Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-07-18
A THING OF THE NIGHT
The Dark and Deadly Mission Of
the Modern Torpedo.
ALMOST HUMAN IN ACTION.
II Starts Itself. Regulates It's Speed
and Depth and Steers Itself 20 Its
Unsuspeeting Prey - DiaboIieal In
It's Dogged Determination.

It's Dogged Determination.
Unseen and unheard. the torpedo is
thing Of the night. The gun an
uounces is presence with thunder and
hame. but the torpedo steals silently
from the side Of an unseen craft. and
only those who released its deadly
energy know that the missile is on its
way
Look at II lying upon the deck, the
FURNISHED body glltterlng In the sun.
Ii Is hard to believe that an object
only sixteen feet long aud weighing
/ 100 pounds contains sufficient locked
up force to sink a battleship OF many
thousand tons displacement ana cause
the loss OF hundreds Of lives and-mil-
lions OF dollars
And vet there Is suggestion Of ire
mendous force about the cigar shaped
body that looks 50 thrcatcningy solid
and strong Indeed. the torpedo at
once attracts and rcpc!s the observer
having much the same effect as n
beautiful snake
Deadly rs are its powers. child
could prepare the weapon for its muir
derous task Nowadays simplicity is
SYNONYMOUS with implements Of war,
and mans ingenuity has made It as
easy 10 Kill our fellow men rs TO shell
the proverbial peas So everything
about the torpedo works automatically.
Unlike other marvcls of machinery,
II Is not even necessary % press the
button The torpedo presses the but
ton for itself From the moment
enters the sen II is freed from human
Interference Il sets itself in motion,
regulates its own depth below the sur
face and even steers itself with GER
tainty that Is almost human.
You can see the steering as You
stand upon the deck by watching the
double line Of bubbles which mark its
course, bending first this way and then
that. but soon steadying into an IN
swerylng line straight to the distant
target
There is something diabolical in the
logged determination with which this
mass Of metal refuses to be diverted
from! its goal
The little rudders in the tail are al
ways working. keeping the head point
Ing on its path one might well imag-
Inc that diminutiye man were secret
ed within those shining walls. so accu-
ratcly is the missile steered
Strange rs It may seem. this devlllsh
ingenuity. for il Is nothing else, owes
It's being 10 II child's toy. Think Of the
incongrulty The most deadly weapon
the mind of man has ever conceived
owes It's practical existence 10 "A mag
It, top" primarily designed Ia amuse
children
But such is the case. for here again
we lind the wonderful gyroscope using
It's we'll nigh human intelligence for n
sinister purpose.
This terrible ingenuity. however has
one great advantage. and that In a
peaceful direction. Practice can lie
carried out effectively and without
danger For this purpose the war
head containing tie charge Is repac-
ed by a dummy" hllcd with wood 10
bring It NJ 10 the exact weight
Three buoyS are usually moorcd "A
mile or So away as q tatget and the
torpedo seems 10 spring from the YES
sci like living thing. eager 70 reach
the center buoy
Two rows Of bubbles streak from the
ship IN an ever lcngthening line. The
center buoy hcnves slightly as they
,..., all ....,..t t.t,tt.t,..1 ,.n.Iu err
Their on the bubbles suddenly cease rs
silver head protrudes for Il moment
from the sea
Then. with engines NJ rest the shin
ing body heaves gently up and down,
| consciously waiting as 1t seems for
the boat to tow It back 10 the ship.
More than this. lest Il should be over
looked In a heavy sea the torpedo
breathes a spiral OF smoke and flame
into the air 10 show the seekers It's
| whereabouts.
Harmless. rs we see. IN practice,
but think Of It's powers III war-dead-
~ certainty Of action. human intelli-
gence added to superhuman powers
working In secret. Al any moment q
verltable bolt from the blue" may
shattcr great battleship from stem
To stern
Imagine the terrible uncertainty OF
Il all Knight following night u anxious
watching long hours passed peering
into the darkness to see II black
craft Is lurking IN the shadows. Every
speck dancing before tired eyes con
stitutes menace 10 the weary brains
behind
And then when fears are lulled, since
the danger never comes and vigilance
Is relaxed, n gentle he' Wing, the pre-
lude to deafening roar ana the split
ting of steel plates and the rushing OF
water, a brilliant flare In the dark
ness. the cries Of men OH the verge Of
leath. and the work Is done
Afterward silence while the mantle
II night closes round again, and under
Its welcome screen a tiny craft steams
In eao rob ~ auotber nray Ion wing he