. The railroad and engineering journal . ine-field, for harassing a blockading fleet, to pounce upon anenemys ship that may become disabled or get aground,and to take every advantage afforded by fog or smoke ordarkness for attacking him. What has heretofore been said concerning the defenseof a harbor has had reference to the purely passive or sta-tionary means employed for that purpose. Under thehead of torpedoes reference is had to all the movable andaggressive contrivances for inflicting injury upon an ene-mys shipping, whether acting upon or beneath the sur-face of the water. Like submarine
. The railroad and engineering journal . ine-field, for harassing a blockading fleet, to pounce upon anenemys ship that may become disabled or get aground,and to take every advantage afforded by fog or smoke ordarkness for attacking him. What has heretofore been said concerning the defenseof a harbor has had reference to the purely passive or sta-tionary means employed for that purpose. Under thehead of torpedoes reference is had to all the movable andaggressive contrivances for inflicting injury upon an ene-mys shipping, whether acting upon or beneath the sur-face of the water. Like submarine mines, torpedoes aredivided into two general classes—uncontrollable and con-trollable—the name clearly indicating the characteristicfeature of each. XIII.—UNCONTROLLABLE TORPEDOES. In the uncontrollable class are included every torpedowhich passes, when once launched, wholly beyond thecontrol of the operator, both as regards its direction andits propelling force. Various methods have been adopted. 2l8 THE RAILROAD AND [May, 189*.. Vol. LXV, No. 5.] jENGlNEERIJjG JOURl^AL. 219 with more or less success, looking to the maintenance ofa true direction when once the torpedo has started uponlis course, but no means have lieen devised for securmgits explosion except by contact with some other body, orby mechanism that shall act at the expiration of a dchniteperiod of time, regardless of its then position in relationto the object of attack. In this class are the projectile,the rocket, the drifting, and the aiilo-inobile torpedo. Projectile torpedoes. All torpedoes projected againstan enemy, whether the actuating impulse is extraneous tothemselves or self-contained, can be classed under thishead, but the term as usually applied is restricted 10 acase of explosive projected through the water from a sub-marine gun. The best-known example of this class isthat invented by Captain Ericsson, intended to be firedfrom a breech loading gun or tube built into a vessel es-pecially designed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectrailroa, bookyear1887
