A NEW TORPEDO SHIP.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 604, 26 May 1876, Page 4

A NEW TORPEDO SHIP.

{Times, March 11.) The launch of a vesael of novel character, but which will probably prove the first of many of her class, was successfully accom plished on March 9th, from the dockyard of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, at Black wall. This vessel is the Zieten,'which has been constructed for tho Imperial German Government from the designs of Mr Max Zarnack, of the Imperial German Navy. As the first vessel of ber claes, sbe may be considered experimental, her functions being for trial at sea of th 6 Whitehead or fish torpedo, the patent right of which weapon of war in an advanced state of improvement was purchased by the Imperial German Government in the early part of last year. The Zieten is a pretty looking ship, built of iron, unarmoured, and mea suring 226 ft in length, with a breadth of 28ft and a depth of 18ft 6in. Her burden is 872 38.94 tons builders' measurement, and her load draught is lift Bin. She will be fitted with twin screws driven by engines by Messrs John Penn and Sons, which are to indicate 2500 horse-power, and are calculated to impart to her a speed of over sixteen knots. The metal tubes from which the torpedoes are to be discharged are two in number, one being placed in the fore, and the other in the after part of the ves-el, both being in line with her keel, and about 6ft below the water-line. In order to avoid any projection which might interfere with the speed of the ship, the outlet of the forward tube is made about 16ft back in the forebody, and a triangular poition of the hull is hinged in the stem, and lifts into a watertight well provided for its reception. The outlet of the after-tube presents the appearance of an ordinary screw aperture. The torpedo is 19ft 6in in length, cigar shaped, and Ift Sin in diameter at its greatest circum'erence. It is fitted with a small propeller which is worked by compressed air contained in a reservoir within the body of the torpedo. The weapon is to be expelled from the tube at a speed of about twenty knots an hour by means of powerful air accumulators, and at a given signal. After expulsion, the torpedo, being provided with its own motive power, will maintain a speed of about twelve knots an hour for a distance of 600 yards. The depth of travel under water is regulated by means of self-contained mechanism, so that this silent and unobserved but deadly weapon will, it is expected, be directed to its mark with unerring certainty,

On March 6th, George Hazael, the cham pion ten-mile runner was to undertake to surpass Deerfoot's unrivalled time for that distance of 51min 26sec.

The estimates of the London Metropolitan Board of Works for the year show that the rateable value of the property within the jurisdiction of the board has increased from ■€11,283,000 in 1855, when a penny rate produced £47,000 to £23,276,0u0 in 1875, upon which a penny rate would produce £97,000. The debt of the board was £9,215,986, and the stock represented £8,011,000. Improvements are in progress involving an expenditure of £3,000,000.