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TORPEDO BOATS FOR SPAIN.


In our present issue, on page 9948, we give illustrations of two
torpedo boats, the Azor and Halcon, which have lately been constructed
by Messrs Yarrow & Co., of Poplar, for the Spanish government. They
are 135 ft. in length by 14 ft. beam, being of the same dimensions as
No. 80 torpedo boat, lately completed by the above firm for the
Admiralty, which is the largest and fastest torpedo-boat in the
British navy.

[Illustration: TORPEDO BOATS FOR THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.]

The general arrangement of these torpedo boats is sufficiently clear
from the illustrations to need but little description. Suffice it to
say that the engines are of the triple compound type, capable of
indicating 1,550 horse power, steam being supplied by one large
locomotive boiler, which our readers are already aware is in
accordance with the usual practice of the makers, as, by using a
single boiler, great simplification of the machinery takes place, and
considerably less room is occupied than if two boilers were adopted.
It is worthy of record that although in some torpedo boats, and indeed
in a great number of them, trouble has been found with the locomotive
type of boiler, still we have no hesitation in saying that this is due