimum, but this recommendation is one of
the least important, because in estimates for
war purposes economy is very secondary con-
sidcration. The great recommendation is that
she Is always ready. Once charged she remains
On duty, and when the call comes she has to be
put ahoat and the starting lever put over. She
is thus enabled to go full speed ahead on touch
Ing the water, and this Is a very great consider
alton. The difficulty at present in the way is
that of speed. The data available to the public
respecting small steam vessels is very meager
We can easily find out particulars of the en-
gines, consumption and bunker capacity of
ocean steamships, although sometimes the
Of little boats keep the particulars of weight
OF machinery and amount OF consumption Of
coal very much to themselves. Then. too, the
electric launches hitherto built have not gone
in for great speed.
Those built for Thames pleasure purposes.
for instance, are very much limited in speed
by the rules Of the Thames Conservancy, and
the builders of craft for this traffic ore there
fore obliged to find outlet for their in
genuity by trying to decrease the weight of
their machinery and increasing the length of
time during which a vessel may run before her
charge is exhausted. Thus at present we can
not pretend to give any accurate details regard
ing the weight of electric machinery to drive a
second-class torpedo boat ut the speed where
her steam engines now take her. This how
ever, seems certain. she could be driven at her
present speed in the present state Of electrical
science, though her endurance would be less
with electricity than with steam. This Is, Of
course, a disadvantage, but it must be remem-
bered that In an attack by boat Of this kind
detached from a man -of-war, the time during
which she would be required to be under way
would be very short.
The attack would probably consist of a rush
forward and rapid retreat to the shelter Of
her convoy. Against this disadvantage must
be placed the constant readiness to which We
have already alluded and also another advan-
tage which is scarcely OF less importance,
viz: the absence Of smoke and glare. During
the recent naval maneuvers it was a constant
complaint that when pressed to full speed a
fame appeared above the tunnels Of the tor
pedo boats in spite Of all efforts to prevent it
and that this, Of course, gave fatal indication
of their whereabouts. The whole value q. an at
tack would be lost il such a warning were
given inactaal warfare, and the electric launch
could give no such sign. The Liverpool Jour
nal of Commerce understands that data as to
the endurance Of electrically propelled torpedo
boats will soon be available