The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-24
READY FOR ENEMIES.
HOSTILE SHIPS CANNOT PASS FORTS
SCHUYLER AND WlLLET'S POINT.
Lines Of 1orpedoes Planted Under the
Long Island Sound Approach To New
York-Engineers Also Prepared For De-
stroying Forces by Submarine Mines.

York-Engineers Also Prepared For De-
stroying Forces by Submarine Mines.
Painted on the stone walls of Fort
Schuyler, on Throgs Neck and also at
Willet's Point, OH the Long Island shore
directly opposite, are the words: "Tor-
pedoes. Don't anchor.
This warning has been obeyed by |
vessel captains since it was first dis
played, many years ago. Not one Of the |
hardy shippers who command craft sail |
ing the waters of the East river and |
Long Island sound would take chance |
with one of Uncle Sans submarine en-
gines Of war.
These torpedoes have been planted |
and taken up many times, and numer-
Gus experiments have been made with
them. AT Willet's Point particular at
tention has been given to the torpedo
service. mule belonging to the gov
eminent. which had outlived its useful
ness and been condemned to death, was
once used for experimental purposes. A
charge of explosive used III the torpe
does was attached to the animal tail
and fired by an electric current. A pho
tOgraph of the mule as the charge ex
ploded showed it's body standing with
out head or tail, and the camera caught
| the head in full while it was flying
| from the body.
Important experiments were made
with an old schooner belonging to the
government. The vessel was anchored
exactly 661 feet from the shore, where
| the firing apparatus was located III
casemate. Fifty pounds of mortar pow
| der were placed three feet under water
| and 80 feet from the schooner's bow,
while like charge of powder was an
| chored six feet under water and 20 feet
from her stern. Men were on the vessel
when both charges were fired. The
charge at the bow sent the water II feet
into the air and at the stern sent up a
column 32 feet in height. The flag on
the main topmast of the schooner was
81 feet above the waters surface.
After that test was made it was de-
cided to destroy the vessel with charge
of mortar powder. Two charges OF so
pounds each were suspended amidships,
ten feet apart and three feet below the
vessels hull. The charges were sub
merged seven feet, and the total depth
| of water was Is feet. Both charges were
fired at the same moment and they
, threw up a column of water that meas
ured 70 feet. The vessel was just 53o
feet from the firing casemate and the
camera that took the picture for the
government experts. This schooner was
completely broken in two by the dis
charge, and both parts of the hull were
badly wrecked. The camera caught the
, vessel as she shot upward and was about
to fall into many parts.
Tn the museum at Willet's Point arr
= many samples of different types OF tor
pedoes used in the last war. Some o
them were made Of small kegs, the END
of which were built out until the.
looked like big floats of the shape o
hose made of cork and used on fisl
ines. Other torpedoes resemble hug
J. skyrockcts. These were planted II
e SHALLOW aces and would be discharge
if vessC4 struck them.
There is also in the museum collet
d ton of iron shells and copper shell
p that look like big spinning tops. Thes
are all torpedo cases and have at time
~ been planted off Willet's Point to ties
their lasting qualities. One OF thei
was taken up after being in the waite
- five years. 1t was covered with SCI
u weed. barnacles and mussels TO I'll
denth of more than foot. When tn
growth was scraped off the torpedo she
a was found to be in perfect condltloh.
IN One of the most curious looEli
affairs in the collection is Contedera
floating torpedo. 1t is composed OF
& wooden box about four feet long, shape
q a.. something like a coffin. In one end Is
rim case with hollow tin tube leadll
nm TO the other end of the box. LII
floating torpedo could be loaded and
~ fuse run through the tin tube. Inc III
a' could BIO set on fire and the torpe'
launched when the tide was runnil
toward the enemy's vessels. Many
ut these torpedoes hoated alongside OF W
on sells and remained there until they
nloded doing considerable damage.
Extensive preparations are being ma
DIb | both III OTt oChuy AGA "-.
va 70 make it interesting for the shlps
an enemy trying to reach New fo
through Long Island sound. The e
10 forts are located at the western emo
~ the sound, and no vessel could easily r
p' the eantlet of their combined II
Should an approaching warship WI
stand the projectiles OF the many
'oo modern guns mounted at both forts
would come to grief when she tried
cross the lines of torpedoes planted.
These batteries of tsrpedoes and 81
on marine mines are SO arranged that 81
in can be fred from either shore. Sho'
the wires leading shoreward ON one
be cut or destroyed by an enemy
ock mines could be exploded from the OF
,ck side. r.
Years of study and experiment nj
been devoted to perfecting the plans
protecting the sound approach to n
ing York. and it is asserted that 1t wo
md be utterly impossible for even q nee
vessels to pass the two forts.