The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-26

The submarine mine is the terror of
modern naval warfare, and tho principal
harbors of tho world are understood to be
protected by them. New styles of torpe-
does add still further to the horrors of
war. Tho most startling thing in the tor
pedo limo is prayided with a magnetic
neoalo SO applied to the steering apparatus
that within the range of 800 feet the ere
my ship acts as a magnet and attracts to
itself this missile of destruction. OF great
Importance is the fact that should the tor
reGo miss the 800 feet circle of attraction
provision is made for it's recall to tic YES
sci firing it. This is accomplished by a
pair of wires which run out after it as it
proceeds ON it's errand. This is a point
long desired by the navy department, for
a stray shot hitherto with a torpedo has
meant a direct loss to the government of
hundreds of dollars. Moro than that, a
wasted shot is apt to seriously impair the
effectiveness of the ship firing the torpedo.
since in such 8 case much valuable time is
lost. The United States government has
just purchased q supply of the magnetic
~torpcdoes of the larger type. They are 10
feet long and ii inches in diameter. It is
intended by the department. that these
new destroyers shall carry 1925 pounds of
gun cotton in their caps, whereas those
now in use carry but 50 pounds. The
Whitehead torpedo of today has a maxi
mum range of about 800 yards at the speed
of 80 knots. When once discharged. from
tho tube, however, all control or hope to
recover it if fired in actual warfare is gone.
With the new magnetic torpedo it is diff
ferent. The range is the same, but far
more effective, for, fitted as it is with its
sensitive needle, it feels the presence of a
steel ship or vessel electrically charged,
wherein the ordinary Whitehead torpedo
might fail of it's mission if but a couple OF
feet broad of tho mark. Direction of q
high speed torpedo of this class would
hardly be practicable, hence the speed is
cut down to Az knots an hour. This will
probably reduce the cost of the torpedo,
because it will do away with much OF tho
finer work which is required to accom-
plish excessive speed. The Whitehead tor
pedoes, like all other purely automobile
torpedoes. are cratic in their course. It
is to partially overcome this that they are
now being fitted at a considerable in
creased cost with the ~gyroscopic or Obry
gear. 1t is already a well recognized fact
non the nayies of the world that where
in it is sometimes feasible to run risks at
the hands of an enemy provided with the
ordinary Whiteheads it is not sound judg-
lnent to leave open the same opportunities
to the enemy known to be provided with
the Obry gear torpedoes.
Another device of modern warfare is an
aerial torpedo which has been submitted
to both the British and German govern
monts by Hudson Maxim, brother of Hi
ram Maxim, who invented the ~aeroplane
and the rapid fire gun The apparatus
consists of a balloon in the form of a cigar
propelled by ono man seated on a bicycle
like cage beneath. By powerful propellers
he can drive the machine in any direction
even in the face OF a current blowing at
the rate Of eight miles an hour. Three
torpedoes are suspended beneath the car,
which are detached by the operator at will.
They explode on striking the ground or
other hard substance. They may also be
lowered by insulated wire lines into the
sea and dragged along until the desired
point is reached, when they are exploded
by means of electricity.
A new machine which goes under tho
nam Of torpedo ID really on electric launch
which carries within itself enough power