The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-05-24
Torpedo Boat Destroyers Are
Now Equipped to Pre-
vent Their Rolling.

n
A. Sperry5 relative OF Captain 81
G. and G. B. Sperry. of this city:
The United states government hai
awarded contract to Diner A
sperry. of 40 Wall street, the In,
ventor OF the gyroscop!c compass
ana the leading authority on thii
phase OF mechanical engineering in
this country. for the Installation OF
a gyroscopic compass on board one
of the heetest ships OF the eighth di-
vision of the navy for the purpose
loff 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
stalbs IIty. Also he VIII 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
flor 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
,netfc 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 a hywhee lso mounted as to be
able to spin on its axis when tilted
In any direction. Any effort to dis
lodge such spinning fywheel from
its plane of rotation meets immedi-
ateIy with a resistance proportional
to the wheels momentum. Inas-
much as momentum increases d.
rectIy as the weight and as the
square of the velocity, the same re-
suits are obtained by a light gyro-
scope running at high speed as are
obtained from a heavy one running
at lesser rate.
A Syroscope when running Will II
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 a flxed position
pointing to the magnetic pole. In
the gyroscope compass a system Of
rotation is used with a horizontal
axle, which turns in ali directions.
The gyroscopic tendencies are to
keep in the one position, and when
the pinnacle, which is made solid
fhol
movement of the vessel, the indica-
tor carried by the spindle, and with
the aid of the gyroscope's procession
will turn exactly the same distance
IN 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
1t 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 Iubber has only a slight
idea. 1t means the absolute GER
talnty OF speedy reckOnings.
Probably the first instance of the
sign Ihcance and power of the gyro-
scope was discovered in this country
through the medium of the Howell
torpedo. which depended for it's
propulsive power on a rapidly ro-
tated hywheel. started by an engine
to which 1t was directly connected
aboard ship previous to launching.
The extreme speed OF 10000 revo-
lutions 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 its required We
ilocity 1t was found that the ship had
drifted at her anchorage in thel
wrong direction and that the posi-
ton of the torpedo would have to
be changed to allow for an accurate
launching. Mr.. Nixon ordered this
change to be made and several men
picked the torpedo up easily, but
when 1t came to the question alter
ing her position they made no head !
way. More men were called up and
10 aa1I.. 70