The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-08
SIMON LAKE, BUILDER OF SUBMARINES, TELLS HOW
 THEY TAKE THEIR PREY
Graphically Pictures Scenes on Board
 Graft As Fatal Torpedoes Are

syvAter Two inside, ports are careful 1y opened. and two one ton torpedoes arc 1ifted by means of chain tackle and swung carefully into the tubes.s The inside ports are closed much the
 same as one of the big breach 1oad- ing coast defense guns. and the out- side ports are again opened. The air
 ch hanEber between the torpedo and the
 breaches is filled with air compressed
 to nearly 1s20O pounds to the square
 inch nearly the force Of exploding
 dynamite.
 Both vessels are closing together at right angles. On the bigger one all is gayety and unsuspecting hope of Eearly and safe arrival at port On
 the submarine all are alert. Tns bow
 is carefully trained towards a direct
 line over which the ship must travel.
 The time Of speed and the distance is
 carefully gauged by trained on1cers.
 The submarine sinks beneath the sur face and men are stationed at the fir
 ing levers on each of the forward
 tubes An officer stands with a watch in his hand counting tho seconds. A. little bell tinkIes over the lever man on the part or starboard side of the
 submarine. He pulls the lever which releases the trigger and with rush | ths enormous torpedo forces itself in a- direct line toward the vessel. Anoth- CT second elapses and the bell rings again. Similar action is observed on the submarines which a moment la ter rises with its periscope above the slight ripple of the water.
 There Is a deadening crash as the ishock is transmitted through the wa ter and the resounding shell of the air-fiI1ed submarine The officer at the submarines periscope, or coming
 flower, is the only living person on l the submarine that sees a great vessel l rise out of the water and slowly settle back He knows that the shots have
 taken effect and he can offer no aid Ito the thousands who 3. moment later l will be attempting to save their lives. I He turns his bow homeward. or, cruis- les for other victims of his mechanical Ingenuity. as his sealed sailing orders may direct.
 l Such is the picture presented by lstatements of submarine action by Sl- En1on Lake today.
 time it is released in the tube by the I1evers trip is interesting. These tor ipedoes,, made at a cost of $5,00o each,
 much of which is spent in testing is I Undressing. With their high charge o1 sI sIexpIosive, placed well forward and q I little. plunger on the nose, connecting I with a percussion scap, their interior Il presents the same view as that of a
 large steamship. The officer is a lit it1e gyrospoce, stmpeIIed by compressed ar. 1nlS A4eIy 1O SSCC II N41A kA4S
 outside to travel straight forward, ol ], On curve, and, by timing device, tc lchange it's course after 2 certain dis,
 ltance. Uusal1y 1t is set to. trave straight beneath the ateR at a deptE of about feet. To insure Acpurac. 1.-the torpedo. without explosive charge must be.fired many times from a fixed ,j torpedo tube. It is finally inspected and passed. As it leaves the torpedo i. tube on its last journey, the trip re riIeases the compressed air which turn: , Tits turbine engine That in turn re
 wolves the propeller. The rudder
 speed and. depth of passage is ac tuated by the gyroscope. A torped, has been fired accurately at a distanc, : of five miles The most accuracy anC
 usual distance is between 50 yards ant : 1,OOO. Owing to the concussion on tn, ear-drums of those in a submarine tn greates distance compatible with ac curacy is sought
 As the p1unger on the torpedo strike : the vessel it explodes the charge al most directly agains the side of tn !. vessel The effect is almost instanta = lneous Unless the submarine is tl1rne 3 for a special season after firing tn t first shot, both will be discharged al g most instantaneously so that the hole e will be fore and aft in the target yes I lsel.