The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-12

the old three-decl1ers of Nelson's day
into the terrible 20-knot battieshipS of
our times, the sole aim of naval inVen-
tors and engineers has been TO devise
successive ways and means of destroy
ing the product of their own skill and
ingenuity. First came the torpedo.
terrible weapon, carried by the warship
itself to destroy its fellow. speedily fol-
lowed by the torpedo boat, the sole
mission of which was to endeavOr 10
steal unperceiVed within close range of
the hattleShiD. and quietly discharge
''whitehead" at its vitals To effect this
purpose the smaller boats speed had
necessarily TO be increased, or, in other
words. more powerful engines had to
be built within a much smaller com
pass.
Now. in naval affairs. as in nature
the theory OF evolution seems to hold
good, SO the necessary sequence to a
torpedo boat was the catcher or de-
stroyer of torpedo boats larger and
stOuter than these latter vessels. but
possessing the speed Of an express
tram, and an armament of light, quick
firing guns OF sufficient power to war
rant the cognomen, destroyer
The only resource left to the torpedo
boats lay in seeking to become inVisi-
bic. or AT least. very difficult Of detec-
ton. The 1891 type of this class is a
lOw-lying, black, hdeous craft. very
ticall1 indistinguishable at night or at
any distance. These very qualities,
however, only tend to defeat the very
end aimed at. for a torpedo cannot be
fired with any measure of success
beyond about 500 yards. and surprises
IT night are both risky and difficult.
now that all men-of-War are fitted out
with powerful electric searchlights.
Consequently naval designers, disap-
pointed at the nOn-succeSs of the tor
pedo boat. sought for the next devel-
oDment in the evolution Of that vessel.
AM found it in the submarine boat,
that climax of the imagination which
furnished Jules Verne with such good
material for romance and that rep
resents to sailors what the flying ma
chine does to landsmen, the ultima
thule of }ocomotion. Only q few months
ago the account OF trial Trip Of the
Holland submarine boat at Elizabe
n. J., attracted the attention of every
civilized government, and it's apparent
success seemed to SOUND the death l5nell
OF the huge, cumbersome ironcIad. and
predestine The naval superiority of
whichever nation effected its purchase.
DEFYING THE HOLLAND.
: But apart from the engrossing ques-
ton as to which government would sue
coed in acquiring the rights of Mr.
important proposition of how to nul-
lily partially. at least, if not entirely.
the seemingly overwhelming p-eponder-
anca of advantages which such a yes
sci 4uSt possess. Both officers and men
began TO ask themselves: How can we
fight All enemy that we can neither
zee nor hear: that can approach us
under water in broad daylight and de-
strOy the ship at any mOmenI? The
solution of the riddle seemed imposSi-
be, yet there were some who philo-
sophically reflected that the last dan
ger would. without doubt, be met and
prepared for as many others had been
bef0re-and, as events showed. they
were wight. as philosophers always are,
or claim to be. Already before the
new enemy is fairly equipped for bat
tie its supposed inVulnerability is dis
counted, its detection assured and its
pretensions ridiculed as preposterous.
1t remained for a Frenchman to dis
cover the means by which this subma-
lsne prodigy is to be deiied, and his
plan consists simply of attaching bal
loon TO the Warship from whose emf
nence il has been proved, by the eX-
pe1iments Of the french government.
that tie movements of a submarine
vessel can be easily detected long be-
fore ii reaches a dangerous proximity
to it's intended victim. A little eXpla-
nation Of the system of submarine at
tack is necessary for the complete I'M
outstanding OF the advantages in the
use Of q balloon. The actual creation
OF Vernes fertile brain is still myth.
existing only IN his famous book. but
boats do exist which. ike the Holland.
travel ordinarily along the surface. but
can, when necessary. submerge them
selves entirely. and are vet capable OF
proceeding several hundred yards in
anv particular direction.
Hence the enemy - be faced by the
5ronclad IS one whS. as soon as he
thinks himself within the range of Wis
ion wish disappear beneath the surface
and. having taken The direction Of his
objective, will silently, invisibiy APP