The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-03-06

bank and by its light I discovered the
unfortunate fact that there was a circle
of logs around the Albemarle, doomed
well out from her side with the very in
tention of preventing the action OF tor
pedoes.
II ran alongside until amidships. re-
ceived the enemy's fire. sheered off, and
as 1 turned the whole back of my coat
was torn out by buckshot. and the
soles of my shoes shot away.
In another instant we had struck the
logs and were over, with Roadway
nearly gone. slowly forging UP under
the enemy's quarter port. Ten feet
from us the muzzle of gun looked into
our faces.
Il stood in the bow. the heel jigger in
my right hand and the exploding line
in the left We were near enough then.
and ordered the boom lowered until the
forward motion of the boat carried the
torpedo under the rams overhang.
THE explosion took place at the same
instant that 100 pounds of grape at ten
feet range crashed into our midst. and
a dense mass of water, thrown out by
the torpedo, came down with choking
weight
All Captain Cushing's crew were
drowned. shot or captured but himself
He managed by swimming all night and
skulking in the swamps all day to get
back to the Union fleet.
The Albemarle had hole blown in her
that carriage could be driven through.
and sank Immediately
Without doubt this is one of the most
successful torpedo attacks, as well as
one of the most daring exploits on rec
ord Speaking of this exploit. John r.
Solely says:
THE naval history of the world af-
fords no other example of such mar
velous GOODNESS and professional skill as
that shown by Cushing in the destruc-
ton of the AIbemarle.'
The spar torpedo eliminated in 1873,
when the Yarr0ws built a spar torpedo
boat for the British navy that could
make II knots an hour. This 'destruc-
tive" craft was the talk of the day.
In the meantime Robert whitehead.
who was acting as manager OF an IRON
works at F'fume. a seaport of Austria
took UP the matter of the fish shaped
torpedo in collaboration with an Aus
trian artillery officer who has since
died.
In 1870 MIR. Whitehead made an ex-
hibition of the torpedo before the Brit
ish Admiralty. blowing UP an old hulk
at the mouth of the River Midway.
The officers were so impressed with the
value of the invention that they gave
him $4,000 for the secret of it. Since
that time number of other nations
paid literally for the same secret.
Turkey gave the invention to the
world. however. During the Russs-
Turkish war a Russian vessel fred a
Whitehead at a Turkish vessel. 1t
missed its mark and foated ashore.
where il was found.
Lieut. Sleemon. of the Ottoman Navy,
examined the machine and wrote a
most exhaustive book on it, which was
translated into every language.
The Whitehead torpedo consists main
Iy of a steel outer shell. which is from
fourteen to sixteen inches in diameter
in the center, and thence it ia
pers to point at each end. The length
is either fourteen feet or nineteen feet
II pTOptlieu ny AutdllS VI wv oNAN"''
which are actuated by small engine.
as in an ordinary steamboat. In place.
however. Of the boiler and furnace,
which Of course would be impossible in
such a position. there is q strong reser-
voir made Of Whitworth fluid pressed
steel Into this air is pumped until it
has reached a pressure of about 1000
pounds 10 the square inch, although in
the most recent torpedoes the pressure
has been increased by 200 pounds addi-
tional. bringing it TO LOO pounds to the
square inch.
In the front part of the weapon is
placed the explosive charge. By max
ing the bows buffer. which however has
not detracted from the speed, more
storage room has been found for the
charge. which now consists of 200 pounds
of damp gun cotton The original
Whitehead torpedo carried only 80
pounds of gun cotton.
The range of these torpedoes few