The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-14
Whitehead Torpedo Driven
Into Florida, But Pumps
Keep Her Afloat.
NAVAL OFFICIALS
THINK TEST SUCCESS
Admit That Damage Is Very
Serious, But Declare 1t Is Not
Vital. and That Battlcship
With Similar Bulkl1cads
Could Keep on
Fighting.

/ 4
ls-ORT MONROE. VA. June 13.--
Pierced with an American White
head torpedo, carrying a charge
u OF guncotton. which tore big
| hole In her side, the United States
| monitor Florida now rests In the dry
dock at the Norfolk Navy Yard, a VIC
tim OF naval experiment to test the
vulnerability from torpedo attack OF
watcr-tisht bulkheads. The wafer in
the vessels hold gives her list Of sew
cnteen Inches to starboHrd.
| The test took place this morning of
Pine Beach, near the Jamestown Ex-
position Grounds. where the monitor
was anchored In fifteen feet of water.
| The nayal officials. while admitting the
damage done TO the vessel Is very se-
rious declare that It is not Vital. and
say that the test is satisfactory. They
assert that battlesllip equipped with
| bnlkheads similar to those tested to-
day could continue fighting, IL injured
to the same extent. unless several COM
| partments on the same side were sim
ilarly punctured, and the weather con-
| ditions Were bad.
officials Witness Test.
| Thorough examination will be neces-
Il
bulkhead and collatera, injuries suf-
fcred can be ascertained. and the cf-
| feet OF the torpedo charge properly
| measured. The test was witnessed by
a number OF officials, including Secre-
taries Metcalf and Taft Postmaster
General Meyer and ordnance officers of
| the navy and army.
The Cabinet officers went to the
/ Norfolk Navy Yard after the test.
II MasgrS NTatca1f and NTavar dn a., In
spection of the yard and Secretary
Taft awaited them on the yacht May
| flower. They left for Washington this
evening. and will arrive there proba-
bly, tomorrow morning.
The arrangements for the test were
carried out in detail wiihou an ap-
Iparent hitch. Admiral Mason and othe,
officials from Washington boarded the
Florida before o'clock and gave the
final orders for conducting the test
On board the float anchored 500 feet
patched, the crew were ready for their
work. Directions to fire were given
from the monitor about twenty min
utes after s o'clock. and FIVE minutes
later Lieutenant Babcock, aboard the
/ float, touched the lever which sent the
torpedo whizzng six feet below the
water on Its mission Of destruction.
a roar accompanied the explosion.
Presents GRIND Spectacle.
A Tho spectacle. which followed was
Egrand The great mass of water
4 some distance around. The column
exceeded in height the high mast of
4 the Florida. Almost simultaneously
there was a shower OF pieces OF steel
i fragments of broken torpedo, accom-
II panied by fine dust, which scattered
for fully a third of a mile around.
There was scamper for shelter by
I persons on half dozen vessels in the
vicinity.
!. A dummy figure Of man had been
erected on a bridge of the Florida. and
although It was fifty feet from the
point of torpedo impact. the shock
4 knocked it over. The dozen or more
officials and crew inside the superstruc-
1 ture OF the vessel waited for a few
moments before venturing out on the
deck to ascertain the damage They
found that on and above the deck tho
damage was confined to bending some
of the frame work which supported the
! booms holding the torpedo nets. the
cracking of several plates, the break
Ing OF iron guy ropes. and breaking
4 three booms from their fastenings. let
4 ting asnet used for protecting the after
part of the hull drop into the sea.
4 Penetraies Six Feet,
4 When she was struck the Florida had
about four feet OF freeboard. and was
anchored in about fifteen feet OF water.
II A collision mat put against the hole
! made by the torpedo kept the water
out while the pumps were working.
4 BY direction of Secretary Nletcalf. Wis
iting newspaper men were allowed
aboard the Florida after the test, and
We're taken down in the boiler and en-
i gine room just aft OF the compartment
into which the torpedo was sent. In
I that portion of the ship there appeared
to be no damage The injury done was
i largely to the compartment fired into,
4 land also Just forward OF that compart-
|ment 1t was estimated that the charge
4 penetrated six or eigh feet.
4 During the test steam was kept up
In one Of the boilers on the vessel, but
i for precautionary reasons was shut Oft
In the pipes, None of the pipes, so
i far as was apparent from hasty exam
Il nation, suffered injury.
i The twelve-inch turret so badly shat
Il tered two weeks ago by testing shell
i had been covered with canvas to hide
Il the damage then done.
Splendid weather and good sea con-
Editions favored the test. There was
/ scarcely a ripple to disturb the water.
i .lTransformed from " Seaworthy vessel
to helpless hulk, several months
, work Will be necessary to again per-
NIT the Florida to be used, y
i The object sought In the test was to
determine whether this special form
Of bnllsllead with which, If formidable,
all nloredn American ships OF war
probably will be provided can success
fully Withstand the force OF the ex-
|ploslye contained In the torpedo. or In
default OF that, whether the effect of
i 1.-The charge will be to scatter destruc-
I ton far and wide and possibly sink
!. the ship.
To-day's test with the Florida was
j the first experiment of tho kind In the
1 American navy.
Results obtained from to-day's ex-
|perlment will ba a guide for construc-
tlon officials in building water-tight
cpmpartment bulklleads OF the new
lpreadnnu ghts North Dakota and d ella
ware now partially completed, and Of
lcontlnued on Second Pagel- 7--