The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-06
DESTRUCTION IN TORPEDOES.
TERRIBLE ENGINES OF MODERN
WARFARE.
Modern improvements In This En-
piOsive Line show How Easy 1t
Would Have Been for a Foe to De-

Torpedo warfare has been advanced 10
such scientific basis in these days that
the destruetiop of the Maine would have
been an easy undertaking for some treach-
erous Spaniard, or some INSCRIPTIONS Gu
ban determined upon forming a crisis be-
tween the United States and Spain.
The modern torpedo IS az terrible an en-
CINE of destruction as the mind Of man
has conceived for the purpose of warfare
From the floating kegs loaded with char
ges Of gunpowjer, which Capt. David
Bushnell SET adrift in New York harbor
TO the CONSERVATION of the British feet
in revolutionary days. the torpedo has adj
vanced by rapid stages 70 the dignity Of
a machine Of the most perfect and skiilful
construction. capable Of demoiishing in
an instant the largest and most powerful
battieship. once regarded as experimental
devices che torpedoes have become recog-
nlzed weapons OF maritime warfare. adj
hitting Of very varied application.
TIVE General Glasses.
IN a general way torpedoes may be d.
vided into two classes They are either
c0ntrivauces propelled through the water
go as to strike the enemy's ship or more
or Jess stationary submerged mines, each
so arranged as TO be set off when ship
IS over It, The germ OF the idea IL found
in the Greek fire OF the anclents. from
which the torpedo has been developed
since the introduction of guupowder into
warfare. The first demonstration upon n
grand scale af the important part which
the modern torpedo can be made TO play
in maritime warfare was given by Amer
lean engineers during the war Of The re-
belIon.
During the last two years of that war
the torpedo service % both forces WIS
responsible for tremendous destruction
and the exertion Of a worldwide infiu-
evce upon naval operations. Seven United
States irouciatls. thirteen wooden war yes
sells and seven army transports were de-
stroyed By torpedoes. and eight Or more
vessels were more or less injured. The
Conyedera:es lost four vessels ny their own
miner and "A fine ironclad. the ALTERNATE.
by the counter operations OF the United
States feet.
The Paraguayan war Of fssf-iSss fur
rished the next occasion for the employ
rnent IT the torpedo in warfare. Imnaedi-
ateiy after the Brazilian feet entered the
waters ~ that state, fine iIonciad. the
Rio De JaneiFo was sunk by two torpe-
does against which she had struck. Sub
seguently a division Of ire feet ran past
the batteries - Curupaity, only 10 find
itself entrappsd between two iiBes ~ tor
ps9oes. but the defective nature OF the
machines prevented serious disaster.
First Bad Disaster.
In the Rnsso-Turkish war OF Ig77-Ig7s
the Russians made very decisive use Of
torped0es Through their agency the ar
mured feet en- the Danube WAS held in
check without tbs aid Of a single Russian
war-stip. and successful lnvasion was
rendered impossible. Eight attacks were
made by the Russians with torpedoes
tao CT which weFe successful. In one a
steamer Was sunk al Batoum BY a White
head torpedo. the FIRST Triumph of me
weapon on record.
IL the war between Chill and Peru IN
isse-lssI both SIDES made NE Of to~psdoes
without noteworthy results During the
Franco-C h1nese hozti}itiss IN isS4-3Ss5 two
naval vessels we're sunk by the French
by the Use IF spar toTpedo.s and In the
Chilean revolution Of 1851 the battleshlp
Rlanco K.ugaIada was sunk with a crew
Of iss by a torpedo Daring The war be-
tween cSains AID Japan IL Is94-fsss sub--
marine operations played subordinate
part a1tl tho Japanese attacked Wsi-Iias-