Middletown transcript., 1898-06-25

where small cylinders, of enormous
for their size, utilize the COM
pressed air in turning the propellers,
which are liked at the butt end of the
cigar.
The first floor of the torpedo factory
is devoted to the forging and shaping
of their different parts. While the
work is all done with exceeding care
and nicely, it is much like that which
may be seen 10 ordinary machine shops
and does not strongly impress the un-
scientific observer.
IN THE ASSEMBLING ROOM.
When one mounts to the next floor,
however, and enters the assembling
room, where those parts are put to-
gether and where the fine machinery
of the torpedo is adjusted, the scene
grows in interest. Here are lorpedoes
lying about in all stages of completion
as COMMON as wheat WRhheatt sacks sacks iH aenr
mill. Here, in different parts of the
great room, are men busy in shaping
and testing the fine machinery and
bearings, as carefully balanced and ad-
justed as the works ofa watch.
One of the first things to arrest the
attention is little heap of what looks
like bronze tops mounted in pivot
frames, set at right angles to each
other, and on Underground bearings.
so that the top self can easily move
in any direction. These are tor
pedo brains, or what serves in the tor
pedo as the very effective substitute
fer brains. Torpedo-makers call them
horoscopes. To explain in detail the
working of this bit of mechan-
ism (which by the way, was invented
little more than year ago. is not easy.
When the torpedo is launched the wheel
of this top, known as the gyroscope, is
set spinning, and from the way in
which it is pivoted this spinning mo-
tion keeps it pointed in one direction,
no matter how much the head of the
torpedo may be detected. The princi-
pie on which it operates is the same as
that which keeps modern rifle bullet
pointed straight by spinning it on its
long axis. The gyroscope and its en-
veloping apparatus, known to torpedo
experts as the obry gear, is connected
with the rudder and steers the big
steel fish. If the torpedo in its journey
strides current or any sort of an OBJ
struction that tries to turn it from its
course and send it kiting in the wrong
direction, the little top sets to work
and tugs at the rudder until the tor
pedo is brought back to its proper
course. It thus acts both as compass
and helmsmaD, and has enormously in
creased the efficiency of the torpedo.
By experiments made with torpedoes
fitted with the obry gear it has been
proved that they will not show a lateral
variation of more than three yards
either way in travelling 800 yards, the
distance at which torpedoes are intended
to be fired. Considering the work that
this apparatus performs, one is not sur
prised to learn that it is carefully
weighed and shaped and tested, until
it is as accurate as the hairspring of a
watch, and that in making it the most
skilled mechanics are employed
It is essential not only that the tor
pedo should keep to the fixed path
mapped out for it, but also that it shall
remain at fixed depth which will vary
according to the kind of vessel it is to
attack. This point is looked after by
another skillful piece of machinery
found in another part of the workshop,
and known as the immersion gear. "
This consists of a heavy pendulum car
ried in the "balance chamber" and at.
tached to the rudder in such a way
that if the torpedo goes below its re-
quired depth the pendulum swings for
ward, bringing the rudder up and SC
steering the torpedo back to its proper
immersion distance.
TWO SECRETS OF TORPEDO CON-
sTRUCTIoN.
The details of these two pieces of
torpedo mechanism were for years the
most carefuily-guarded secrets of the
governments and firms engaged in max.
ing them. They were known only to
q few naval officers and to highly-paid
workmen sworn to secrecy. They are
made public now only after the govern
ments of Europe have all gained know
ledge Of them in one way or another,
through their secret-service men, and
after they have been fully protected by
letters patent in every country. They
make it possible for a ship running at
full speed to launch torpedo into the
water with the absolute certainty that
it will follow the course marked out
for it and reached the object aimed at,
thing that could not be done with
the earlier forms of torpedoes:;
Although these two pieces of appa-
ratus will correct any deviation from
the torpedo's course, the torpedo is
also supplied " ith fms in the shape of
horizontal and vertical rudders of thin
steel fixed at the tail, which serve to
keep it straight under ordinary condi-
tions.
Scarcely less interesting are the mus
cles of the big fish-three brass cylin-
ders little more than foot long, but
capable together of developing thirty
horse power when connected with the
compressed air in the storage chau ber,
and driving the torpedo at the speed Of
railway train by means of the pro-
peller blades attached to the tail. The