The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-09
HOW : ToRpEpn woRks.
Wreck of Aauidabnn May shed Light
the Maine Disaster.

New York Herald.
Before the rebel brazilian fleet in the
harbor of Rio Janeiro, under Admiral DE
Mello had sailed out OF the hartor in the
Aquldab ban. The torpedo boats sent by the
Brazilian government TO find the ship came
upon her in the harbor OF DeSterro, down
the coast. This account Of what happened
is taken from the published proceedings of
the United States Naval Institute, and is
authoritative. The Gustavo Sample, which
did the torpedoing. Is a torpedo gunboat.
having. a bow tube and two broadside
launching tubes, two twenty-pounder rapid
firing guns and four three-lnch rifles. She.
in company with a torpedo boat something
after the style Of the Cushing entered the
Desterro harbor, where the Aquidabap was
at anchor, shortly after midnight. April 10.
The torpedo boat advanced and at 100 me-
ters fired her bow torpedo. AT seventy-hve
meters she launched her broadside Both
missed. The Sample then advanced and at
seVenty-hve meters fired her box torpedo,
broadside The last torpedo struck the
Aqudaban about ten feet below the water
line and twenty-five feet abaft the bow.
making a hole twelve feet square on the
port side and a round hole three feet in
diameter on tire starboard side, The plates
for several feet around the hole on the port
side were crushed in
Very little pretense was made toward di-
recting the tubes. Strings were led from
the triggers of the broadsde tubes to below
decks. and they We're fired in this way with
no one on deck The torpedo was set for
depth of five feet. 1t had been charged for
several days.
The Aquidaban sank in shallow water and
was afterwar1 raised and repaired. She is
now the "a de Maio and is what would be
called an armored cruiser.
In the civil war in Chile, in 1891, the gov
eminent cruiser Blanco Encalada was sunk
by u torpedo in the harbor Of Valparaiso.
1t was at night and she was lying at an
Choir with no searchlights going and nc tor
pelo nets down An insurgent ship came
in rapid succession. One of them hit and
the Blanco Encalada sank rapidly. She,
went down in deep water and could not be
raised. a new vessel was built, which now
bears the name On neither the Blanco
Encalada nor the Aquidaban does there APP
pear TO have been an explosion as result
of the torpedoing.
Some years ago the French made an ex-
pertinent of the effects of torpedoes by fir
wooden frigate. The experiments took place
off Cherbourg The frigate had been much
injured before by being used as target,
and was filled with barrels, so that she
would keep afoat. A steamer lowed her at
the rate of six knots an hour and II torpedo
boat came up at speed of fourteen knots
an hour and discharged torpedoes at her. 4
torpedo charged with thirty-four pounds or
damp gun cotton hit the frigate about eight
feet below the water line. and blew a hole
in her large enough to drive an omnibus
through. The vessel did not take fire and
was prevented from sinking by the empty
barrels
The first torpedo of which There is any
record in warfare was one which blew up a
British armed schooner off New London in
1777. 1t was a floating torpedo which was
sent against the British ship by the tide,
just the Maine may have been destroyed.