New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-22
HOWELL TORPEDO TRIALS.
NAVAL AUTHORITIES HIGHLY PLEASED
WITH THE RESULTS.
4 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW lNvENTioN-pE-
SIGNED TO COMPETE WITH THE
WHITEHEAD TORPEDO
fpy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

have tested and found highly satisfactory "iE
automobile torpedo OF American design and manu-
-oc,ure The name Of the torpedo is the Howell.
7, differs in many essentials from the earlier inven-
,,on of the commodore o. that name. II was oe-
signed especially TO compete with the Whitehead'
an English invention. which has made crcditable
records in this country and abroad. The earlier
HOWELL could not fairly be compared with the
whitehead as II was much smaller and carried a
correspondngly lighter charge Of explosive.
The general dimensions OF the improved Howell
are: Extreme length. II feet inches; greatest
diameter l. inches: net weight of gun cotton IN
charge IA pounds: net weight OF water-wet;ing
charge .ss hounds. ne; weight OF dry gunco;'on In
r-ner. 2s5 pounds: immersed displacement, In sea
wafer ll5o pounds: launching weigh; Of torpedo,
,I2 pounds: reserve buoyancy % pounds; mean
,peed over range OF 400 yards 80 knots; over COO
wards 30 knots: over 500 yards 2s5 knots. The ex-
IRENE effective range. adjusted for regular SER
vice IS 1000 yards the DETECTION from beam fire az
a ship with a speed of l. knots, > degrees; weight
O, fly wheel 80 epounds: most efhcen; hy-whee.
speed a; start. $500 revolutions per minute; pitch
OF screw al start a inches: pitch OF screw al finish.
q inches: diameter OF screws 10 inches. The total
Displacement weight OF a centre pivot launching
tube is 2ae pounds: that OF the tube proper ll93
pounds: of carriage. 422 pounds; of racer ~
hounds OF the motor. $50 pounds; OF the piping 10
sw,yel 2O3 pounds The weight OF powder blast IN
the cartridge is ounces.
The torpedo over which the one recently tested IS
AZ Improvement was II feet inches In extreme
length and IA inches greatest diameter. rs weight
az guncotton only S275 pounds, ana Its dispace-
nent but 52S pounds. Il was serviceable up 70 GOO
yards rs speed being for 400 yards 25 knots. and
,o 600 yards Is knots. Its effective range was 'Vo
wards It's detection from beam fire was the same
as that o. the larger invention. degrees
This is a brief description of the new Howell In
vention: 1t consists of cylindrical middle BODY
20 which is attached ogval head and an ogivai
after body bearing q tail. The head may he either
ad
nlos,ve charge for use in action. or an exercise
head containing fresh-water ballast and lead
weights for use in drills. The middle body con-
,ains a depth register pocket. calcium phosphide
pocket and hy-wheel. The stored up energy OF the
hy-vheel when set in motion by motor situated
outside the tube from which the torpedo is
launched IS transmitted 20 two propellers by gears
and gear-shafts and propeller shafts, whose gyro-
scopic influence tends 10 stfen the torpedo later
ally in its course The after body contains hydro
static piston and a horizontal rudder pendulum.
The action Of which is transmitted through i'm
pulse mechanism to a horizontal rudder II also
contains the vertical rudder pendulum. whose &C
ton is carried through the impulse mechanism 10
s vertical rudder by vertical tiller rod. In ad-
dion in this part OF the torpedo. there Is lock-
ing mechanism. an unlocking rod and the propeller
shafts The frame Of the tail comprises tail cone.
side blades and top and bottom blades. In 1t are
the vertical rudder the horizontal rudder, the
propelers and the speed regulator. The torpedo is
launched by indirect gunpowder impulse from a
tube above or below the water-line Of ship. with
the hy-wheel revolving at speed OF about 10000
revolutions per minute Previously 10 its discharge
the fy-wheel IS spun up the vessel from which
It is TO be discharged When fired in the water
the revolutions Of the hy-wheel start and give 10
the torpedo the energy which drives II at a rate
varying. according TO distance. from twenty-eight
to thirty-three knots The shell of the torpedo is
Of hard rolled brass. one-sixteenth Of an inch in
thickness It is strengthened at various points by
interior rings The material of the inside Of the
machine is bronze and aluminium bronze rev
easily accessible parts are Of steel
The fundamental difference between the Howell
and other types Of automobile torpedoes is in the
method Of transmitting driving power 10 the screw
propellers In the Whitehead and the Schwartz
kopf. which regarded by Naval officers as the
only other successful inventions of the automobile
class compressed air IS stored In tank in the tor
pedo itself from whence IL is fed to powerful air
engines, which actuate the propelling screws. In
the Howell turbine motor is attached 10 the
launching tube. and by means of this exceedingly
high speed Of rotation is given TO heavy steel fly
wheel within the torpedo. which drives tho screws
directly. This hywheel, in addition 10 furnishing
the driving power accomplishes another equally
important function Its gyroscopic power gives TO
the torpedo straight rigdity OF direction in the
horizontal plane Naval officers who hold that the
Howell is superior TO all other torpedoes say II Is
not NECESSARY TO make any compensation against
dehection In using it, while with other submarine
missiles II is important before firing TO give their
vertical rudders permanent set. to compensate for
unbalanced pressure of the when the torpedo
Is discharged from d stationary platform and for
both unbalanced pressure and DETECTION due to
angular fire from a moving platform. Some surpris-
ingly accurate firing with Howell torpedo has been
conducted by Naval officers.
This is a summary Of some Of the scores which
have been reported TO the Navy Department
inches-Hs 1872. misses u; accidents, total shots
s46 With the tube feet inches above the water
Hits S. misses. none, accidents g. total shots g.
With the tube II feet above the water-1Ns. o.
practice twenty torpedoes we're accepted by the
Sayy after sixty consecutive shots were fired. All
ards long by one yard wide at eight feet below the
surface of the water In third test over range OF
formed two groups on the target. hye being on an
ebb tide and six on food tide Each group gave a
horizontal deviation OF fourteen feet, and vertical
deyiation OF only foot from the centre OF impact
In all the trials the orpedoes were oschargeo from
a stationary platform without any attempt 10 oo'"-
pensate rGl ne HoweN with the Whitehead in he
mattel OF accuracy Of fire. reports show that he
latter, discharged from boat running a. a spec.
q fourteen kn SSs o degrees 100 yards
ike circumstances. the Howell showed DETECTION
o on, objection has been noted against the Howell
torpedo With other orpedoes, wheh they one I'd :
me ,heT r ar lseS use Win the Howell either the ny
wheel must be given 5 ed uh yfO the momsn
&C. aree or time must allowed 10 spa Up nc
xass 0cs9 T hs Whs this Objection
thst submarine terror. its magnitude can eaSy De
5s Ih ne he cay ny whee spun up
Be- MAINTAINED ed a. ana b5 Psga w vi giving The torpedo
p e. or causing the slightest loss Of future
efciency tina, the fly whee. may b spun up ron
49, ~ lie most efficient speed In foriy-nNe sec
onds AID thai a, any time while 9ng range exists
80 a., wheel may be spun up ana he-d easlIS a.
ttne ny ~. - brse-0uarers speed They also say
that granting that hs is an objection enc 10 ne Of ave.
cu,acv more than offsets the defect ihey pom, or'
that in other torpeioes the mecna'iSnd ,s,aocs The
scrsws are stopped This arrangement serves :, :
most useful purpose In exercise, as me
,reo5uy he recovered For purpose now 81
vSsra the range is unknown and the ioTpeoo s"o''4