THE LAST AMERICAN INTENTION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 328, 12 May 1877, Page 4

THE LAST AMERICAN INTENTION.

In the Scientific American is published some account of a terrible torpedo-rain, which has been built in secret, and which, it is believed, will effectually dispose of the question, armour versus gun. The Wellington Times condenses the descrip-_ tion as follows :—First, as to the vessel* and the mode of propelling her. The Alarm, as she is called, has a displacement of 700 tons, her length being 172 ft., her beam 27ft. 6in., and her draught lift. Of her length, 32ft. is snout or ram, so that between perpendiculars she is 140fr. only. She is double hulled, and built throughout of thoroughly-tested charcoal iron, save that her upper deck is of thick steel. She is not an armour-plated, vessel in the ordinary meaning of these words ; but within the outer shell she has tt.rpe longitudinals of great strength.- She is made as rigid and strong as is possible, and she is so sectionalised that is be-1 eved she will not be in danger of sinking unless she is thoroughly pierced by shot at several poin's. She has neither masts nor rudder. Her powerful compound engines are entirely below the water-line, and, itis supposed, can only be disabled in action by a shot clean through her deck, which, it is believed, cannot be struck with sufficient directness for even the heaviest, shot to penetrate the steel plates. She is propelled by " tre Fowler wheel, 1 ' a paddlewheel on a vertical axis, with the paddles or floats operateel on by a cam, so that the angle of each can be altered at pleasure. The Scientific American's illustration's, as the editor explains, represent all t.'.at is permitted to be made i nMicly known as to the construction of the Alarm, anel the illustrations do not show the point at T.b. eh the Fowler wheel is fixed, nor the mode of protecting it. But it is claimed that by means of a horizontal wheel in what is called "the wheel-house" the floats can be so set that the boat will go to port or starboard, ahead, or astern, or be sharply twisted round as if her sternpost were a pivot for that purpose. The cam operating on the floats is worked by a small steam-engine ; there is an incLx showing exactly how the iioats are placed at any moment; and the m • ii s are simplified by the omission of links to the valve gear—f.;r whatever the beat is required to do is u;,cler the cunfiol r.f the officer who is at the whef-1. anel there can never be a necessity for reversing the engines. A speed of 1j knots l.as bein ol - tained, despite the shortness of the Alarm ; and she is described as an " admirable sea boat, rising lightly and buoyantly to the largest waves." Now,, as to the Alarm's powers of offence. Right ahead she carries a 15in. gun; on her rail she has several "machine guns." which, it is said, can " keep up a deadly tire of thousands of bullets a minui-e;" and she Las ihie-i "livedo spars." One of these cm be j u died cut from the forward paifc of the snout ; the others are to be worked amidships, one from each side. T!;e~e " rpars'" an constantly in place, with tackle ready ; the lOOlbs. of powder in case, forming t!;s torpedo proper is always at hand ; wires from galvanic batteries are always laid through the tube, ready f« r eonnec i< n The spars are run out of holes fit el vi h a new patent valve,, which prevents the entrance of a elrop of water ; anil everything is fitted for their be'ng run out v.iih a downward direction, so viiat. though the boat draws only lift, of water, the torpedo will be exploded at least 13ft. under water, and, it is said, there is no irouclael that nas armour-plate at that depth. The spars or tubts are of iron ; their tackle is worked by steam ; the3 r can be protriided horizontally or with a consider.ible dip ; and while those at the side's are 18ft. lon- , the one at the snout lu;3 a leirjLh of 39fi.

The Alarm is. of course, to be esc.niially a " night bird," and she is simply to meet an enemy "sLem on." Those on board her will know no other mode of attack. This is the authoritative view of ■what is to be done witli lur. Creeping up to an enemy until near enough for a rush-, an electric light (the most powerful yet made) is unmasked. T»e Alarm, wi-'h her deck only Oft. above the water-line, is hidden in a great blotch of blinding light, which shows every spar and pi>bit <>f the enemy. Her 15in. shot or shell is hurled, and she goes ahead at fair speed. At the proper moment," the officer in charge in th« "wheel-house" touches a button, and ;h; snoui-sn.ir u run out. If the tn.-my is protected by tie strong rope-nettings known as torpedo guards, and the spar touches one of them, the fact is (by the touch) electrically signalled to the officer, and means are taken for firing the guards. Whenever the torpedo touches the boiio 11 of the enemy, that fact is signalled ; a-ul. upon the instant, another button in the " wheelhouse'' is pressed, and the torpedo is exploded, the electrical apparatus being such that failure is made all but impossible. If the recoil drives the Alarm directly astern, she is ready for -a rush under full steam to "raoi" her opponent. If she gets a side recoil, or swings because entangled, •ne of the amidship torpedoes is out, and there is a second disehaige as soon as contact takes place. And so on, though those ■who have brought the Alarm into existence bebeve that any ironclad afloat would be suuk by a single torpedo fairly a- j ploded, so that tnerc would rarely be a : necessity for after evolutions, except to get out of the way and leave to the f enemy a clear road downwaids ! It will have been noticed that the " wheel-house" £5 as delicately and scientifically lifted as the operating-room of a telegraph siation, and about as important, and that it must be very liable to injury, if not d- s»ruction. Of course those facts have u. t b jen overlooked; the " wiied-mniae" is completely duplicated between decks, so that its loss would mean no more than the loss of a direct look-out by the responsible officer.

I How far t ! e expectations of the deI signers of tLi3 evidently terrible httlj craft would be realised in actual warfare no one can saf i\y predict. But we think the nccjssar.ly incomplete description of her now given will satisfy moso people that our practical " American cousins," in devoting themselv s to th i devi 1 >pment .of a naval torpedo system, have done %iuch towards proving that the European competition of guns against armour plates has been altogether senseless, as well as frightfully expensive.