The Washington times., 1915-05-10
4O.KNOT TORPEDO HIT
L|NERAT 1000 YARDS
United States Naval Officers at
Review Discuss Sinking Of
the Lusitania.

NEW YORK, May 10.-The German
torpedo or torpedoes that destroyed the
Lusitania were fired at a range of not
more than 200 yards. and the torpedoes
themselves probably Travelled at a speed
In excess Of forty knots. The submarine
or submarines from which the weapons
were discharged were submerged and
not more than fifteen feet. and they
had plenty of time to get the exact
range before the torpedoes were dis
charged. Furthermore, the torpedoes
| were OF the most modem and powerful
type, and Of the highest possible speed.
That Is the opinion Of many OF the
officers of the torpedo iotillas now in
the Hudson river. all Of whom have
closely followed the German submarine
against belligerent and neutral COM
merce was started by the Germans sew
eral months ago.
The extreme range Of a torpedo, 1t
was explained by these officers. is about
L. 900 yards; but the evidence to be had
Indicates that all the German submarine
work Is being done at short range. per
haps less than 1000 yards At the less
range the speed of the torpedo Is
greater and the aim correspOndingly
more accurate. At the 4.o0o-yard range
the speed of a modern torpedo should
be between q and 80 knots; at 5000 yards
about 80 knots. and at 1000 yards be-
tween 80 and 81 knots. At less ranges
the speed may vary from 30 to more
than 40 knots.
One Of the American officers stated
that in Charles W. Domville-Fife's book
entitled Submarine Engineering of To-
day" there Is a chapter on The Life OF
a Torpedo which describes in under
standable language and In a correct
way these terrible missiles.
Torpedoes ID to 10 feet Long.
"A first-class battleship takes the best
part Of three years to build and may
cost anything from flOOo oOO upward"
the author writes. This ponderous
ship Of war can be sent to the bottom
of the sea in but few minutes II struck
by a torpedo.
THE modern torpedo varies in length
from fourteen to nineteen feet. and
weighs up to half ton. 1t has an ex-
treme range of 1000 yards. The blunt
nose or war head" as 1t is called. is
the business end of the torpedo. and
contains the dry and wet guncotton and
the illuminate of mercury necessary for
the explosion. Behind the explosive
head is the air chamber to hold the
compressed air by which motive power
search chamber or brain of the
weapon. which contains most marvellous
mechanism for directing and controlling
the machine. Next comes the engine
room. and. at the tail of the torpedo,
the buoyancy chamber.
THE moment a torpedo Is used for
practice a new phase OF it's life begins.
Like a boy first going to school. a rec
ord Is started of its conduct. 1t has
already been given a distinctive num-
ber. and at the top or each record or
history sheet as they are more often
called. this will be entered Below is
entered the number of times 1t has been
fred and any eccentricities which have
been noticed during It's progress through
the water. 1t Is a curious fact that no
two torpedoes have ever been con-
structed exactly similar. Each one Is
always found to have some little peculi-
arities when travelling through the
water One will turn slightly to the
left, another to the right, or sink in
the water lower than is usual
Every one OF these little peculiarities
irdulgcd In by the torpedo is noted in
the history sheet and referred to before
tn" weapon Is again fired. BY this
means all the slight defects can he al
lowed for and much more accurate