The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-05-04
Life on The Torpedo Boats.
Perils and Inconveniences to Which
Their Crews are Subject.


head and shoulders above the aver
age crowd. Space is so valuable on
one of these little marine sprlnters
that the cook sleeps in the pantry
and the men have TO go ashore to
salute their officers. The torpedo
boat consists Of an engine out Of all
proportion to the craft it drives, a
powerful propeller, three or four
Whitehead torpedoes and 8 hull
covered with q turtle back, just
wide enough to carry essentials
and long enough to get the greatest
speed possible from the engine and
propeller. This hull is of steel on
ly three-eights of an inch thick, and
1t is pushed through the water at
the rate of thirty to thirty-seven
miles an hour-the speed of an ex-
press train.
The torpedo Aotilla in the war
feet lying off Key West is II little
fleet of itself, commanded by Lieu
tenant Commando w. W.kimball
1t consists of the Foote, Liedt. W..
l.. Rogers, commanding, Ensign r..
III. ia ,kson; the Cushing, Lieut. A..
Gleaves commanding, Ensign f. p,
Baldwin; the Ericsson, Lieut.. r. n.
Usher commanding, Passed Assist
ant Engineer o. w. Koester, En-
sign l.. "A. Bostwick; the Ninslow,
Lieut.. J. B. Bernadeu commanding,
Ensign w. Bagley; the Porter,
Lieut.. j. G. Fremont commanding,
Assistant Surgeon NJ. S, Elliott (for
the ilotilla,) Ensign L. V. GilIis;the
Dupont, Lieut.. S. S. Wood com
manding, Eusign F. II. Clarke, Jr.
There are six torpedo boats, any
one of which is capable Of sending
to the bottom the strongest, stan
chest, largest ship in the fleet, and
any one of which will curl M like
hot paper if the gunner of IL six
FOUNDER draws q bead on it and
sends few armor-piercing six
pound shells into it. The men who
serve on these little marine pOr-
cupines with their eXplos We quilts
are not paid extra money, as their
class in some of the foreign navies
are rewarded for the extra hazard
Gus duty, but there is an eager
rivalry to draw a billet on torpe-
do boat. The space restrictions,
nature OF, duty aud character of the
boat make it impossible to main
tain on a torpedo boat tho rigid
discipline of battleship or cruiser,
both as regards uniforms and the
thousand and one details incident
to the daily routine OF large war
ship.
Torpedo-boat crew are made up
of picked men, especially selected
as to physique and character
Their uniform is not white aud
natty, bnt consists OF knit watch
cap and suit, of blue Dungorpe.
Til e men, at a short distance, look
like high-priced machinists in q
first-class railroad shop, for me-
chanics and machinists wear Jump
ers and overalls made OF blue Dun
goree. But the men aboard tor.
pedo boat are active as cats, alert
and enthusiastic, and from their
hearts believe torpedo boat, and
the identical torpedo boat on which
they sail, is the greatest war vessel
afloat.
Torpedo boats are divided into
three classes. The third class now
is considered oh. olete. They were
small enough to be carried aboard
ship, for they were thirty-tonners
The second.class boats were about
sixty-five tons. They were intend
ed for harbor service only. anc
were not sea-going. The first class
boats are sea-going craft, but are
Intended to operate from n base
for the coal and water storage
capacity is limited. This preclude:
a torpedo boat from cruising more
than seventy-five to eighty miles
from its base of supplies.
First-class boats vary in tonag,
from 1l5 to l75 tons, in length from
l40 to 100 feet and in draught from
five to eight feet. They are per
fectly seaworlhy and can ride ou
the hea West gales. But there i
no sleep aboard torpedo boat il
rough weather, for it pitches, roll
prances around to n degree which
gives every man under the closet
hatches an acute attack of insOm
MIA. The armament consists o
three or four lS.inch Whitehead
torp edoes and three or four one
FOUNDER rapid-6fipg guns. In al
dition there is a revolver and tw,
or three rifles for each of tn
twenty-five TO thirty men, the rifle
supplied with sword bayonets t
rqDeI hOarders e