El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-01


They will be in effect submersible
'destroyers." each of them 265 feet
long. with a displacement of 1000 tons
They will be equipped with ten torpedo
tubes. four OF which are to be mounted
on deck and so arranged as to turn
on pivOts Ordinarily the torpedo tubes
OF submarines are fixed. so that the
boat must adjust her own position
suitably in order in aim them But
the deck tubes above described viii be
pedOes instead of common projecules.
Hatchways. with suitable hosting ma
chinery. Will be provided for lifting
the torpedoes from below
The earlier submarines Of our own
and other navies were small craft
mere midgets compared with the Ger
man C-boats of today. the biggest Of
which are about 200 feet long. But yes
sells Of this type are getting steadily
larger and larger. and the idea Of
submersible battleship is already gain
ing acceptance as a possibility of the
not-distant future. Such a ship might
be formidably armed. her big rifles be-
ing Withdrawn into I hull after the
manner Of disappearing guns when
she was ready TO sink beneath the sur
face. Provided with internal-cOm
bustion engines automobile engines OF
huge size. in effect), she would have
no smokestacks. The gun-ports
would be automatically closed by the
same mechanism that withdrew the
guns inboard: and the making Of
ings watertight would involve no
special difficulty.
Hammond Solves Problem
Speaking of tOrpedoes. there seems to
be no question OF the fact that young
Hammond (sOn OF John Hayes Ham
mond) has solved the problem of con-
{ trolling and directing them from shore
by wrieless-the contrivance enabling
the operator. by merely pushing a
! couple OF buttons alternately. to steer
the steel fish as far as it can be see n
( with telescope. and so to attack an
/ enemy warship at distance of many
miles This novel and important in
vention. so valus BE for the defence Of
our harbors has been formally accepted
FOR use by the navy department
Invisible ship Newest Idea.
The very newest idea. where mari
time warfare Is concerned is the in
! visible shin. The Navy Department
is even now experimenting with it.
I though the results obtained are as yet
/ kept secret tt is said TO have been
( found that a -destrOTer=the special
enemy and most dreaded foe of the
submarine-can be made almost in
I visible at no great distance by paint-
1 ing her in alternate stripes of the
primary cOlors Of the rainbow which.
| 10 the eye some miles away. combine
I to produce the effect of no color at all
I The same idea. BY the way is being
( applied TO render viewless the peris-
/ cones OF submarines boats.
| The British are now developing ?
I new tyne of fighting craft in which
! everything is sUbordinated to speed. II
/ is expressly designed for running down
| submarines The latter are slow the
/ best Of them being able to do hardly
( more than 20 knots when cruising on
l the surface They get in their dead
| Is work on fast steamships bv living in
I wait on the course the merchant yes
sci is expected TO pursue. II is stated
| that the Baltic was saved from de-
I struction the other day by n British
1 warshiD OF this type-a much-ma gni-
/ fled motor-boat carrying 4-inch guns
which arrived on the scene at speed Of
! forty-eight miles an hour The sub
( marine requiring the usual two min
I utes or so 10 get under wa1er) was
I sunk before she could submerge
II is worth mentioning incidentally
I that the tOrpedOes used by our newly
I planned super-Submarines will be p
/ inches in diameter-three inches larger
! than those now commonly in use This
7 means that they will carry in their
/ war-heads charges OF high explosive
j propOrtiouatelv greater.
! An eight-inch torpedo costs $4,000 and
I weighs 1900 pounds. The matter OF
I weight is the only apparent difficulty
! in the way Of adopting the new in
! ventiOn OF admiral Bradley \ FisSe.
/ L s y. who PROPOSES to discharge
torpedoes from airplanes. the projeetile
! being carried beneath the flying ma
| chine and dropped into the seq at the
! proper moment The steel fish IL
/ should be understood. does not have TO
/ be fired: il carries its own propulsive
mechanism. and steers itself. It NAV be
I that torpedoes OF smaller size viii be
| employed in this way; or else airplanes
I may be made large enough to carry big
! ones
single shot should Suffice.
Gsthmann thinks our great guns.
Z whether afloat or on land. should be of
1 such caliber, and their pFojectiles OF
/ such destructive power. that a single
! shot striking the target would sink
the biggest battleship. In order that
this may be accomplished. he urges
! that the great rifles carried By our
/ dreadnaughts should be Of not less
| than 1S-inch caliber (the same remark
| applying TO coast defence guns). and
that the shells should contain 100
pounds OF high explosive.
J Meanwhile Edison has produced a
| nickel battery which. taking the place
! Of the lead batteries hitherto in use
for submarines. will do away with the
! dangerous mischief Of chlorine gas on
! board Of such craft. Incidentally II
will render impossible explosions OF
hydrogen such as that which IS be
lieved to have destroyed the F-4 in the
harbor OF Honolulu.
War OF New Inventions
The present conflict is indeed a war
I OF new inventions Trenches are old.
but the underground Notifications now
passing by that name. with their
] elaborate systems Of defensive murder
] traps, are absolutely novel The ar
I mored trains Of recent type are travel
( ing forts on wheels. Huge siege guns
| are carried from place TO place on
powerful mOtor-trucks. The Germans,
in some of their regiments. are said
! to have a machine gun for every two
! men. one Of whom supports the weapon
/ an his back while the other fires II
Nets. it is alleged. are stretched clear
across the English channel to capture
! submarines Men employed as swim
ming scouts at the Dardanelles are
| painted khaki-color. for conceslmenL
Horses are dyed Of the same hue.
Under ordinary peace conditions 4
Few clever men. one here and another
there, develop new ideas from time "a
time for war purposes In this time