Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-28

are not so dangerous as the contact mines.
The latter mine is almost as dangerous &c
friend as to enemy, and if by chance il
should go adrift and strike some merchant
vessel entering the harbor the conse-
quences would I've disastrous
There is another kind of mine called the
electro contact mine, which is fired by ar
electric cable leading from the shore.
When an enemy is in sight and friendly
ships are passing in and out of the har-
Dor, the torpedo may be arranged so that
If the mine is struck it will not explode.
This is done by an arrangement of the fir
Ing pins on springs
Another type of mine is that known rs
the observation mine, in which the firing
mechanism and mine proper are in sep
aratc cases. Whenever the firing pins are
driven in, the signal circuit is closed and
bell rung mt the shore station. Under
meath each bell is a key for closing the fir
ing circuit. The observer standing at a
Keyboard on seeing certain bell ring
knows that the buoy above the CORE
spending mine has been struck, and i'm
mcdiatcly he touches the proper key. thus
closing the firing circuit and causing the
'''aht " 'AlflpN' ~ - Iitt itNtS>siiN III
using this type of mine for the observer to
see the enemy at all. The mining case
mate may be in "a bank on shore, where it
would not bc possible, in fact, for the OBJ
server To see the enemy. He simply watches
the Keyboard and waits for u signal. From
five TO seven mines usually constitute a
group. and groups are placed in two or
more lines, as a rule, 80 that when a ship
passes between the groups on one line it
must certainly pass over the mines in the
next lines. All mines are located 50 that
the explosion of one group VIII not affect
the adjoining group.
Submarine mines are loaded with such
high explosives as gun cotton, dynamite or
explosive gelatin, all of which are suDc-
rior 20 gGnpowtlcr in that they are not
Affected by moisture. \ mine may have
hole in it and the explosive become wet;
still 1t Is not rendered useless rs ordinary
gunpowdcr would be The enormous
pressure necessary to blow holc through
formidable war vessel has been estimated
to range from 5000 To $4,000 pounds a
squar, inch In case hole sufficient in
size Is not blown in the ship to cause her
TO founder the shock would be so great rs
10 throw all delicate machinery oct Of nc
ton, 81 that she would become IL ready
target for the guns on shore There is an
other danger TO a ship from the submarine
mine, and that is the possibility CT setting
off the high explosives on the vessel by
the submarine shock.
The Union gunbCat Commodore Jones.
Sic tons and six guns, which was blown
up in the James river in 1864, furnished
perhaps the most fearful spectacle of the
power of the torpedo. Lieutenant Com
mander Barnes has given this account OF
the explosion: suddenly and without
any apparent cause she appeared to be
lifted bodily, her wheels rapidly revolving
in midair. Persons declared they could
see the green scdge of the hanks beneath
her keel. Then through her shot to a
great height an immense fountain of
foaming water, followed by denser col
umn thick with mud She absolutely
crumblcd to picccs-dissolved. rs is were.
in midair, enveloped by falling spray,
mud, water and sand. -
The torpedo which destroyed the Union
monitor Milwaukee in 1853 exploded near
the stern, and that part of the ship sank
In three minutes, but the bow compart-
ments kept the fore part of the ship afloat
for an hour, the situation being in this re.
spect the inverse OF the Maine.
When the Brazilian ironelad Rio .Janeiro
was destroyed by torpedo in 1866. she
suddenly rose up, surrounded by a column
OF foaming water, broke in two and at
once went to the bottom.
Appalling Record of Destruction.
! Here is the list of the ships which have
been utterly ruined in warfare By torpe.