The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-06-13
LATEST TURBINE TORPEDO
Novel Engine of Destruction
Velocity Mile a Minute
HOW Speeds REGULATED
Each Torpedo Costs About Five
Thousand Dollars--Can he Dis
charged from Submarine - One
Thousand Pieces Enter Into Its
Construction.


Construction.
The Scientific American gives |
come of the details of the torpedo's |
construction First the head, con-
talning 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-
srope gear, by which the torpedo is
automatically steered and kept In
position during It's line of flight to
tie ship to be attacked.
The head of the torpedo Is con
s,dered a beautiful specimen of ham
p,ered sheet-metal work. It is made
in halves, divided longitudnally, the
edges Of the joints being made with
a square saw tooth form and brazed
togather.
The "war head" which is dis
tinguished from the practice head,
Is used only in actual hostilities, Is
loaded with 1872 pounds of guncot-
ton. containing % per cent. of mols-
tvrc. This guncotton Is packed in
disks, through the center of which Is
q hole containing a cartridge primer
Of dry guncotton for exploding the
charge.
Tho small propeller in the ex-
treme point of the torpedo is for
preventing premature explosion.
which 1t 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 sleeve" which un-
covers the firing pin. putting 1t in
position to strike the decorating pri-
ner at the instant the torpedo finds
tts mark.
THE central body or shell of the
torpedo occupies a little more than
oue-half It's total length. The mighty
weapon is made of a special forged
steel of an elastic limit OF at least
1900 pounds.
The active portion of the torpedo
the tail-contains in its forward
end the wonderful little torpedo en-
gine 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.
1t 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 minute, but Is
reduced by gears to 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 ad-
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.
II 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
khA tho cnrtnQS 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 1t Is most needed. This
Is obtained by the use of an alco'
hohc flame applied to the com
pressed air.
The fame is automatically lighted
the moment the torpedo leaves the
mu2zle of the tube. The compressed
air flask contains a burner and the
fame is fed automatically with al
coa0l.
The flow is so regulated that al
even temperature Is maintained dur
ing the run of the torpedo to the
doomed warship. 1t is this super
heating process that gives the grea
superiority claimed over the White
head type.
More than a thousand distinc
pieces Of bronze, brass and steel arr
used In the manufacture of the dell
cate and wonderful adjustments o
fhn tA.naA4 p,oLtno q n Ia said thl