The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1904-03-28
UNCLESA TORpEDOES
How Built and How Used-The
Boats that Garry Them.
To the Daily Light.

| since the Campaign mas DSeH IL
progress in the far East between
Russia and Japan, and so much in
terest has been given to modern tor
pedoes and torpedo crafts, / hav'
been thinking of writing an articl
on this subject tor the informant OF
of the readers of the Light.
The vessel to which / am attached
at present Is a torpedo boat destroy
er and one of the newest and most
up-to-date boats of the kind in the
L. s. navy, so / feel that | can give
few facts that would be of interes
To those who are not so well ac-
qaiuted with these things.
Torpedo Boats These small craft
are built of very light material
55 lG-inch steel aud carry no uanec.
sary weights at all as they are de-
signed for speed. The fastest that
We have is the Bailey" having
! made .hi.:- cac sso:s OF hsT I'll :Tiisa.! a!
/ trip. These boats average about la
feet In length and about II feet in
breadth or beam and have an aver
age displacement of ls0 toms. Their
bait, ries usually consist Of three t.
pounder rapid fire guns and two tor
pedo tubes. These vessels on ac.
count Of their size aud speed can
approach approximately close to
large ships without being observed,
| fire their engine Of destruction, and
make their escape unobserved The
| question might arise--what il they
should be observed. 10 be sure,
torpedo boats cannot make attacks
at ali times without being seeL, but
II they should be seen they are such
tiny vessels that they would furnish
I "A very small target and II one OF
them should be his by few stray
shells, they would, ia ali probability
BE- destroyed. But owing % their
great speed, they can get out Of
range la very few minutes, conse-
queutiy We nave what is known as
torpedo boat destroyers TO cope with
these small boats.
j Torpedo Boat Destroyers II These
boats are simply overgrown torpedo
I boats and are precisely like the tor
pedo boats ia almost every particular
except that they are larger and carry
a larger battery. Destroyers aver.
age about 24J feet ln length aud
about "A feet ia breadth or beam and
have al average displacement Of
i about 40 tons. / think that can
best describe a destroyer bv describ-
ing the one to which i ava attached
/ Her lenr;s s. "a feet, beam ~ feet
Is inches, displacement 40e tons,
speed 2J-5 knots, cost s1y1 300. Her
battery consists ~ two three-luch
rapid tire Kuus, FIVE G-pouuder
/ DrigKs- -Seabury semi-automatic rap
ID FIRE guns aud two torpedo tubes
/ have given description Of torpe-
do boats and destroyeTs so / Will try
10 tell something OF the most lMpJrg-
aut 9srt, the torpedo
T0rped0ss The general shape 81
the Whitehead torpedo, used ia The
Uuited States navy. isthat Of a cigar
and is made of hardened sheet steel.
The length of one type - II feet ; Ia.
aud OF tie other i6 feet inches, the
diameter ~ b4sh being l1.5 Inches.
1t Is generally disassembled Ia four
principal parts, via Head. air flask
after body aud tail. TIE head au-
like the ortber portion If rhe she'll
l. made Of sheet phosphor bronze
aud contains an explosive charge Of
III pounds 1g vet Suu cott lu and a
primer Of dry gun cotton, - ounces
In weight The ala flask : cylndfi-
cal in shape aud Is brAced At iuter-
vais by steel riggs t9 strengthen Ehe
she'll II contains tbe motive power
af the torpedo, compressed AIR,
which Is forced luto tbe torpedo a.
pressnre OF 1870 pounds per square
zach. The after body contains the
maiR. engine whicu is of tbe three
cylinder type, thv various gears
which control the air -apply and the
distance at the ruu. h contains the
all supply which - self feeding, aud
the steering engine, whied is one ~
the most important parts. fhe tail
Is a frame which carries ths horizon
tal and vertical raddeFs, rhe tormsF
controlling the dspth AZ Whieh JAa
torpedo viii ran snd gho latter eou-
trolling is seneEal enarse, ghvse are
necessary tnat the tofpsao may be
tiFed with accuracy Fhe torpedo
ls dFtvaA hv Iwo grapellefs .n lAh
len aue turnlng ~ the gisht Ant the
other - the tett Il ls ksps al sst
depth, whlNh = sNneFallN ave teat
suhmeralou tnis is accomplished
by ayatostatle psasoa pressure whleh
communicates lla Aettau hK XArtaus
lexNEs Ana eonuestsas fuas te lha