The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-01
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AERIAL TORPEDOES.
How the Warfare of the FIXTURE Is to
BE Carried On.

London Letter to Philadelphia Ledger.
AS l write these words the Prince oa
Wales, as the representative of his moth~
er, is steaming down the British channel
and receiving the salute of what, in re-
spect to its lighting force, is probably the
most formidable feet that has ever been
gathered together. Something like $50 ef-
fective fighting ships, ranging from the
most powerful ironclads of the day down
to the wasp-like torpedo craft, are set QUE
in holiday array at Spithead, and it is a
significant fact that that great array OF
fighting ships has not been swelled by re-
calling any part of the British navy from
its ordinary duty in various parts of the
world, or even by reducing that Mediter-
ranean feet, whose size and importance
attracted so much attention during the
recent Cretan trouble. The paens Of SELF
glorification and praise with which the
English press abounds this morning are,
therefore, to some extent eXousable. IL
is noteworthy, however that those same
papers contain abstracts set forth in unoo-
trusiVe type of a paper which was read
yesterday at the Royal United Service In
stitution by an American, the conclusions
of which, il justified, would seem TO reduce
to practical impotence the greater part OF
that vast naval armament which forms
the chief pride of the England of to-day
The paper TO which | refer was read by Mrs
Hudson Maxim, and it had for it's subject
"A New System of Throwing High Ex~
plosives." 1t consisted mainly of mosa
interesting account of the aerial torpedoes
invented by the writer.
He pointed out that for generations
there had been a race for supremacy be-
tween gun and armor, which had resulted
in the development of cannon of compare
fsyalv small aa1tbar Of ore thickness
of wall and tremendous weight on ths
one hand, and of the modern battleship.
clothed In a wall Of steel, so ponderous
as 10 reduce mobility 10 a minimum, upon
the other. With the advent, however, OF
the system which he claims to have per-
fected Of throwing high explosives In sur
feiently large masses to render armor ah~
solutely useless navies, he contendea'
would be found discarding their armofS
and everything would be made subserNl-
ent 10 speed and mobility When hieh
explosives were applied In large quant-
ties II was an absolute impossibility 20
oppose to them any efficient means os
protection. Against the present form oA
torpedoes some sort Of protection was W.,
deed secured by sub-dividing a ships hul
into a honeycomb OF water-tight compare
ments, and by surrounding Il with tot-
pcdo nets, but the latest type Of torpcd1
only carried 200 pounds OF gun cotton.
whereas II 500 pounds were tAplpA.A
against the torpedo netting OF modern
battleshp, her destruction would be ~
sured. Mr.. Maxim then entered into teeN-
nlcal description OF the construction OF
aerial torpedo, and the several forms oa
guns he had employed for firing H. -
compared with the whitehead torpedo th3
new aerial torpedo has i've times Wy
range and carries eleven times the quah.
tty OF high explosives. He concluded ~
the somewhat startling statement tnas
taking the cost OF the modern battleshi,
az s5.000000. and that Of the new aeriAt
torpedo cruiser az $4,000, a fleet Of w
latter capable OF destroying 100 hatu
fhipe could be- produced for the cost -
one batteship. II H. evident as ! haNo
pointed out. that II Mr.. Maxine eonclu.s
ions can be verified. and IN the opinion \.
many ~ the naval officers present
Yesterdays meeting they can be 20 Fel
fed few years will see a complete rcNV.4-
tion in the art and theory u naval VIZ
fare, and the majority ~ The enorhoNF
feet which the Prince 81 Wales y
day reviewing WILL inside q cen lsm4f
10 anlquoted ana out of date,