TRIAL OF TOEPEDO BOATS AND TORPEDOS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7382, 17 July 1885, Page 5

TRIAL OF TOEPEDO BOATS AND TORPEDOS.

The announcement made iu yesterday's Hekald that a trial tiring of torpedoa was to bo made by the torpedo launch that morning had the effect of attracting to the Queen-street and Railway Wharves a largo number of Hchtseers, and at the time tixe.i for the experiment (eleven o'clock) there could not have been loss than about 1500 persons present. Tho Uuiou Company's ss. Arawata (lying on thu outride <>f the Queen street Wharf) and ithe elrp Crusader (lying in a like position at the Hailway Wharf) wt<ro crowded with spectators. About half-pas ,- eleven the torpedo Uunoh arrived off the Q.ieeu-streei; Wharf, having in tow the naval launch. After arriving the naval launch was seen to push oft' from the torpedo boat, and soon after the spar was thrust out frcai the bows of tbo latter vessel, having attached something iu appearance iike a h.U-box. Aftcsr the ppar had bten run out some SO feet from the vessel it suddenly dropped, aud the immersed end was then aliouc ten feet under water. A shrill whistle was then given, and almost at the same tim« the explosion took place, the water bein£ thrown up about 25 to SO ffet in the sir. The monier.t the whistle sounded tho launch uvnt away astern "full speed," aud by the time the explosion ensued she was some distance away, and out of danger. The explosive power of the charge was about UOlbs. powder, although only 301bs. o"f gelatine wae used. The next experiment made was from the Naval Brigade boat, which sank an extempore submarine mine. It consisted of an case cont.iinijg about SOl'os. gelatine, and was sunk abouv. 12 feet below the surface of tho water. Above the mine was fixed a cask, and all iu readiness the mine was tired by electricity, and the explosion at once took place, ;be volume of water that was thrown up I'sing much greater than that caused by the first trial. The cask was —it ie almost ueedli ss to say— entirely demolished. Taken together the experiments were of a highly satisfactory nature. It is worthy of not* that the mines used yesterday were but a tenth of the force that would be uaod iu actual warfare. The power of the explosive may be judgod from the fact that the concussions yesterday wera perceptible on the vessels at the Queen-street Wharf and Railway Wharf, whi.stevea on the cliffs at Paruell the shock of the submarine mine was felt. Yesterday's experiments were carried out by Mr. W. L. Lodder, under the supervision of Lieutenant Archer. Colonel Lyons, Major Shepherd, and otJer gentlemen were also on board.