The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1881-11-19 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

NEW TORPEDO AND GUN.  The New York Correspondent of the Standard, writing on Tuesday night, says :  In the presence-of a distinguished company, a suecessful exhibition took place yesterday of a torpedo vessel of entirely novel design, the invention of the famous John Ericssen. When he was consulted by Louis Napoleon, in 1854, Ericssen submitted plans for a monitor and this torpedo; both were, however, rejected. The monitor, at Hampton Roads, revolutioniaed naval warfare; and similarly this torpedo promises to mark a new departure in submarine operations.  The torpedo boat is one hundred and thirty feet long, eleven feet deep, and twelve feet wide. The vital parts are wholly submerged. It is as strongly armoured as any vessel afloat; is of one thousand. horse power, and has realised a speed of over sixteen knots. Its novel hydraulic steering apparattis enables it to change its course instantly. It moves ahead and astern with equal speed and facility. Nothing afloat could dodge or escape it. Passing by many considerable but minor novelties about it, the gun challenges attention for its simplicity, novelty, boldness, and efficiency. It rests on the keelson, with the muzzle submerged six feet, and discharges the projectile directly into the water. Two chief difficulties had to be overcome—first, to prevent the inrush of water, which would sink the boat; second, to obviate the deflection of the projectile when passing suddenly from the air into the denser medium of water. These difficulties are overcome in the following manner :—First, two valves close the muzzle; one is permanent, and moved by machinery at will; the second is carried away by the projectile. An injury to the vessel is obviated by a valve of soft indiarubber, which advances with a second missile, so arranged as to seal the bore hermetically. The missile thus carries with it a volume of air into the water. By this plan a passage is accomplished from the air into the water through gradually increasing densities, and the result is merely a retarding of the passage of the missile without disturbing the accuracy of the aim.  Yesterday twelve pounds of giant powder formed the explosive charge, which in practice is intended to be 3401b5. of dynamite. A dummy torpedo was pr jected accurately a distance of 600 feet; it passeda target five feet under water, and pierced the netting designed to represent the customary torpedo guard. The French officers who were present declared before the expeihneists began that the operation of the gun was impossible, and the result amazed them. Altogether the murderous engine seems to deserve the name it bears, "Destroyer." The inventor says he has made 52 trials of it, and each was successful.  Another remarkable weapon deserves mention. A casting has just been made of a cannon designed to test upon a large scale an invention which, tried in a model, was perfectly successful. The invention is called the Lyman Haskell Accelerating Multicharge Gun. The bore is six inches, and the length of the gun twenty-five feet. Instead of the usual single charge, four charges are disposed in chambers at intervals along the bore. These are successively ignited as the shot passes along the barrel, with the result that its velocity is enormously increased. It is calculated that a ten-inch Haskell will be equal in destructive effect to an eighty-one ton sixteen-inch Armstrong.