The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-03

range of from 100 10 100 yards, One
torpedo gun. boat and three torpedo
boats wrecked the Aauidabag int Santa
Catharina, Brazil. by tho discharge OF
four turpedoes at 100 yards range ia
April, 1893. Three years ago the Chin-
csc ship Ting Yuen was sunk by a no
tilla OF Japanese torpedo-hoats. as
charging several torpedoes at $50 YARDS
range, and on the following nigh, an
other Chinese ship was Destroyed pF'
the attack OF six torpedo. boats.
All these scores for the torpedo were
made in the apparent absence OF any
patrol-boat guard, such as Is uniforms
ly. employed In our navy when ships ore
at anchor In time OF war. There Is no
evidence in any case either OF any con.
siderable. provision or employment o.
seatch.liBhts. From two 10 four OF
these lights nre In use on every one OF
the larger vessels OF the fleet NOW
blockading Havana. From the lack OF
these precautions. the attacking torpe-
do boats were not discovered until they,
had come within a few hundred yards,
but, even at this distance, the sinking
OF the Ting Yuen was not affected With
out heavy damage 20 the fiotilla and
the loss OF two OF the attacking boats.
II n torpedo-boat can contrive to
steal up, unobserved, 1t Is, no doubt, q
very dangerous antagonist to the heav-
lest battleshlp. II such q boat can ind
a safe cover In q port, Il might dart
out at night. among n biockldlng
quadron, and prove to be very formid-
bic. But the utility OF the torpedo-bont
In open sea-servlce In the daytime Is
yet 10 be proven. There Is serious
question also whether q notilla OF tor
ipedo boats can make q long sea-voy-
age without heavy damage-such a
passage. for instance, as the course OF
$500 miles between the Cape Verde,
Islands and Porto Rico. None OF these.
boats Is q good sea boat, and their en-
ployment at sea, even In practice, a
not been satisfactory.
In the Italian naval manoeuvres In
the Mediterranean, t~hlrty-one torpedo
boats were at one time employed.
Within q week only seventeen were re.
ported ut for duty; nearly half
been disabled in ordinary cruising SER
vice. The special commission OF the
British board of admiralty reported.
some years ago. that the employment
Of torpedo-boats for offensive service
at sea, at any considerable distance
from port, was practically futile. Lieut..
Staunton, OF our own navy, made a
careful examination Of the service rec
ord Of torpedo-boats at the instance OF
the government. He states that even
first class torpedo-boats rapidly wear
out their screws In sea service. In bad
weather 40 cooking a be done, and
the men can't sleep. They are constant
~ drenched with sea-water, and the
working machinery Is continually in
need of repairs. Such boats are Of great
value for sallles from a blockaded port.
but very ill-adepted for extended
cruises at sea or for blockading work.
1t Is important to note further that
the speed OF the best Whitehead tor
pedo after discharge does not exceed
twenty-eIght knots an, hour. There are
boats at sea which cIn equal or even
excel this speed. Michael. Bald and
other fast riders can easily exceed It
on q bicycle. A torpedo discharged at
the distance of half a mile from a ship
would not reach Its mark In less 1ian