Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-05-15
FUTURE WAR VESSELS
Swift Alcohol Driven Craft to Be
Used, Says Lewis Nixon.
SM0KELESs, SILENT, DEADLY.

Sixty Knot HydropIane Submarines
and 10000 Ton BattIeships Will Fight
Great Naval Battles, Says Shphuid-
e-Warships' Speed Fifty Knots.
The naval battles of the future will
be fought between hulking first class
battleships of 10000 tons or more dis
and creepy little submarines
fitted with hydroplanes that will send
them skimming like flying fish at the
steel giants, and then, when their tor
pedoes have struck home, they will
dive under the water and come up at
a safe distance ready for more deadly
work.
The speed of those little mosquito
scouts will be 60 knots and over. The
speed Of the battleships they convoy
and attack will be from 10 to II knots
less. The torpedo of the future will
be light one say $50 pounds-and
will carry a charge of fifty pounds of
explosive. Strangest of all these bat
tie craft of the years to come will be
alcohol driven.
Lewis Nixon, the famous marine
constructor and inventor Of freak and
speedy war craft, recently declared to
New York Evening World reporter
that he has now under construction in
his workshops at Tottenville small
vessel In the neighborhood Of fifty tons
that will skim over the water at 60
Iry,ntS a ch06o l0oc fxynv
er will be gas, and her sanguine Gre
ator says she Is the forerunner of the
new type ships that are to come.
Those who looked at newspaper pic.
lures Of the departing peace" feet a
few days ago and saw for themselves
what tremendous smoke cloud bat.
tleships under way roll up will realize
what an advantage will accrue to the
nation that first goes into battle with
gas or alcohol driven, engines. The
huge smokestacks necessary to create
draft to keep the gauge jumping on
the high pressure boilers will be miss.
ing.
These warships Of tomorrow will be
low in the water, swift, silent, deadly.
Close behind them, like porpoises hay
ing fun with school of sharks, will
come the little hydroplanes, all ready
to dive beneath the surface on their
errand Of destruction at first sight Of
the enemy or prepared to hook on and
be hauled aboard their battleship con-
sorts in case Of bad weather.
Mr.. Nixon was shown newspaper
article quoting Lieutenant Commander
G. G. Davison's opinion that before
long we shall have no more battleships
and that submarines will take their
places.
"Battleships will be designed long
after Mr.. Dawson Is gathered to his
fathers" said Mr.. Nixon, with smile.
There is undeniably a field, however,
for vast improvement in the torpedo
as a weapon. In fact, may say that
surface ship Of great speed, armed
solely with torpedoes, will be factor
to be dealt with in the future wars.
"The submarine Of today is sluggish
and clumsy. Then, too, the problem of
light under the surface is vet to be
solved. Under present conditions it
would be impossible. except under the
most favorable conditions, to launch a
torpedo effectively from submarine
beneath the surface. There are several
reasons for this, one Of which, as I
have said, is the almost total darkness
under water. Again, there is the re-
sistance of the water to overcome. The
torpedo would have to consist almost
solely Of engines sufficiently powerful
to drive it at any speed If launched be-
meath the surface.
"The best way to deliver a torpedo
is from the surface. The submarine
Of the future will have immense sur.
face speed and only dive as means
Of protection or escape. Half dozen
OF such craft attacking a battleship
would give her a terrible tussle for hel
life.
"The torpedo itself will not advance
along the present heavy lines. We
shall. believe, evolve light torpedoes
carrying great charges Of some high
explosive. A hydroplane boat Of q
60 knot speed could carry mum.
Der of these and be handled by two
men.
"As to the motive power of the fu
ture, ! believe that some day the world
Will wake up to the possibilities OF
alcohol. Gas engines. however, will
be a step in the right direction. A
modern warship is most heavily ar
mored about her engine and boile,
rooms. These are her vital parts. A
blow struck home there and she Is out
Of the fight. The maze Of pipes. the
complicated parts of steam engine
all contribute to this cause. Put 9
feed pipe out Of business. and where's
your steam engine?
with gas engines 1t is different
There are few parts, comparatively
and no boiler room and roasting fur
naces. A few men tend the engines
in comparative comfort From thu
standpoint Of economy, too. the future
power will be gas engines.
"As for alcohol driven engines, they
will come some day, and as long as W,
have sun to induce fermentation W,
will be able to get alcohol in ines
Unable quantities. ! believe the day 1,
coming when every fire will be rur
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