V. AUTOMOBILE, OIL Visa TORPEDOES Whitehead Automobile Torpedo consists of a. cigar-shaped envelope of steel or phosphor bronze, containing six compartments for its pro pelling, directing, and exploding mechanism. Its motive power is compressed air ; rt is propelled by two two-bladed screws, revolving in opposite directions about the same axis, in order to neutralize their individual tendencies to produce lateral deviation ; and it is main tained at a constant depth by horizontal rudders, and on a straight course by vertical vanes set at an angle predetermined by experiment. The forward compartment contain:; the explosive cartridge and the tiring arrangements. The cartridge is made of disks of wet gun cotton, contained in a metallic case, shaped to fit the chamber, and held in place by a reit buffer, The cartridge primer is made of dry gun cotton, and is inserted in the hole in the center of the disks. The detonating primer contains fniminate of mercury, protected from moisture by gundae. The firing arrangement is made up of a small propeller, working in a sleeve, in rear of which is the tiring pin, held in place by a lead safety-pin. The arrange ment is such that when the firing gear is taken from the torpedo, the cartridge primer goes with it, reedering the torpedo inoffensive.
The immersion regulators are contained in the "secret, chamber," and their office is to control the horizontal rudder alter launching, so as to bring the torpedo to a predetermined immersion, and keep it there during its flight. The pressure of water dile to depth below the surface acts against a piston, the motions of which are communicated to the rudders, so that, when the torpedo is below its plane of immersion, the increased pressure will elevate the rudders, and when it is above, the decreased pressure will depress them. When the torpedo is in its plane of immersion the piston is kept in mid-position by an juri the pressure of the water and the tension of three steel springs. A pendulum works in connection with the above apparatus, so that should the rudders be " hard up," and the torpedo in consequence turn its nose up, the pendulum would swing gradually aft, reduc ing the rudder angle until the action of the piston has been neutralized, and the rudders are straight.
The impulses of the mechanism in the secret chamber are insufficient to move, unaided, the numerims cranks and rods it with the horizontal rudder. A device called a is, therefore, interposed, so that the impulses of the regulators are transmitted only to a valve in the machinery chamber, and by the motion of this valve. augmented im pulses are transmitted to the rudder rods by means of compressed air from the reservoir, which latter is made of cast.stcel forged on a mandrel. A Brotherhood or Whitehead engine, having three cylinders fixed radially upon the shaft. works the propelling machinery. The compressed air is admitted behind the pistons, and evacuated in proper order by three slide valves. The buoyancy chamber is an air-tight compartment, the use of which is to give a certain preponderance of buoyancy to the torpedo during its flight, to insure its returning to the surface, or, by flooding the chamber, to cause it to sink. The bevel-gear chamber comes next, and contains the gearing for making the propellers revolve in opposite directions. Next comes the tail of the torpedo. consisting of the rudder support and the rudders, both vertical and horizontal.
The launching apparatus consists of a torpedo tube, closed at its outer end by a sluice door, and either permanently set into the ship's side, or fitted with a ball-and-socket joint for lateral train. or on trucks for transporting. This tube encases a sliding bronze shield, which, by means of compressed air, can be made to slide in and out on rollers. A hinged door at the breech of the tube is opened, and the torpedo pushed forward into the shield until it brings up against a stopper; a strut, pushed in after the torpedo, prevents any motion to the rear. When the torpedo is set free, the shield doors are alt open, and the inrushing water, exerting an equal lateral pressure, simply presses the torpedo directly sidewise aft, without deflecting it at an angle from the desired course. The 18-in. Whiteheads have a speed of from 32 to 33 knots for 43; yards. and 30 knots for 875 yards.