Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-23
A LIFE OF HARDSHIP.
Stoutest Hearts Needed on a Torpe-
do Boat.
When at Sea Sleep and Rest Are impossi
Bile.

bbIt, 6tfltFNlSt inns craft NpuiN ii'i ~
been substituted i'll the saying for
schooner.
The life at sea on a schooner may be
trying, it may be cold and cheerIrSS ana
limited, but to thoroughly grasp the full
significance of being crlbbed. tahlnN
and confined, one should serve on board
1 torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a long, low. narrow
vessel, in the designing of which the
one element of speed has been made TO
dominate all other features. Therefore,
every qualification that makes for This
end is given the highest development, to
the almost total suppression of every
other warIike and seagoing essential.
Thus we find, for Instance. that It boat
of 100 tons displacement, similar to the
three boats Spain sent to the Cape
Verde Islands. is usually from 1870 to l50
feet draught, slows p tons Of coaI. car
ries four torpeioeS, TWO for each tube.
and has a complement of about y mon.
In dividing such Il craft llp intpruallv
usually the sharp knife edge bow is shut
off six or eight feet abaft the stem from
the remainder of the boat by the col
lision bulkhead. This division is made,
lrst. because nothing could be slowed
away i'll 50 narrow 4 place 50 far for
ward. and, second, to insure the safety
of the boat in case her bows get stove.
TO Stave in the bows of a torpedo boat
Is feally quite as easy as rolIln$ on q
log, for the boat in all her parts IS made
rs light as possible. The skin plating is
OF the thinneSt steel, the frames are of
light weight, the longitudinals are mere
strips of metal. so thin ana frai is the
construction Of the boat that. ii she
bumps or runs into anything. she will be
bent out of shape, and should her bow
strike any harl object-like a tiOatnG
spar Of the Spite of u d"ck-it would he
talrned back on itself and twisted all cut
Of shape, IN much the same way as Il
stiff piece of paper would be after be
ing cftlmplcd up in the hand.
Next abaft the collision bulkhcad
comes the torpedo room. where the tor
pcdoes are manipulated. either To bc
Tired out of the bow tube or hoistrd III,
10 the deck tube, according to which
way the boat may be fitted.
Next come the mems QuarterS-a sinai!
compartment, where the Is or - sailors
are packed in like safdines.
Then come the boilers and engines.
The former are of the tubular type, in
which water circulates through an al
most infinite number of tubes. Steam
can be quickly raised and easily ktpl
I y, but men, in order to keep these fiery
naWs agloW with al the fuel they can
cat must be able to stanI heat with
nearly AS much impunity as did th,.
there lSraelitcS. MeShach, Shadrach ana
Abednego, of the Old Testament.
The engines Of the torpedo boat are
Of the tve-cylinder, triple-cXptnSjon
class or Of the quadruple expansion type
They are the lishtest most carefully adj
JnSted and the most perfect and deli
AS a consequence they must be handled
with consuinmatc skill.
Usually there are two sets of engines
'''"PSlhE 'ic tiilit N'uSL ~ inc snip
and 4 part of the after body. Every
part is rs compact as possible. there IS
not an men Of waste space pipes. cNin-
I , pumps, levers ana other part" OF
IN" apparatus are mere presented t. tn"
view of the uninitiatcd in seemingly
endless confusion.
lnot'd; 1t is haId work Tor an "N-
pert 70 KNOW at first where to ilnd thp
valve he must shut OF the cock he
must open ca the wheel ne must turn
ttAHd th' neal thrown oar ~ inc "hif'-
ftA.I llt4 hf,t
HIi'ic3 anu me ItEtIN l@t"h+ Is ~ #'"ai
ma oNefp""tflhS as the neat ~ tho nuH-
tf room.
YET mere, as there, the ni@ehn;St and
ms ms. aSSl@ttitS stand TO- their work, aI-
most stripped to me bun, fiVulo!S IF
.Wta' rnillns Gown thgir faces and OF
me danger Surr"uiid!u$ thein: f"f l.t
any part OF that swiftly moving deli
CAT" marhih'ry hftAk-ithd "titn II loo
hreik-or let our fireman mss mis- foot
!hs- whl"h uh!ortunal"ly som"' ms
htpi'tiHIfnd the chances ar" q hUhhr'i
TO-, t. one that ne "liI never touch lever or
.,, Ah'tIt tlle e .i, room IS usually Il
small compartment where IN" engineer
p r'ty "ili'efS Steep f"hr bHnh@ /" ap"ut
AL there IS 10 1t.
Anht ii is another quite like it. Til
- the Wafdr""nl, CABIN, mt s@r""!n and
"taltT"oih l"r me thrct "h'cetS u%u4iiN
Hutntiy tte Instance from In" deck to
ne top Oh me room Is 80 low mat men
[jmtv on hnyrd o. s :" "e n, re' i9l
I'm man can InI,. .t,,J .,.,t ,,,o
throiluh ne wariroom b3,t 81, -" -
;n,.'.[it q; va yin ,,
,,,'t ~, iI ~ 20 ,p' "las ~. I,.
VIZ Iiea,,fo,, ia II MN" Io,i6
;, fnrnrdo 'raft u,,,c,, +.I, ~ ,3ii,t XII |
II ie dnmht 81 u,b.tt|r l en- Ht'l,- ,1Iu-
,,ti,b ,nnrn ,hnsn rt, ~ iirTo,,nj
ines are ;tegrayated when The tnrncdo |
boat .gocs st tenrina Ihr"na, the water ut
,.t + - t-,r1,. ,E 80 ~. No., L. |