A WONDERFUL TORPEDO.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2685, 3 November 1876, Page 3

A WONDERFUL TORPEDO.

• The Amorioan correspondent of tho Sydnoy Morning Herald writes :— Tho exporiment with a torpedo was witnessed by a number of Congressmen, and was a wonderful ouocoss. As soon as tho signal to start was givon through tho propor knob, the torpedo rushed through tho watorat eightknot gait, hor blaok baok just visiblo above tho wator. Sho was obodiont to tho slightest touoh, backing and thon going ahoad ond running a oloso shave round a buoy with marvollous dolioaoy. After sho had beon thus navigatod all round tho harbour, Bbe was headed with full stoam, at a 12 or 14 knot gait, for an old raft, loaded with barrels, and as soon as sho had fairly boltod into it, Cap* tain Lay touohod tho exploding knob, and in an instant thore waa a torrifio explosion, and tho air was filled with ton thousand fragments of tho wrook. Tho most ourious part of the soene was tho unoonoorncd mannor in whioh tho littlo monstor emorgod from amid the destruction she had wrought, absolutoly unharmed, and Btill obodiont to control. Tho revolution whioh will bo effeotod by this wondorful torpedo will oertainly mark a new era in naval warfnre. It will create greator Changes by far than John Ericsson's ironolads and monitors, and will enablo lands suoh at Australia and Amorica, with lines of ooait and a comparatively sparse population, to dofond themselves from invasion at a reasonably slight expense. Captain Lay says he oould sinfca vessel like tho English ironolad Temeraire, Whioh oost a million sterling, in twenty minutes. It has beon suggested that tho ironolad could protect herself with. ohain , nettings hold out on long spars. But, if necessary, half a dozen torpedoes oould be sent out, eaoh in another's wake* and t)_iey would soon reaoh the main objective point of attaok. The oost of theso marvellous little devil-fishes is about 20,000 dollars eaoh. It maj be noted,

by tho way, too, that a vessel steered in tbis way con be made very useful in saving life by oarrying life lines to vessels in distress. The torpedo oan be steered from tbe shore with unfailing precision through the very heaviest surf.