AERIAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 405, 14 January 1909, Page 5

AERIAL.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MEETS. I AIR TORPEDO. - . KRTJPPS DEVELOP A REMARKABLE' INVENTION. (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COrTUIGHT;) London] January 12.' A threo days' ■ aeronautic conference- has commenced at tho Ritz Hotel, London.; ■ Forty delegates from different countries aro present. REGULATIONS NEEDED. ' (Rec. January 13, 10.90. p.m.), ;J ■./.'. Londdn, January 13. The Aeronautical Conference decided to found prizes, totalling £48,000. .in yplue,"'for aviation competitions. : . -' The conference also appointed a .committee to discuss with the various, Governments'/the regulation of 'traffic in aerial' navigation. Berlin, January 12. At Krupps' works at Essen there vis being, constructed an aerial-torpedo;- ■;•/', FOR WAR OR PEACE. CLAIMS OP THE UNGE AIR .TORPEDO/ ■ .The.aerial torpedo is the,.inveritipn .of,Lieut. ; Col. W. T. Tinge, of the Swedish Artillery, and formerly first assistant,;t9>;Jlf\. Alfr'e(l Stockholm. Messrs. Krupp,- qf/'Esseiis are re~ ported to: have paid " a -v.ery/ large' suiu. for t&'e' patent.: rights, - arid .it';is.s,aid : 'tliat ; the'Swede' made one reservation in* his sale, to the German firm,-namely: -that shall have the right: to : -make full- iise ; of v the invention iii every form.. r .tieut; : air. torpedo is claimedtto iristruiheht of peabe as well as an engine of>,}var,. for it adapted to the : purp'o I se^ l 'of l -life-saviiig--at| seatNot Wanted by British War Office.- :• As to its. warlike.' properties,': British'' and German. experts -are"'"- evidently: : divided.,■ InJuly'last Mr. Gustaf Eoosi Lient.-Col.-Tinge's English representative, ' placed .it. before /.the. British War Office. Mr. Epos, declared: ■ : " "It will destroy a fbftificiitioli yrSthblbiggestt battleship afloat.,.;-Its -is. about, the, same as that of ;:aifto.iyitzei\'..and it. is there'-'! fore most suitable 'for;,''throwing insideyforts 'and 'on to -the' decks of battleships.- . It- is directed by a turbine with remarkable aepurac'y." \ - V' ' -The War. Office 'asked Mr. Unge to arrange a test before the Director of Artillery and other officers at Shoeburyness. ; ■< Thar.test, cost Mr. Unge iESOO. Later, he received _a type-written letter, from the 'Wart-Qffice ; .6^ti^tl^s7C ( 'Kr; "The authorities thanked him for bringing it to their noticethat,,i^.:had.,done. ■ whatv.was, claimed for it; but it'tfas not'/propbse'd'topu'r-: sue the matter further.".: : ~.. ■ The authorities also stated' tliiit their; experts, were of opinion that-.the invention would, •be' of special advantage in warf&re.''' ! r -'--. v '■■■'•* , The chief criticism which 'been:':!(uri6f-:' fioially) directed at the air, .torpedo, is, that, it', pan' only . approach it's" target at a moderate' speed, while it. is thought pdSsible-that -weapons can.be,devised.to .destroy its.effibitooSv.,^' Highly Valued in Germany. ' German experts appear to havV arrived v at~¥ quite different concfjigiosi. ~ The, air torpedo, (says a Berlin: message* in « London journal),* which: is one of the- deidUest -inftrum'oSts -ofdestruction 'yet' invented, will be fhortly introduced into : the German army and u- vy, which will; thereby possess a.moro.effectire. equipment, thaii (my other; army and navyjn tho world, with the single' exeeption" of "Sweden'.' "Lieut.-'' Colonel, Unge's. torpedo can-be fired without pro-duoing-any recoil, hence' the. torpedo - tube is light, and easy to. move ,[juickly.'frora/Tlace.to'/ place. The air . torpedo tube is. coriveyed. on a-motor-par, and can ba.speedily umnattated and:, fired without any'clabo.rate more rapidly th^iM^rtfflei r y*can' ; lH;'fifouglit into position' for "firing;'' - s ''. -1 ' -'(HJ The air torpedp 'enjf -baf Us^ -.in,^,every : kind of. warfare. .In thcf'ljonluMdmentlb'f fortresses the new weapon- will exercise ' a . destructive effect oh'the. most formidable works of defenceIn field operations the: torpedocan .be Jhurled' against bodies of troops as/welH'as-'against troops iu covered positions..,ln' view »of the fact . that the torpedo pan :be .: fired without''the least noise' it will ; b'es difficult for ■ the'enemy to locate the position oi tho torpedo battery:, by- which it is being' attacked. In -coast defence, Jiir torpedo: could be firedin suoli a way.; as to drop on' the decks of' hostile battleships! . •/. - ..., . , . 'Lieut-.-Colonel .Unge has. invehte'd '.ahr.'air' torpedo of greater . calibre for-use in" naVal'warfaro, so'.that hencefortfc'warships. will-be liable' to be torpedoed from above' as well as beneath the water line. A ;smaller air- torpedo is. to be v constructed 'for : use in mountain warfare, where . it; could bo employed, .in. terrains quite inaccessible to mountain artillery of the present type. Military, experts declare that the. air torpedo is a truly epoch-making .invention,'' which: adds one more:,horror to modern warfare." . j: , For Marino Life-Saving. . Experiments, with the air torpedo for purposes of marine -life-saving were carried oh off the', mouth ;of the Mersey iii-July Gy .the -Liver-' ! pool Salvage: Association's steamer',Li;inet; v 'The : -Daily Mail," describing the apparatus, sSys;'— "It consists of a steel shell, brak-Vtipped,''of the ordinary projectile shape,, and packed/inside with oompressed black gunpowder, which. supplies the motive' power.;Vlts ' weight is; about 231b. - ! ;■ " - ■:■ ■ ■ ■ • "The powder is.fired by ail electric fusej the gases generated rush'' out; at- thb tbow ! through a small fixed turbine, so tha'tfin' addition to .its. forward motioiv: the' torpedo 'is given"! a heavy rotation, which -keeps -it -on ai steadycourse in the teeth of the strongest wind.-, The rope to be carried ashore' is attached" to a circular collar which the torpedo takes' up as soon as it starts'moving. Practioally . it is'an'improved steel rocket,,but more complex and'infiuitely more powerful. / ~ . "It rushed-up into the'air'as .thoughithro'wn from a battleship gun; :lind/:;.trailing a'- c'omefiftail of smoke and sparks, struck-the sea some hundred yards; distant. ...At . the first- two - trials - the ropo broke,; but steel wire having been ■threaded, into the\first r few ; fee't : 'bfath'e rope,-tho third-: and fourth trials.' were successful, at the last attempt ; the-, rope.'being, carried' 400 yards. The" total cost of the outfit with two .torpedoes will be about .320.-'':' ' .'- . ■ i. " Other appliances ■ werb i a 'kite' and i'Vgoldbeater's skin balloon.'for carrying :.lines an anchor-throwing cannonj and. a. new Toeket' : !i'n paratus." ' r :