¬ Their history and development from the primi- 3

I tive device created by David Bushnell to the

terrible engines of destruction controlled by i electricity and sent into battle by means of mechanism so marvelous in its u 1 ingenuity that the navies of the j I world are powerless against it J bank and by its light I discovered the unfortunate fact that there was a circle of logs around the Albemarle boomed well out from her side with the very In- ¬ tention of preventing the action of tor- pedoes I ran alongside until amidships re- ¬ ceived the enemys fire sheered oil and as I turned the whole back of my coat was torn out by buckshot and the soles of my shoes shot away In another Instant we had struck the logs and were over with headway nearly gone slowly forging up under 5 K the enemys quarter port Ten feet = gun looked into 7 Zi5on 4t W from us the muzzle of a hO our faces- prophesied Just such disaster as the r suffered I stood In the bow the heel jigger in Russians have at the hands of my right the exploding line = Japanese boats By SIR J X HOPKINS hand and Strange as may seem I I in the left We were near enough then r it there has never before been a practical demon- British Admiral and I ordered the boom lowered until the A forward mptlon of the boat carried the stration of the destructivepowers of the ¬ Vi O Modern With the excep- < > torpedo under the rams overhang destruction HAVE no opinion of The explosion took place at the same tion of the of three Chinese cruisers that were not the time able I boats for sea work with a <> instant that 100 pounds of grape at ton at to resist the attack the torpedo boat <> squadron <> feet range crashed into our midst and- 1 seagoing but for de eti borer has never before been used for the pur ¬ > < > a dense mass of water thrown out by Jem ed M < Pensive itl M AC2 pose which work of ports etc their came J for is was built the torpedo down with choktear torpedo The latest type of boat is the X power for mischief cannot be ig- > weight rf l P 7 submarine and England are the R7n4 1 All Captain bushings crew were s3 pioneers in this line all other nations < nored drowned or captured but himself following shot sult In my opinion the Britisa Ad- < He managed by swimming all nfghtand By The submarine torpedo boat runs on ADMIRAL COLOMB miralty is doing the right thing skulking In the swamps all day to get I t5 the surface until within a mile or two st back to the Union fleet Royal British Navy 3 of the enemy then becomes partially in building as in The Albemarle had a hole blown In her habituating our men and officers that a carriage could be driven through increased propulsive and sank immediately THE v charging a projectile So long as its to them we shall more clearly Without doubt this Is one of the most of coal has by completelysmokestack can be allowed to stick out realize their weaknesses when V torpedo attacks as well as of the water the boat is propelled by successful against one of the most daring exploits on rec ¬ adding to the speed of the tor- e y gasoline engines used us V ord Speaking of this exploit John R s When she dives the screws are driven Even the weapon they carry Soley says ¬ by storage batteries and an electric pedo boat greatly strength- SS the Whitehead torpedo The naval history of the world aff- 4 motor Even on the surface these boats is to all ¬ run slowly none yet built making more Q- ords no other example of such mar ened the threat of that ¬ intents and purposes of unknown professional skill as in than ten or eleven knots or traveling velous coolness and t value for sea fighting <> the ¬ faster than six or eight when fully im ¬ that shown by CushInG In destruc strument of war against the y tion of the Albemarlc i mersed They are also much smaller in 1878 s than the average destroyer The spar torpedo culminated battleship and may not im- ¬ Boats of when the Yarrows built a spar torpedo this kind are provided with additional by booms and intercepts the torpedo be¬ boat for the British navy that could possibly destroy that type mechanism to maintain a level course fore It strikes the ship make 17 knots an hour This destruc ¬ under the surface to take In and eject If the battleship Is under way the tive craft was the talk of the day water rapidly and for making observa- ¬ searchlight Is brought into play Every Whitehead tions when the hull is of ship carries at least four powerful In the meantime Robert sight searchlights who was acting us manager of an iron- works at Ttumer a seaport of i up matter of the fIsh shaped n took the C t torpedo In collaboration with an Aus- < trian artillery officer who has since V died x In 1870 Mr Whitehead made an ex ¬ Ubh1l2llne hibition of the torpedo before the Brit ¬ ish Admiralty blowing up an old hulk lit at the mouth of the River Medway 1t The officers were so Impressed with the orfe- value of the invention that they gave r p LVtlUi- him SS000 for the secret of It Since l a number of other nations that time years ago was only 600 yards paid liberally for the same secret today I it is more than 1000 Turkey gave the invention to the While the Whitehead torpedo was in world however During the Russ a state of development and before it vessel fired Turkish war a Russian a had reached Its present state of perfec- ¬ Whitehead at a Turkish vessel It tion It had many competitors The most missed Its mark and floated ashore promising of these was the SimsEdi where it was found j Lieut Sleemon of the Ottoman Navy sonMr Sims torpedo wrote claimed for his an LHLw7U examined the machine and a effective range of two miles speed Lake pli book on it which was a of ffff n4 uhmVrtte Crurs most exhaustive twenty ¬ + 1tot ot t + + 11001 + every language knots instant control in start nH + ti ++ HH +++ 11 t t 11 + I 1111 I I I I 111 t I 1 t translated into ing stopping exploding and steering rH4tl tIt Whitehead torpedo consists main ¬ N efficient vessel of this type is thoroughly saworthy and capable of long The power to dive and ability to carry 500 carrying sufficient fuel to make 1 outer shell which is from i ly of a steel pounds of explosive M voyages Its radius of action is 4000 knots would develop a speed fourteen to sixteen Inches In diameter It of from fifteen to eighteen knots All this was accomplished by 1 on In the center and thence it ta ¬ means an hour the surface twelve knots semisubmerged and seven knots entirely under water J of electrical control through a wire pers to point at each end The length- 1 1 can a which was coiled in torpedo It travel fifty miles on the bottom on one charge of batteries and carry a sufficient air supply to Is either fourteen feet or nineteen feet the and i lay behind the torpedo as a cable as it + stay submerged fprtyeight hours without surface connection T It is propelled by means of two screws progressed through the water by small engine- By automatic meansany desired depth can be maintained yet the which are actuated a With the advent of wireless electrical t boat is prevented from going beyond a t as in an ordinary steamboat In place depth By of communication as perfected by Mar ¬ safe means a trap in the bottom divers can readily enter and leave the vessel while sub- however of the boiler and furnace coni a number of Inventors immediately i merged which course would be impossible In 4 of went to work to perfect a wireless tor¬ ¬ i o + such position Is a strong reser- tf 3H H a there pedo Lewis Nixon the celebrated tt 445W3I1+ + + voir made of Vhltworth fluid pressed naval and Nicola have pumped architect Tesla The early types of torpedo boats dis ¬ torpedo may be painted stool Into this air is until It completed one While Is For this last purpose an optical in ¬ The boat 1000 it not placed from ten to twentyfive tons some green has reached a pressure of about ready for public gaze both Mr Nixon strument of peculiar construction Is neutral color like olive or pounds to the square Inch although in The Illfated battleship Maine carried very top gray but a vigilant watcher can pick and Mr Tesla vouch for the fact that two mounted at the of a tube which the most recent torpedoes the pressure of them as originally designed The stands up like tiny them up with a good searchlight at half- It will do the absolute bidding of the size developed rapidly however a smokestack and has been increased by 200 pounds addi ¬ and In which mirrors or prisms a mile It is only necessary then to operator 250 to 350 tons is transmit tional bringing It to 1200 pounds to the today not unusual the picture to an observer inside the train a machine gun on the torpedo square inch The Torpedo Boat As the size of the boats Increased so boat The method of discharging a tor- boat to sink it instantly- In the front part of the weapon Is While the torpedo Itself has advanced did their speed From 30 to 32 knots Is pedo is the same with a submarine as A single machine gun of the Maxim Is expected of thoroughly placed the explosive charge By mak ¬ tremendously It the development or the uptodate with a battleship Nordenfeldt type discharges more than torpedo torpedo boat ing the bows bluffer which however has the boat that has played the Suspicion has been expressed by ex-¬ one hundred shots a minute any one of not detracted from the speed more most important part In torpedo war- ¬ So dangerous have torpedo boats be ¬ perts that the damage done at Port which hitting the torpedo boat would storage room has been found for the fare come that experts predict that In the Arthur could have been done by no be more than apt to put her out of com-¬ charge which now consists of 200 pounds- From Cushings open launch to the future the battleship can only be used other agency than submarines There- mission of damp gun cotton The original submarine boat of the Holland or Lake for siege purposes or for the bombard is hardly sufficient data as yet to deter ¬ Naval experts have had lengthy dis¬ Whitehead torpedo carried only 33 type is a far cry ment of fortifications after all torpedo mine this cussions as to the advisability of put ¬ pounds of sun cotton t 7 The original function of the torpedo and submarine boats are disposed of Against torpedo attacks battleships ting armor on torpedo boats It Is hard-¬ The range of these torpedoes a few o 5aMrot1I- boat was coast defense It was hardly Thus the battleship will be In the rear have several means of defense ly likely that this will be done as speed E thought they would ever be used out¬ line of defense In the future instead of If the battleship is lying stationary a Is the greatest defense the torpedo boat irele55 to- side of harbors They were meant the front large net of tarred tope is hung around has and weight would of necessity In¬ r t Invaders not for aggression Naval experts have long feared ship Is ya Torpedo model and the It field out from her sides terfere with speed I

The Ilrrtle Tpedo Doar pupour topyyrQfiTe I Slates b HJItrjlj y 1 t