1871J 



War Science. 



57 



case is, as our readers very well know, by no means the first 

 instance of torpedoes proving of value, for in the Russian 

 war, our own vessels were sometimes considerably embar- 

 rassed by their presence in the Baltic, and, more recently 

 still, the Confederates employed them to good effect against 

 Federal shipping ; but certainly no such conclusive argu- 

 ment has yet been advanced in their favour as the circum- 

 stance of the perfect safety enjoyed by the Prussian Ports 

 in the North Sea, in the presence of the overwhelming naval 

 force of the French. As regards our own Government, 

 practical steps to elaborate a good system of defence has 

 only recently been taken, but thanks to the energetic labours 

 of the Woolwich and Chatham professional authorities, a 

 method of some ingenuity has at last been hit upon, which 

 bids fair to prove both efficient and reliable. It was decided 

 after many experimental trials that choice should be made 



Fig. io. 







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na££§l 



0. v\ 







An Ele&ric Torpedo. 



«. The fuse. b. The guard, c. The pivot con 

 taining insulated plate. 



of two elearic systems, one of which may be termed the 

 electric-closing and the other the elearic-breaking arrange- 

 ment. Of these two, the former, or Woolwich system, will 

 probably be selected, it being found by experience that the 

 arrangements for breaking the circuit and the employment 

 of a platinum wire fuse to effect ignition of the charge are 

 open to several objections of a praftical nature. The prin- 

 ciples of an elearic torpedo are easily explained; a large metal 

 case, somewhat in the form of an Italian oil jar, is rendered 

 buoyant enough to float in mid water, and moored at a 

 suitable distance below the surface, so as to come into contaa 

 VOL. VIII. (o.s.)— vol. i. (n.s.) i 



