The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-26
GETTING READY FOR WAR
UNCLE SAM is BUSILY ENGAGED ON
LArD AS WELL AS SEA.
Hurry Order for 100000 Worth of
Torpedoes, Each Deadly Pro-
jectile Costing $4,000.



eminent is an order which has been re-
ceived by the Bliss Torpedo Company of
Brooklyn, for $50 Bliss Whitehead torpedoes
to be ready for delivery within six months.
The Bliss company is rushing work, and as
the torpedoes are finished and tested they
ere delivered to the Navy Department A
Bliss-W hitehead torpedo costs So 800, so the
$50 which the government has ordered will
cost fully 100000 by the time they are de-
livered, taking into account the incidental
expenses of testing, transportation and in
spection. The Bliss works could turn out
even greater number of torpedoes in the
prescribed time, but the difficulty is in test
ing them. The government will not accept
a torpedo unless it is absolutely perfect and
can prove itself so in a trial.
Down at Sag Harbor is the testing place
for torpedoes. There is an old Sound steam
er which used to run from Sag Harbor to
New London, which was bought last year
by the government. 1t had been under lease
for some time before to the Navy Depart
ment. This steamer is fitted up with regu-
lation torpedo tubes, and every pleasant
day it goes out to play at torpedo warfare
in the waters around Sag Harbor.
An officer of the navy is stationed at the
| proving grounds and sees every shot fired
of two torpedoes is a days work. Some
times only one can be tested and sometimes
| none. The day must be ''suitin =" and Eft
tin " or else the engines of submarine war
| fare are not tested. Then, again, some
| times a couple of days will be spent over
| one refractory torpedo. 1t may bury itself
in the, mud, and has to be fished out or
| some defect may be discovered in it's mech
| anism, SO that 1t has to be fixed over and
| retested
rr1--
| head torpedo is manufactured-at Fiume,
| Austria, where is the original Whitehead
mandatory; at Woolwich, England; at a
| place in Germany, and at the Bliss works
| in Brooklyn. The British claim to have
| been successful in the making of Woolwch
| torpedoes, but this is doubted by the Amer
lean manufacturers, it being believed that
a major portion of the torpedoes in British
| ships are imported from Germany. The
| United States imports no torpedoes, but in
| this country manufactured what are
sincerely believed to be the best torpedoeS
in the world. The Blss-Whitehead torpedo
has many improvements added to it over
| the original Whitehead The works in
| Brooklyn have been internationally active
for several years, but this is the first hurry
order that has been received there. Two
officers of the navy are detailed to super
wise the construction and the testing of the
torpedoes, one being stationed at the works
and one deVoting his attention to the test
ing at Sag Harbor.
WANTS THESE IN A HURRY.
A Whitehead torpedo carries in it's head
charge of gun cotton sufficient to destroy
the biggest battle ship af1oat. 1t is dis
charged from it's tube by small charge of
powder, and at the same time the COM
pressed air engine, which is hidden in the
interior economy of the machine, is set in
motion and the fish-shaped projectile goes
flying through the water on it's work of de-
struction. The torpedo can be fired either
from a torpedo tube on board ship or from
a tube on shore Those that the govern
ment has ordered now are for ship USE
The government has been buying torpe-
does for the last few years, but has done
so in a rather tentative sort of way. Now
it suddenly wants $50, and wants them at
once 1t is evident that the Navy Depart
ment does not intend to let the War De-
partment excel it in energy and in prepar-
edness for war. These $50 torpedoes, with
those already on hand, will give enough to
supply every ship with as many as she has
use for and leave some in reserve.
Another evidence that the Navy Depart
ment does not intend to be caught mapping
in case SPAIN Germany, Japan or some OF
the other nations which are looking for
fight get too gay is the way the work
at the Brooklyn hayward is being hurried
on the vessels, which are lying there Tor
repairs. In short time every ship at the
ward will be able to take the sea in her best
fighting trim. ThoroughnesS of preparation
is now the watchword throughout the navy,
and speed in preparing is preached night
and day.
While the navy is getting ready to fight
in the British channel or the Caribbean sea,
if necessary, the army is putting us mousse
in order to repel any attacks on the coast
which might be made. The preparations Tor
the use of submarine mines are completed
to such an extent that all of the principal
harbors of the coast could be sown thick
with them. The submarine mines are IN
charge of the engineer corps OF the army.
The name submarine mine IS rather mis-
leading for the affairs are really stationary
torpedoes, which are anchored IN the pody
of water to be protected ana are nred from from
- hx,o oil sent
a cable by the pressure of a Key under the
finger of an observer on shore. The mine is
big iron case filled with some nlgn expo MO
York these iron cases of compressed de-
struction would be in all the channels at
In at Wiiet's Point is stored a quantity
of s'mines'' and miles of cable for firing
them. The mines and the Ca caoie nave s pe1lt
notice. Charts of the lower bay and OF the
waters about Willet's Point have been
made divided into squares and each square
numbered At the first rumor OF the APP
nroach of hostile fleet submarine mine
would be placed in each of these squares
and an electric cable attached to 1t, while
the buoy which marks the channel would
An incoming ship would be watched by
two observers whose lines of vision would
he as nearly as convenient at right angles
with each other. The observers are IN COM
munication with each other by telephone
or telegraph. and as soon as their joint OBJ
servations establish the fact that the nos
tile ship is in square, say, 70. the key would
he touched and enough guncOttOn exploded
to blow the vessel out of the water. These
submarine mines are adjuncts to harbor
tiles believe only when used in connection
with shore batteries But we have shore
batteries now to defend New York, and the
engineer corps is getting things IN shape
to SOW the water approaches TO the city
with submarine mines at an hours notice
and supplement the work of these Dat
terieS.
ARMOR-PIERCING PROJECTILES.
In it's other branches the army is active.
A man who returned from trip to Wash
ington the other day told the writer much
about his conversations with the army and
navy officers stationed at the capital and
asserted that the government had ordered
250OO0 armor-piercing projectiles, to be de-
livered as fast as they are being turned
out, the whole order to be tested and de-
livered within three months.
The work on the emplacementS for the
new batteries in the Northern forts was
stopped with the coming of cold weather,
for frost affects the concrete and the ma
sonry which is put down in cold weather.
battery at Fort Wadsworth had TO be re-
built partially last spring because in the
hurry to complete the battery work was
continued after the frost had struck it.
The guns for the new battery at Fort
Wadsworth have been brought up from
Sandy Hook proving ground, and could be
mounted in short order in case of neces-
sity But if the nations of the world will
let US alone they will not be mounted until