Evening star., 1898-08-27
ENGINES OF DEATH
Torpedo Boats and Destroyers for the
Navy.
IMPROVED ''FURORg' And "TERRORS''
Will Be Powerful Adjunct to Our
Defenses.
EQUIPMENT OF THE. VESSELS
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
The most momentous provision for our
| mosquito feat was made by the last ses-
| sion Of Congress-, when appropriation was
| made for sixteen torpedo boat destroyers
| and for a dozen torpedo boats of the first
| class, and on the 23d of the present month
| bids were opened at the Navy Department
| for the construction of these craft
| Even though II ese vessels have not filled
their legitimate role during the present
! struggle, and while those of Spain have
suffered Severely because unreasonably ex-
posed, still the boats are practically as
much in favor as ever and decidedly as
| much of potential menace as they have
| always been-and in just this no small
measure of merit lies for the type. To keep
your enemy nervous and guessing and tax
ingly alert means TO sap his fighting force
to serious degree; and with the fear OF
torpedo boat attack making possible en-
| eny out of every moving shadow, the ad-
| vantage lies largely with the possessor OF
these stealthy mites of modern naval war
| fare. For scouting service the boats of the
navy have proved themselves exceedingly
efficient aids to the fleet, and thus far our
| torpedo craft have been of decided useful
ness d.spits the fact that they have done
none of the work for which they were es-
pecially created. What else they might do
| in defending our own territory is a question
involving again all OF the accepted theories
| of torpedo boat duty pure and simple, with
| all it's hazard and it is not necessary to de-
| bate what could then be counted upon from
| the men who have made so glorious pres
ent record.
1t has been the practice of the depart
ment of recent years to leave the bidders
to evolve their own designs for the largest
of the torpedo boats, especially so in the
| cases of the thirty-knot boats-nore prop
| ri, al daSt ROY
| government has prepared its own plans,
| and the boats promise to be of decided
| advance upon anything of the class design
| ed, either here abroad, in the last two
years. The "destroyers'' are really i'm
proved Furors and Terrors, those Spanish
| vessels of which we had considerable fear
in the early days of this war; and there is
| little chance fer any of the bidders submit
| ting boats superior in any material feature.
| The Torpedo Boats.
| The torpedo boats called for by the de-
rartment's design are vessels of 17o feet
| length on the load water line, with a maxi
| mum beam of II feet, and drawing, upon
| trial displacement of something like $50
| tons, nearly seven feet of water. The basis
| of the design is the Porter, but substan-
| tial improvements have been made promis-
| ing even more efficient boats. What the
| Porter has accomplished is pretty well
! known, and to have a guaranty of at least
as good in these new vessels is something
decidedly encouraging to count upon.
| Some helpful data has been accumulated
| during the war regarding the performance
| OF cur torpedo boats and the department.
! has carefully embodied the fruit of this ex-
| perience in the design for this added dozen.
| Each of the boats will have two half-inch
| nickel-steel coming towers, from which
| they can be worked as convenience die
| tates. The forward tower will be ordinar-
| lily used for regular service and there viii
| be nlaced a steam steering gear. The wheel
30 bod ltrh .,,ad
| only On the forward tower will be placed
| a searchlight of considerable force, and
| this novel adjunct to our torpedo craft is
likely to prove decidedly helpful when on
| scouting service. The glare of such lights
| is always deceiving as to distance, and
| torpedo boat with searchlight would
! readily be mistaken for much more for
| midable craft under such a disguise. The
| same electric plant that will supply the en-
| crgy for this lamp Will also feed the signal
| lights, the running lights and all the lamps
| with which the interior of the boats will be
| amply provided.
Reasonably Comfortable.
Except when on scouting service and un-
| der a continuous strain the record of the
present. conflict has shown that the routine
| life on a torpedo boat was not nearly so
hard as expected, and the reports go to
show that these tiny vessels are reasonably
| comfortable despite their narrow limits.
| in it's present design has studiously en-
/ deavored to improve the conditions of both
! officers and crew. and their comfort and
| convenience will be met in every possible
sway. Folding beds will turn up and out of
| the way when not in use, and more space
| will thus be left for those not on duty but
| kept between decks by stress of weather.
| Blowers will draw down fresh air when the
| matches are closed during storm, and the
1 numerous electric lights will shed bright
\ ness without heating uncomfortably the
necessarily narrow limits of the quarters.
| The crew of twenty-four enlisted men will
| be bunked aft and will be, therefore, less
exposed to the trying conditions of heavy
| seaway. The officers, of which there will
be four, two being petty officers, will be
| quartered forward, and their more COM
| modious accommodations will offset the
| trying action of a pitching sea. The object
| has been to preserve the strictly working
! elements of the complement from all need
| less tax. and to that end they have been
| placed aft. Bathing facilities are provided
for both the officers and the enlisted men,
and this is boon of ineStimable value to
| tired bodies and nerves shaken by the con-
slant vibration of engines turning quite
| four hundred times minute.
The boats are divided into numerous
water-tight compartments and the dividing
bulkheads, as far as possible. have been
Ieft without even the discount of water
tight door, To this feature of safety a
powerful pumping plant is added and IL will
require more than one well-placed shot TO
render the boats helpless by leaks alone
Inc battery of the torpedo boats will
consist OF three three-pounders, or an ef-
fective equivalent for their weight. Per-
haps there will be one or two one-pounder
automatic guns of the Maxim type-of
whose terrible effectiveness we have all
| heard. The torpedo outfit will be composed
of three torpedo tubes and five torpedoes.
The tubes will be arranged where giving
the widest arcs of fire. and one will surely
| be at the stern, while the two others will
be arranged en- echelon, on either side,
amidships.
Requirements.
The vessels will have twin screws
actuated by two fine triple-expansion en-
gines of the four-cylinder order. These en-
gines will be placed in separate water
tight compartments, and will have, each,
a high-pressure cylinder of fourteen inches.
an acknowledgements cylinder of
twenty-five inches, and two low-pressure
| cylinders Of 25k inches In diameter, and a