The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-08-04
AUTOMOBILE ToRPEDoEs.
The Kind Used in Nearly All Modern
Navies.

L ne hIuu OS5u AL 4NStAtS <AAI N4CNCA Al
Navies.
One of the torpedo experts of the
Navy Department, who under the re-
guIations is not permitted to discuss
such matters in the newspapers, says:
THE automobile torpedo, that is to-
day most highly developed and now
in use In nearly all modern navies, is
the Whitehead. There are several
different sizes of this weapon, but the
| type in comon use is about fifteen feet
long by eighteen inches greaer dame
ter. 1t is cigar shaped and has a tail
very like that of a fish. The shell is
of steel. The head or front end,
contains the explosive charge-gun cot
ton-with it's gun cotton primer and
illuminate of mercury exploder, which
is made to act by means of a pistol
or hammer driven back upon he ex-
ploder through impact upon the target;
that is, when the torpedo. strikes
against ships side under the water.
Next in the rear Of the head is COM
partment, or flask containing the
compressed air used by the engine as
a motive force. The section in rear
of the air flask embraces the regula-
ting and steering mechanism, the en-
CINE and the tail, with its horizontal
and vertical steering rudders.
Upon the condition and adjust
Iment of the engine and the controlling
mechanism of the torpedo its success
Iful run which properly launched in the
water. Once adjusted and launched,
lit passes beyond human control, and
all the actions of its engines and re-
gulating mechanism are purely auto
matte. Naturally, from all the func-
lions it has to perform, this mechan-
ism must be delicately adjusted, and
is comparatively speaking, complicat-
ed.
THE torpedo is launched-that is,
fired from a torpedo tube. This tube
lis made of some plate steel of sufficient
thickness to Withstand destruction or
Injury in service, and is usually mount
ed to run on a deck track, Or circle, so
as to point the torpedo in an approx
mately correct or convenient direction
for launching. The torpedo is loaded
into the tube through the rear-breech
lend of the laater. It is launched by
means of a compressed air charge ad-
mitted to the tube in rear of the GEN.
trail part Of the torpedo or by the ex-
plosion of a small charge of smoke
less. powder in cartridge chamber of
Isnnokeless powder in a cartridge cham
Der attached to the torpedo tube, the
pressure in either case being sufficient
to eject the torpedo from the tube at
low velocity into the water. AS it
passes out, of the tube a latch in the
latter opens the connection between the
air flask and engine and the propellers
are revolving with great velocity by
the time the torpedo reaches the water.
Once there the torpedo takes certain
initial dive and passes under control of
Its automatic depth regulation and
steering mechanism as adjusted prev
ious to the launching.
''It must be clearly understood that a
properly adjusted automobile torpedo
takes up it's course under water and
runs in a straight line. AS a matter
of record, he depth regulating devices
lis wonderfully efficient, and little or
no divergence from the set depth is to
be noted. The gyroscope has been
lapplied in recent years with great sue
cess to bring the torpedo to and main
tain it in it's course in the horizontal
plane. Therefore it will be seen that
though the automobile torpedo is a
very wonderful piece of automatic
machinery, it is not human in that it
has no will to change it's direction and
pursuit or meet its enemy. If it is an
excellent torpedo it goes exactly where
it is sent and nowhere else. Through
design. an automatic torpedo can be
used as often as it is wished for prac-
tice, but once launched in battle it's
career for good or bad is over.
The next thing is the range of the
torpedo. The best of those in use at
the present day have a theoretical
range of about 1900 yeards. which dis
lance is covered at a speed of twenty