Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-02-23

[ away from an agent within even thell
I reach, for it may one day be the means
i of preserving their rights or their lib
/ critics from some stronger naval power
< TO be safe and efficient, Il submarine
torpedo boat must have many good
, qualities. 1t must be d good surface
5 boat able to keep at sea in rough wea-
/ ther, and to travel at d speed of some
: twenty-five miles an hour in smooth
water. When under water, the speed
5 should not be less than fifteen miles an
: hour. All machinery for keeping the
) boat at a regulated depth below the sur
face, CT from preventing it from dip
ping at the bow or stern, must be self
acting-that is, not dependent from mo-
, ment to moment upon the Judgment,
skill, OF attention Of the crew. The
boat must be well lighted within, and
must afford the crew a good view
! throughout the adjacent water. 1t
should also have means for bringing
down from the surface q reflected view
of what is presnt or happening there
within radius Of at least a mile. The
air contained within the boat must be
purified by chemical process, and the
ordinary temperature must not greatly
exceed that Of a hot day in midsum-
mer. The crew must be able to get
surely and quickly into the water in
case of accident to the boat, or Of 9th
er peril to their lives. The boat must
be able to remain continuously under
water for at least twelve hours, and,
n 10
curately and know its position. 1t must
be able to avoid or to clear ObStruc-
lions or acknowledgements, and to eXtri-
cate itself from mud in shallow waters.
The boat and its appliances must be 50
constructed and SO arranged rs to act
with great certainty, ease, and readl-
ness under all circumstances, so that
the commander may take his proceed
ings and give his orders for the work
ing of the boat in full confidence Of
the result. Finally the boat must be
able to discharge into and through the
water a torpedo large enough and pow
erful enough to destroy the greatest
war-ship without danger to the boat
itself
L III DdCh III the cdI ICCf, Captain
John Ericsson, whom we all remember
as the builder of the first ironclad Mon
it0r,' applied for a patent on a screw
propeller to be used in driving ships
trough the water says 10 Davidson in
st Nicholas. Ten years later the sec
rotary Of the British Admiralty perSuad-
ed that body 10 make a trial of the new
machine in the frigate Arrogant.
The uevice was a success. The fri
gate went fasters than others OF her
size using sails alone: she could move
about in the water when there was no
wind, and when other ships were mo-
tionleSS or at anchor; and although her
speed, even with the wind, was but
little increased, and the sailors grOWled
at having the ships hold filed up with
"tea-kettles and b'ilers," they had to
admit that she was safer in a gale,
and could go better than before. Pop
ular feeling was against the propeller.
however, and it was not until 1852 that
it was placed in the larger ships Of
war.
All great inventions have to fight
1t gradually came into use among mer-
chant ships and when the naval au-
thorities saw it's advantages most Of
the opposition ceased, and they decided
to try it in the greatest ship they had.
The windsor Castle had just been
completed at the royal Docl1yard, Penn
broke She was 255 feet long, 60 feet
wide, and had three tiers of portfolios,
room for 12O guns. She was the re
suit Of years OF labor, and was then the
greatest warship in the world.
1t seemed a pity to desecrate this no.
BILE craft by loads Of coal, tons of oily
machinery, hot boilers, and a company
Of greasy engineers" but it would
never do to have England's greatest
war-ship lacking in anything that could
give her greater speed and strength.
Therefore it was decided to cut the
vessel in two and lengthen her so as
to accommodate the machinery. She
was sawed directly through amidships,
the stem was pushed back twenty
three feet, and the gap built up solid
with the rest of the ship. When she
was launched the machinery was put
in. Compete, she was 21S feet long,
and carried 20 more guns.
In making a report Of this great ship
to the French Navy, Lieutenant La
brousse urged the French also to adopt
the propeller, and wrote that the use
of the screw as a means of propulsion
is far from diminishing a ship sailing
qualities 1t is, on the contrary, capable
Of adding to the certaintieS of nayiga
ton.
In 1859 we find the Great Eastern"
using the propeller but only as an aid
to her paddle-wheeIS.In fact, for many
years thereafter, all the ocean steamers
used paddles only. The warships alone
continued to experiment with the pro
pellers.
Now, however everything has chang
ed in favor Of the screw, and, except
! some light riyel-boats drawing little
: water, all steamers are run by prOpel-
! lers Boats were soon built with pro-
pellers under the keel, then others used
two one on either side of the keel, and
/ now three are being successfully oper-
ated.
Then came the days Of forced draft
when the fire -ooms We're closed UP
tight, and air was pumped in to 60 roar
ing up through the chinneys after fan
ming the fires into greater heat. The