[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
measurements had been obtained; Fox and the Russians were working closely
together.
"The pressure of heavy seas should not be discounted,"Farragut said.
"Presumably not.But Ericsson assures me that the watertight seals on the
doors will be satisfactory even in the most inclement weather."
"I sincerely hope that he is right."
General Grant looked at the inch of sherry in his glass and decided against
adding any more. "I have every faith in our Swedish engineer. He has been
proven correct in everything that he has done so far. Have you inspected the
gun-carrying tanks, Admiral?"
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I have and they are indeed impressive.An innovation that I can appreciate,
but only abstractly, for I cannot imagine how they will be used in battle. I
am more at home at sea than on land."
"Believe me,"Sherman said, with grim certitude. "They are not only important
but are vital to my strategy. They will change the face of the battlefield
forever."
"Better you than me going to war with those contraptions."Farragut was still
skeptical. "The new armored warships with their rotating turrets and
breech-loading guns are more in the line of work that I am interested in."
"The British have new warships as well," Grant said.
"They do and I have examined reports on them. I am sure that in battle they
will be outgunned and outfought by our own ships."
"Good,"Sherman said, and turned as the door opened. "And here is the man
himself."
Ericsson muttered something incomprehensible as he hurried to his workbench
and rifled through a sheaf of drawings there. His hands were smeared with
grease, but he did not notice the dark marks that he made on the drawings.
"Here," he said, extracting a drawing and holding it up for inspection. "This
can explain how the sea batteries are constructed.Far better than words can.
See?"
His finger traced along the bottom of the drawing, pointing out a thick iron
structure. "You will note the mortars are aligned along the centerline of the
vessel, directly over this iron keel. When they fire, in turn I must
insist,the recoil is absorbed by the keel. Mortars of this size have never
been mounted in a ship before. It is my fear that if they were all fired
atonce, it would blow out the bottom of the hull. Is this clear, Admiral; do
you understand precisely what I am saying?"
"I understand clearly,"Farragut said, making no attempt to conceal his anger
at the engineer's overbearing attitude. "All of the ship's officers have been
well briefed. They will fire only when your electric telegraph is activated."
"The telegraph is just a machine and it could easily fail in combat. The
central gunnery officer sends an electric signal that activates a solenoid at
a gun position which raises the red tag instructing the position to fire. But
if the machine is broken, signals must be passed along manually. That is when
there should be no confusion. One gun at a time, that is most important."
"The instructions have been given. All of the officers are aware of the
situation and have been trained to act accordingly."
"Hmmph," Ericsson muttered,then sniffed loudly.Obviously believing in the
perfection of machines but not of men. His bad temper faded only when he
looked at the drawing again.
"You will have noted the resemblance of this design to the Roman military
'turtle' defensive maneuver.Where the outer ranks of an attacking party held
their shields on all sides to protect them from enemy missiles. While the
center ranks held their shields over their heads in a defense similar to a
turtle's shell. So do our sea batteries. There is six inches of iron armor,
backed by oak, in the hull, rising higher than the guns. Sections of iron
shielding are positioned above to cover the decks for protection. These are
Page 79
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hinged on the sides and are opened by steam pistons, but only when the mortars
are ready to fire."
While his description of the shielding was confusing, it was clearly
indicated in the drawing.
"Come," Ericsson said, "we will inspect USSThor, the first ship completed.The
god of thunder and the one who wields the hammer which will smite the enemy."
After years of pressure from the inventor to put a Viking name to one of his
ships, the Navy Department had relented begrudgingly. However, in addition
toThor, there were the USSThunderer, Attacker, andDestructor. Apt names for
these mighty vessels.
When they left the office building and walked to the dock, they appreciated
for the first time the raw strength of the mortar vessels. The guns themselves
were siege weapons, never designed to be seaborne. A man could have easily fit
into the wide muzzle of one of the barrels; the explosive shell that it fired
would wreak hideous destruction on any gun batteries, no matter how well
protected.
"Admirable,"Sherman said, nodding as he looked at the grim strength of the
sea battery. "Admirable. This is the key that will unlock our victory.Or
rather one of two keys to that victory. In the attack the gun-carrying tanks
will be in the fore."
"I will show you now their new protections."
"I am afraid you must excuse me, then," AdmiralFarragut said. "They are your
responsibility, General Sherman, not mine. I have no wish to see them again."
Not so Sherman and Grant. When they looked at the deadly machines, they saw
victory in battle, not black iron and harsh angles.
"This is the latest improvement," Ericsson said, patting the curved steel
shield that protected the gunner. Only the projecting barrels of theGatling
gun could be seen. "The shield, of course you can see that, obvious to anyone,
but inside the device itself you will find the works of mechanical genius." He
lifted a door and pointed into the entrails of the machine. "There, to the
rear of the engine, you see that casing?"
The two generals nodded that they did, but did not speak aloud the knowledge
that it meant nothing to them.
"Consider the transmission of energy," Ericsson said, andSherman groaned
inwardly at what he knew would be another incomprehensible lecture. "The
engine rotates a driveshaft. It must then turn the second shaft on which the
wheels are mounted. But they are unmoving. How can the energy of rotation be
transmitted to them?"
Ericsson, carried away by his passion for his invention, was blissfully
unaware of the looks of bafflement on their faces."Thus my invention of a
transfer case. A roughened steel plate is fastened to the end of the rotating [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
measurements had been obtained; Fox and the Russians were working closely
together.
"The pressure of heavy seas should not be discounted,"Farragut said.
"Presumably not.But Ericsson assures me that the watertight seals on the
doors will be satisfactory even in the most inclement weather."
"I sincerely hope that he is right."
General Grant looked at the inch of sherry in his glass and decided against
adding any more. "I have every faith in our Swedish engineer. He has been
proven correct in everything that he has done so far. Have you inspected the
gun-carrying tanks, Admiral?"
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I have and they are indeed impressive.An innovation that I can appreciate,
but only abstractly, for I cannot imagine how they will be used in battle. I
am more at home at sea than on land."
"Believe me,"Sherman said, with grim certitude. "They are not only important
but are vital to my strategy. They will change the face of the battlefield
forever."
"Better you than me going to war with those contraptions."Farragut was still
skeptical. "The new armored warships with their rotating turrets and
breech-loading guns are more in the line of work that I am interested in."
"The British have new warships as well," Grant said.
"They do and I have examined reports on them. I am sure that in battle they
will be outgunned and outfought by our own ships."
"Good,"Sherman said, and turned as the door opened. "And here is the man
himself."
Ericsson muttered something incomprehensible as he hurried to his workbench
and rifled through a sheaf of drawings there. His hands were smeared with
grease, but he did not notice the dark marks that he made on the drawings.
"Here," he said, extracting a drawing and holding it up for inspection. "This
can explain how the sea batteries are constructed.Far better than words can.
See?"
His finger traced along the bottom of the drawing, pointing out a thick iron
structure. "You will note the mortars are aligned along the centerline of the
vessel, directly over this iron keel. When they fire, in turn I must
insist,the recoil is absorbed by the keel. Mortars of this size have never
been mounted in a ship before. It is my fear that if they were all fired
atonce, it would blow out the bottom of the hull. Is this clear, Admiral; do
you understand precisely what I am saying?"
"I understand clearly,"Farragut said, making no attempt to conceal his anger
at the engineer's overbearing attitude. "All of the ship's officers have been
well briefed. They will fire only when your electric telegraph is activated."
"The telegraph is just a machine and it could easily fail in combat. The
central gunnery officer sends an electric signal that activates a solenoid at
a gun position which raises the red tag instructing the position to fire. But
if the machine is broken, signals must be passed along manually. That is when
there should be no confusion. One gun at a time, that is most important."
"The instructions have been given. All of the officers are aware of the
situation and have been trained to act accordingly."
"Hmmph," Ericsson muttered,then sniffed loudly.Obviously believing in the
perfection of machines but not of men. His bad temper faded only when he
looked at the drawing again.
"You will have noted the resemblance of this design to the Roman military
'turtle' defensive maneuver.Where the outer ranks of an attacking party held
their shields on all sides to protect them from enemy missiles. While the
center ranks held their shields over their heads in a defense similar to a
turtle's shell. So do our sea batteries. There is six inches of iron armor,
backed by oak, in the hull, rising higher than the guns. Sections of iron
shielding are positioned above to cover the decks for protection. These are
Page 79
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hinged on the sides and are opened by steam pistons, but only when the mortars
are ready to fire."
While his description of the shielding was confusing, it was clearly
indicated in the drawing.
"Come," Ericsson said, "we will inspect USSThor, the first ship completed.The
god of thunder and the one who wields the hammer which will smite the enemy."
After years of pressure from the inventor to put a Viking name to one of his
ships, the Navy Department had relented begrudgingly. However, in addition
toThor, there were the USSThunderer, Attacker, andDestructor. Apt names for
these mighty vessels.
When they left the office building and walked to the dock, they appreciated
for the first time the raw strength of the mortar vessels. The guns themselves
were siege weapons, never designed to be seaborne. A man could have easily fit
into the wide muzzle of one of the barrels; the explosive shell that it fired
would wreak hideous destruction on any gun batteries, no matter how well
protected.
"Admirable,"Sherman said, nodding as he looked at the grim strength of the
sea battery. "Admirable. This is the key that will unlock our victory.Or
rather one of two keys to that victory. In the attack the gun-carrying tanks
will be in the fore."
"I will show you now their new protections."
"I am afraid you must excuse me, then," AdmiralFarragut said. "They are your
responsibility, General Sherman, not mine. I have no wish to see them again."
Not so Sherman and Grant. When they looked at the deadly machines, they saw
victory in battle, not black iron and harsh angles.
"This is the latest improvement," Ericsson said, patting the curved steel
shield that protected the gunner. Only the projecting barrels of theGatling
gun could be seen. "The shield, of course you can see that, obvious to anyone,
but inside the device itself you will find the works of mechanical genius." He
lifted a door and pointed into the entrails of the machine. "There, to the
rear of the engine, you see that casing?"
The two generals nodded that they did, but did not speak aloud the knowledge
that it meant nothing to them.
"Consider the transmission of energy," Ericsson said, andSherman groaned
inwardly at what he knew would be another incomprehensible lecture. "The
engine rotates a driveshaft. It must then turn the second shaft on which the
wheels are mounted. But they are unmoving. How can the energy of rotation be
transmitted to them?"
Ericsson, carried away by his passion for his invention, was blissfully
unaware of the looks of bafflement on their faces."Thus my invention of a
transfer case. A roughened steel plate is fastened to the end of the rotating [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]