The Washington times., 1908-08-13
NEW TYPE TORPEDO
WILL PIERCE NET
Test of Davis Frojectile Sue
cesSful-Has Own Mo
tive Power.

QUINCY, Mass, Aug 13.-Torpedo
| nets. such as are extensively used by
| Great Britain, and which recently at
! Newport We're demonstrated as protec-
! ton to battleships from torpedo attack,
| have proved vulnerable by a new type
I or torpedo. an invention OF Lieut. Com
| mander Cleland Davis The trial test,
| at Sheep Island, at the entrance of
! Quincy Bay, was attended by Truman
| ii. Newberry, Acting Secretary of the
| Navy, and by Brig. Gen. Arthur Muir
ray, Chief Of Artillery, representing the
army.
The successful demonstration showed
the practicability OF firing a projectiie
| from a torpedo which serves as a gun
after II makes a hole IN the enemy S
ship. This double action of the Davis
torpedo eharacteTizes It as an entirely
new departure. Lieutenant Commander
DAVIS as soon as he was assured that
MS invention practically met his ex-
pectations' said 10 a reporter: This
Will enhance the value OF submarine at
tack as conducted by torpedo boats
destfoyers, and submarine boats. II will
require a radical change in the con-
suuctlon OF battleships, making Il !
necessary TO armOr their bottoms"
Former types of torpedOs, when they
exterior OF the hull, and by the escape
or gases lose much Of their effective /
ness. The Davis torpedo is cOntrived 10 |
puncture the ships bottom. carrying !
into the ships Yitais prOJectile when /
detOnates by a time fuse. such an in /
terror explosion directed In the engine !
rooms the magazine. or in the steering /
apparatus. quickly places the snip OUT /
OF action.
Can Travel 5000 Feet.
In
pedO resembles d short torpedo of the /
known type. 1t has its own motive pow i
er, operating by compressed air. cap l
able Of travelling 500 feet. Exact meas /
urements OF the torpedo have not been |
officially given out. but 1t is about six
teen feet long and eighteen inches at
its greatest diameter. 1t has a second /
torpedo. inside which is fired through a /
tube when the initial explosion tears /
a hole in the ships bottom. The first /
explosion starts a time fuse for the sec--
ond defamation.
D. Commander Davis has made expert
ments for The last two years, and at 1
tributes much OF his success TO a new /
element which has only recently become
Obtainable IN commercial quantities. 1t /
was necessary 10 keep the torpedo gun
light enough to float TO its objective /
and at the same time Of sufficient ten
against the initial defamation.
This new element is vanadium, which
he uses in combination with chromium
and nickel This reduces the weight Of
the tube from half a ton TO eighty
pounds. The only available deposits or
this new element are in Peru, and are
under American control They are being
operated by the American Nanadium
Company, Of which ). NJ tlannery' OF
PittsbuTgt IS president The steel for
the torpedo is. made by the Carnegie
Steel Company under the supervision
of >. s. wales. The she'll was construct
ed by the Electric Boat Company, under
the direction of i y. Spear, formerly
naval constructor, and G. c. Dawson,
formerly q lieutenant in the navy.
Among the other officers who wit
messed the test were Major c. J. Bailey,
of the coast artillery; Capt T. F Mich
OILS. Of tie Ordnance Department; Rear
Francis 7. BOwles, retired.
president Of the Fore River Ship ana
Engine Company; Lieutenant Command
ers Mark l. Bristol, Of Newport, and
Brady, of washington, and Lieutenant
Miller, Of Washington.
Spectators Are Protected.
Sheen Island, where Commander Davis
has worked out his trials, is a deserted,
low lying waste at the entrance of the
bay, sharply eroded on the open ocean
side, so that this natural breastwork
hloIuCu oEGCldlDiH DEoiGttly4A anu etASo ]
view OF the experiment. The
torpedo was moored at a lighter and
the target noated 12O feet to the south
The sun was bright over the bay. which
was scarcely ruffied, making every de- Z
tail plainly visible.
The target tank was said by its con-
5tructors 10 be stronger than a section
Of a battleship. It was Of three-cuarter q
nCh iron. with three interior bulkheads. ir
The metal was formerly a Standard oil :
Company tank at Chelsea and was a / I
relic OF the cOnfagrauOn last April |
This tank was fifteen feet high and ten ! I
feet in diameter. In the top a manhole
was left open to relieve air pressure.
with forty tons OF scrapiron,
he target was submerged ll1z feet 7
When all was ready the assembled Of
lCers sought the protection of the sea-
worn bank, carrying a long rope with | +
which to set the machine going. Secre- l.
AIRY Newherry and Commander Davis, p
n tenders from the dispatch boat Dol !
1hin. watched the experiment from the
IAN ready. firer' came the order. At ! 9
he jerk of the rope there was violent c
DUbbling at the lighters side. On a
straight line for the red tank the
torpedo bored its way, revealing its l
course by a wake OF bubbles. This path
# busy bubbles looked mysterious as &c
reared the red tank. which swayed on
lie Tue. GuUuGflty the tank was eIiF6A- ! :
,ped in great splash, and the manhole
over bounced from the gathering iron.
Then slowly the big tank sank down
nto the foamy water. 4
Secretary NCWbeTTy and the inventor Il
quickly assured themselves of the sue
essfUl outcome. They saw for the first
ime that a prOjectile could be exploded
within an armOred ship. 4
The investigation was not completed {
fntil the fall of a nine-fOot tide showed | :
fOur-foot hole bored through the steel Il
wallis and through all the bulkheads.