Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-03-17
LAIESEIIRBNE TORPEDO
Novel Engine Of Destruction
Velocity Mile Minute
HOW Speeds REGULATED
Each Torpedo Costs About Five
Thousand Dollars-Can BE Dis
charged from Submarine - One
Thousand Pieces Enter Into lis
Construction.

The Scientific American gives
some of the details OF the torpedo's
construction: First the head, con-
tanning the explosive; then the cen
trail flask, in which the compressed
air for driving the torpedo is stored,
and last comes the after body, which
contains the turbine for operating
the propellers, the immersion cham
Der, for regulating the depth OF the
torpedo in the water, and the gyro-
scope gear, by which the torpedo is
automatically steered and kept in
position during It's line of fight to
the ship to be attacked.
The head of the torpedo is con-
sidered a beautiful specimen of ham
mered sheet-metal work. 1t is made
in halves, divided longitudinally, the
edges of the joints being made with
a square saw tooth form and brazed
together.
The war head" which is dis
tinguished from the practice head,
is used only in actual hostiiities, is
loaded with 1872 pounds of guncot-
ton, containing % per cent. of mois-
ture. This guncotton is packed in
disks, through the center of which is
a hole containing a cartridge primer
of dry guncotton for exploding the
charge.
The small propeller in the ex-
IRENE point of the torpedo is for
preventing premature explosion,
which it does by locking the firing
pin.
Here is how the mechanism
works: When the torpedo Is fired
from the ships tube and enters the
water the revolution of the pro-
pellers releases a sleeve which un-
covers the firing pin, putting it in
position to strike the decorating pri-
mer at the instant the torpedo finds
It's mark
The central body or shell of the
torpedo occupies a little more than
one-half its total length. The mighty
weapon is made of a special forged
steel of an elastic limit of at least
10000 pounds.
The active portion of the torpedo
the tail---contains in its forward
end the wonderful little torpedo en-
CINE that drives the propeller. 1t is
of the Curtis compound type and
consists of a central row OF fixed
blades and two wheels, one eleven
and one-eighth inches and the other
nearly twelve inches in diameter.
There are two propellers running in
opposite directions.
It is almost inconceivable the COM
pressed power or energy which is
generated for the emergency when
this terror of the sea is ready to be
hurled against the enemy.
The turbine runs at speed of
10000 revolutions a minute, but is
reduced by gears to a speed of 900
revolutions for the propeller. This
develops 160-horse power, giving a
speed for forty knots an hour, al
though the contract speed required
by the government is only thirty-six
knots.
There are holes for the water to
enter on one side, and on the other
are a series of coiled springs SO adj
justed that their pressure is exactly
equal to the pressure of the water at
the given depth at which the torpe-
do is to travel
If the intelligent monster is to de-
scend below that depth the water
pressure, overcoming the springs,
pushes the diaphragm inwardly. On
the contrary, if the torpedo is above
the desired depth, the springs over
come the water pressure, push the
diaphragm outward and allow more
water to enter, and thus sink the
boat to the required depth.
By previous adjustment the tor
pedo can be set to run at any desired
depth, say five feet below the sur
face and keep that depth steadily
maintained until the enemy has been
struck and destroyed. It is said that
the most interesting feature in the
building of the new torpedoes is the
improved turbine engine that drives
them.
Perhaps the most novel and start
ling invention is a new device for in
creasing the speed at the very mo-
ment when it is most needed This
is obtained by the use of an alco-
holic flame applied to the COM
pressed air.
The flame is automatically lighted
the moment the torpedo leaves the
muzzle of the tube. The compressed
air flask contains burner and the
flame is fed automatically with al
cohol.
The flow is so regulated that an
even temperature is maintained dur
ing the run of the torpedo to the
doomed warship. 1t is this super
heating process that gives the great
superiority claimed over the White
head type.
More than a thousand distinct
pieces of bronze, brass and steel are
used in the manufacture of the deli
cate and wonderful adjustments of
the torpedo, making 1t. it is said, the
costliest bit OF ordnance in our navy.
Each torpedo costs about $4,000,
which is but a bagatelle in case a