The Elbert County tribune., 1908-04-16

States navy is equipped with steam
launch. but the naval officers have
| long realized that the boat at present
In use is far from being as efficient
at it might be. The present type OF
boat has been frequently condemned.
and never SO freely as at the time of
the deplorable tragedy in Hampton
\ Roads during the jamestown exposi-
tion. when a steam launch of the bat
tleship Minnesota drowned her crew
and party of Ave midshipmen
The reason why the navy depart.
ment had SO long clung to the type
lay in the fact that the steam launch
had been found to be the only vessel
OF steam driven type that couliS be
carried on deck and be capable of
standing the rough work required OF
them. But they are unsatisfactory in
many respects. There is much rough
work which they are capable OF doing,
but infinitely more important, there is
much military work which they are
incapable of doing.
! This is torpedo boat work. Many
of the more progressive officers OF the
service long ago urged that the two
qualities should be combined-that the
navy should be equipped with boats
capable OF withstanding the rough
everyday work of steam launch in
carrying landing parties to and fro,
towing and picket duty in any kind
of weather. and that these qualities
should be combined with the offensive
powers of torpedo boat This effort
at combination was. actually made
about 12 years ago when the navy
department caused seagoing torpedo
boats to be installed on the Maine and
the Texas. 1t resulted in failure Not
because OF there being anything wrong
with the theory, but by reason of the
fact that boats propelled by steam
are too heavy to be hoisted in and out
Of a battleship; that is, boats which
possess the speed and power requisite
for torpedo boat work are too heavy to
be so handled.
The fault was. therefore, in the type
OF engine. and not in the idea. The
vastly increased powers of offense and
defense which a feet carrying a
fio1lla of small torpedo craft would
possess have long been recognized by
naval strategists and tacticians. In
the advent Of the gas engine Mr.. Ar
thur 7. Chester believes that the
problem has been solved. Son OF
Rear Admiral Colby NJ. Chester. an
officer distinguished for his scientific
attainments and professional com
petence. the younger Chester recently
resigned his commission as a lieuten-
I . L.
pendent lines an investigation he had
been unable to conduct while attached
to the service.
Mr.. Chester long ago saw the pos
sibilities of the explosive engine, par
ticularly its possibilities when applied
to naval vessels In a recent address
read before the Society of Naval Archi-
tects and Marine Engineers he said
that few OF those who have seen the
rapid advancement OF the explosive
engine and studied its many advan-
tages can deny that ii is only ques-
| tion of time before steam will be sup
| planted by the gas engine just as the
once universal sail power has been
J dropped in favor OF steam, never again
to be considered one of the worlds
great. power generators.
A board on torpedo boats recently
recommended that the speed OF all
torpedo boats be reduced. The as
sumption is the board had found that
structural strength is more important
than excessive speed. Working on
these lines. Mr.. Chester has prepared
plans for vessel fitted with a light
but powerful gas engine. big and buoy
ant enough to stand all of the heavy
work that might be required OF
launch. equipped with torpedos, en-
dowed with speed of 20 knoe or
so and yet not so heavy to prevent its
being readily lowered from battle
ship or armored cruiser, and as easily
hoisted back on board.
Mr. Chester draws a vivid picture of
what naval battle might be with one
fleet possessed OF fiotilla of small
torpedo craft. carried on shipboard.
lowered on the lee side before the be-
ginning OF the action and held
screened behind the ships until the
smoke of battle afforded an opportun-
sty for a dash.
France. England and Italy" said