The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-05-25
Torpedo Boat Destroyers Are
Now Equipped TO Pre-
vent Their Rolling.

VENT lIlelF NOEllllS.
IA recent number OF the New Yorl
Sun contained the following article
concerning a navy tryout of tn,
gyroscope, an invention by Elmer
A. sperry. a relative OF Captain NJ
G. and C. B. sperry, of this city:
The United states government has
awarded contract TO Elmer A
sperry, of 40 Wall street, the in
ventor of the gyroscopic compass
and the leading authority on this
phase of mechanical engineering in
this country for the installation OF
a gyroscopic compass on board one
OF the fieetest ships of the eighth di-
vision OF the navy for the purpose
of an exhaustive trial. The vessel
is now in the Brooklyn navy yard
being equipped with the compass.
Mr.. Sperry is also under contract
to equip one of the governments
torpedo boat destroyers with set
of two ''gyros," the largest plant as
yet installed, for the purpose of
stability. Also he will try out the
system of rolling the vessel with the
aid from these machines, with the
idea OF freeing vessel which is
stranded.
The possibilities OF the gyroscope
were vaguely seen when the first par
lor toy came out, but little did the
average person think, at that time,
that this unique toy would soon re-
place the age-worn mariners mag
netic compass.
The first models invented by Fou-
cault in 1852 for the purpose of
showing the rotation of the earth on
its axis, and, for that matter, all
simple horoscopes, are nothing more
than flywhee lso mounted as to be
able to-spin on its axis when tilted
in any direction, ANY effort to dis
lodge such spinning aywheel from
its plane of rotation meets immedi-
ately with resistance proportional
to the wheels momentum. Inas-
much as momentum increases d.
rectly as the weight and as the
square of the velocity, the same re-
suits are obtained by light gyro-
scope running at high speed as are
obtained from heavy one running
at lesser rate.
A gyroscope when running will If
forced from its plane of rotation dip
in the direction of its rotation. This
dipping action is termed procession.
In the mariners compass the
needle assumes fixed position
pointing to the magnetic pole. In
the gyroscope compass a system OF
rotation is used with horizontal
axle, which turns in all directions.
The gyroscopic tendencies are to
keep in the one position, and when
the pinnacle, which is made solid
part OF the ship, turns with the
movement of the vessel, the ind!ca-
tor carried by the spindle, and with
the aid of the horoscopes procession
will turn exactly the same distance
N the opposite direction. The indi-
Gator will point out, in lines of a
scale, the ships course and her vari-
atoms from it. Through this ar
rangement and from the movements
It is plainly to be seen that the new
compass, unaffected by magnetic at
traction, is, as Mr.. Sperry claims,
one which points geographically
north on the meridian. What this
development means to the mariner.
the land lubber has only a slight
idea. Ii means the absolute GER
tainty of speedy reckonings.
Probably the first instance of the
sign ,icance and power of the gyro-
scope WAS ulSCONGleu III lhls SouAAiJ
through the medium of the Howell
torpedo, which depended for Its
propulsive power on a rapidly 70
tated nywheel, started by an engine
to which 1t was directly connected
aboard ship previous to launching.
The extreme speed OF 10000 reyo-
buttons per minute was required
prior to launching. Mr.. Nixon, late
of the United States navy, was in
charge OF target practice at this
time. The boat from which the tor
pedoes were launched was anchored
some distance from the targets and
during delays in spinning the tor,
pedo Hywheel up to It's required We,
locity it was found that the ship had
drifted at her anchorage in the
wrong direction and that the posi-
tlon of the torpedo would have tc
be changed to allow for an accurate
Launching. Mr.. Nixon ordered thi: