l98 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[June, 



cisely beraase Mr. Warner's alleged projectile force is, as he says, a hun- 

 dred times greater than that of gunpowder, that it would he met by a 

 resisting force greater in an increased ratio, by which the projectile woulil 

 be opposed, controlled, and reduced to moderate velocities and limited 

 ranges. We possess in gunpowder greater force than we require. We reject 

 the random use of it to gain accuracy. The power by which one of the 

 clilTs of Albion was recently blown into the sea, and the Koyal George out 

 of it, is more than adequate to any, that war requires, or can be used vvith 



advantage in projectiles The greatest range that ever jet has been 



attained was by the mortar or howitzer, the trophy that now stands in St. 

 James's Park, which threw a shell filled with lead about three miles into 

 Cadiz, but with such random elTect, as to do little or no harm. 



" By using the denser metal, lead, that range was procured, and the mo- 

 mentum of the shell, so filled, augmented. A British 13-inch shell filled 

 with lead discharged (mm a raortar with the full charge, may he projected 

 about as far as the Cadiz mortar threw its shell. I do not say that greater 



ranges may not be attained No great increase, even of random range 



could be obtained, by increasing the magnitude of the gun to almost any 



iize. And even then it would be a random range My life has been 



devoted in a great degree to matters of this kind, and I assert, that it is 

 physically impracticable to procure a range of six miles by any projectile 

 force. Mr. Warner first asserted, that his long range was not a projectile, 

 he has since asserted that it is. But it may he a balloon, or a kite : if so it 

 is old, and nothing worth. (It was proposed during the threat of invasion 

 in the late war, to endeavour to destroy the Boulogne flotilla by such agents, 

 but this was laughed at. It is well known that Sir W. Congreve proposed 

 to destroy towns and forts by the aid of kites. They were to be made of 

 canvas, and of a very large size, so as to be aide to carry very great weights. 

 When the kite had reached its place of destination, and stood over the de- 

 voted fort, camp, or ship, the shell was to be dropped into the midst of the 

 place or vessel.) It may be a compound of projection and propulsion. This 

 were still njure ridiculous. 



" I du not deny that Mr. Warner may have bit upon some explosive com- 

 pound more potent than gunpowder, and some improved mode of causing it 

 to explode, either by mcL-hanical or chemical action, \mt as to the modus 

 operandi, so far from there being anything new in Mr. Warner's process, I 

 hold in my hand a work published at Paris five and twenty years ago, — 

 ' .Memoire sur les Mines Flottantes et les Petards Flottans, ou Machines In- 

 fernales Maritimes; par Montgery, Ofticier de Marine,'— containing a history 

 of many dirferent modes of blowing up ships by marine fougasses from very 

 early times. This work has for its frontispiece, the destruction of a vessel 



' Uemolre sur les Klines Floltantes el les Petarfis Flottans, ou Atactilnes Infernales 

 Maritimes; par Moutg«ry, Officier de tylarine.* 



by an invisible shell loaded with gunpowder, which did its work more effec- 

 tually than in the case of the John o' Gaunt. Mr. Montgery details in this 

 woik, diflferent processes for blockading vessels in bays or harbours, by lay- 

 ing down 'torpilles a ligne d'accoupiement,' across their entrances, thesi- 

 ttirpilles being made invisiitle by being retained below the surface 

 sea by anchors, and connected with each other by lines, so that ui 



of tliC 

 vesbel 



could pass, without coming in contact, either with a torpille, or with the 

 line connecting one vvith another, causing both to collapse, strike the vessel, 

 and explode. Mr. Montgery likewise details the process by which a vessel 

 in chase of another may be destroyed by the use of two torpilles, connected 

 to each other by a line, — * Vessels of all sizes, but above all steam-boats, 

 may make use of these torpilles connected wtth each other by lines. A 

 vessel may even sink another by torpilles connected with each other by lines. 

 Vessels or boats chased by superior forces, may deliver themselves from their 

 enemies, by throwing into the sea one or more of these mines fluttantrt 

 connected with each other. The operation of shutting up an enemy's port, 

 ought to be executed at night, otherwise the enemy having knowledge of it. 

 would easily frustrate the attempt.' 



" It were easy to adduce from Mr. Montgery's work, and many others, 

 abundant proofs that there is nothing new in the proposition for submarine 



mines, as suggested by Mr. Warner We find the following in Pepy « 



Diary: — 



"' In the afternoon come the German de Knuffler to discourse with us 

 about his engine to blow up ships. We doubted not the matter of fact, it 

 being tried in Cromwell's time, but the safety of carrying them in ships. 

 But he do tell us, that when he comes to tell the king ins secret, for none 

 but the kings successively, and their heirs' (to this .Mr. Warner adds prime 

 ministers) ' must know it, it will appear to be of no danger at all. We con- 

 cluded nothing ; but shall discourse with the Duke of York to-morrow 

 about it.' 



" To these I may add an infinity of names mentioned .by Monsieur Mont- 

 gery from the earliest times. And in our own refer to Bushiiel, 1787 ; Tor- 

 pedo war and submarine explosions, by Rnbert Fulton, Fellow of the Ame- 

 rican Philosophical Society, and of the United States Military and Philoso- 

 phical Society, New York, 1810 ; De la machine infernale maritime, ou de la 

 taclique-ofl'ensive et defensive de la torpille, etc. par M. E. Nunez de Ta- 

 boada, etc. Paris, 1812 ; Colt, see New York Weekly Sun ; Monsieur Jobart, 

 of Brussels, &c. &c." 



IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTAL TRIP. 



On Thursday, May 13th, there was a grand day with the steam navy at 

 Woolwich, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having orderetl an 

 experimental trip with all the steam-vessels at that station winch were in a 

 state of suflicieut forwardness for the purpose. The vessels originally ap- 

 pointed to compose the squadron were, the Amphion, 30 guns (300 horse- 

 power) ; Sharpshooier (iron screw st.) ; Rifleman (wooden screw st.) ; 

 iMinx (iron screw St.) ; Teazer (wooden screw st.) ; Growler (st. sloop); 

 Kite (st. V.) ; and Princess Alice (iiou st. packet). Owing to the arrange- 

 ments being incomplete, the Sharpshooter aud Rifleman did not join the 

 squadron. Between nine and ten o'clock the Lords Commissioners arrived. 

 At ten minutes past eleven the signal was given from the lilack Eagle to 

 loose from moorings, and in about ten minutes the fleet started from Wool- 

 wich in the following order: Teazer (screw) leading the way, followed by 

 the Amphion, Monkey, Black Eagle, and Kite, and in this order they pro- 

 ceeded down WooKvich Reach, and up the galleons. The Amphion was, 

 of course, the principal object of interest, and upon testing her speed, it 

 was found that with the engines making 45 revolutions, and wiih her jib 

 set, her rate of speed through the water was 6-8 knots. The Teazer proved 

 to be the slowest boat of the fleet. In Halfway Reach the Black Eagle 

 put on her full speed, and soon came up to the Amphion, aud then reducing 

 her engines to lialt speed, she kept within hail of the Amphion during the 

 remainder of the cruise. Their lordships, who took their station on the 

 paddle-box of the Black Eagle, with Sir J. J. Gordon Bremer, paid espe- 

 cial attention to the Ampliiou, aud signalled to hoist the spanker sail, the 

 wind then blowing stifl'lrom tlie south-cast. The log was again thrown over- 

 hoard, and the speed with the engines at forty-seven revolutions proved 

 to be 78 knots. When the squadron reached Eritb, the Minx, which is 

 a taster boat than either the Amphion or Teazer, soon headed the fleet, 

 the Amphion holding on her way, with the Kite on her larboard, and the 

 Black Eagle on her starboard, quarter; the Teazer a considerable distance 

 asleru, and the Growler (which hud been detained at Woolwich) just 

 bearing in sight. The squadron passed Erith at a quarter-past twelve, 

 and a signal was then hoisted from the Admiralty yacht (Black Eagle) to 

 put on more sail ; an order which could not then be complied with, as the 

 wind was unfavourable. lu Long Reach, the speed of the Amphi>n was 

 tried at the measured mile, which was done iu 8 luin. 52 sees., the tide 

 having just ebbed ; this gives a rate of speed equal to 6'760 knots, or about 

 8 miles, with the engines making 441 revolutions. As the squadron neared 

 Greenhithe, their lordships boarded the Amphion, and ordered all sail to 

 be set. The spanker, jibs, and topsails were then set, and this vessel, 

 under the conjoint influences of wind and steam, careered rapidly on her 

 way. The Growler, which had continued her course at full speed, here 

 overhauled the fleet, and passing the Amphion to port, took up her statioQ 

 as the leading steamer on the starboard side. The squadron stood on 

 through Sea Reach, where the full operation of both wiud and tide was 

 felt; and here the log gave a speed of 10 knots. Having reached the 

 estuary of the Thames, their lordships signified llieir wish to return, and 

 the Amphion was brought round with great celerity, and they embarkid 

 at once on board the Black Eagle, it may be as well lu stale that this is 



