Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-27
THE MODERN TORPEDO.
Takes an Important Place Among De.
structive War Materials.

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struetive War Materials.
The original inventor Of the torpedo
was David Bushnell of Connecticut,
who fiourished during the American
war Of independence. His torpedoes-
kegs of gunpowder-were secured to
ships bottom by the aid Of submer-
gible boat, and fired by a time ma
chine. The vessel containing the sub
mergible boat was sunk by the British,
and the boat itself badly damaged.
Bushnell then determined to float his
kegs against the British ship by aid
of the tide or by a towing line. BY
way Of preliminary experiments he
blew up one or. two hogsheads In
ponds. Then, in 1777, he went forth
in a whaleboat and launched one Of
his kegs against British frigate. the
Cerebus. The official report Of this ex-
pertinent, written by Bushnell himself,
reads rather quantity.
This machine fell in with a schoon-
er at anchor astern Of the frigate, and
concealed from sight. BY some means
or other It was fired, and demolished
the schooner and three men. and blew
the only one left alive overheard, who
was taken up very much hurt"
In 1778 the Americans foated num-
Der Of Bushnelrs kegs down with the
tide against the British shipping on
the Delaware, but the British, fear
ing the making Of Ice, had warped In
their ships to the wharves, and so es-
capped much Of the intended mischief"
Various inventors followed in Bush
nelrs wake, but none Of their torpe-
does was a success. At length a Cap
tain Lupus Of the Austrian navy pro-
posed a torpedo which should float on
the surface Of the water and be d.
rected by ropes from a fixed base.
The Austrian government thought the
suggestion was not feasible unless
Lupus could devise a reliable inde-
pendent motor. He consulted with
Mr.. Whitehead, the English manager
to an engine manufacturing company
at Flume. Whitehead saw that there
was something in the idea, though
Lupus device was crude, and set
about inventing a torpedo by himself.
In two years he produced the first
Whitehead torpedo. 1t was charged
with eighteen pounds Of dynamite, and
its speed was six knots. The great
defect was that 1t would not keep It's
proper depth. Sometimes 1t SKINNED
the surface and sometimes 1t plowed
the bottom. In 1868 however, Mr..
Whitehead invented the balance
chamber" which keeps the torpedo at
the right depth. The secret Of the
balance chamber" was kept till 1894.
the Austrian government refusing to
deal. Whitehead offered his torpedo
to other powers, and Great Britain
asked him for two.
After exhaustive trials the commit
tee appointed by the admiralty to try
the torpedo reported that stationary
ship might be fired upon end on with
every probability Of being struck at
200 yards: a ship at anchor might be
struck broadside on at distance up
to 400 yards, and that a ship moving
at a moderate speed could be struck
with a fair degree of certainty up to
200 yards.
These achievements. though. far
out done by the up-to-date Whitehead
were deemed satisfactory. I'm spite
Of the protests and sneers Of the old
gunnery school Of officers" says Lieu
tenant Armstrong in his invaluable
work on torpedoes, the English gov
ernment purchased the secrets and
rights Of manufacture Of the White
head torpedo for $4,000.
Other nations followed suit, and the
Whitehead is the torpedo Of today.
1t is made in various types, and its
charge ranges from sixty pounds to
300 pounds Of guncotton, its speed
from twenty to thirty knots an hour,
and 1t can be relied upon up to 800
yards-almost half a mile.
Russia has several factories where
Whiteheads are manufactured. Her
favorite. type has charge of 800
pounds and a speed Of thirty knots
In 1897 Japan ordered $50 Schwartz
kopf torpedoes, Berlin made variety.
This order was promptly completed.
Afterward Japan ordered a consign-
ment Of Whitehead torpedoes, each to