The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-02-19

LS-AURDE RATS"
The recent deplorable catastrophe at Bremen
haven has once more drawn attention to the fact
that time and money still continue to be e-
pended, and talent wasted and misplaced In de-
vising the most refined methods Of executing the
most dastardly and diabolical designs. Me-
chanical skill appears to be laid under special
contribution in these matters, although it can be
scarcely doubted that those whose skillful bands
contrive these cunning devices are perfectly inno-
cent Of the intended application of their hand
iwork. As far as VI at present know, he whose
wasted life has just been closed by q pistol-bullct
at Bremerhaven employed an apparatus consist
ing of a hammer, which was to strike a blow on
some explosive substance at the end of a prede-
termined time, and which hammer was actuated
by clock-work. No precise description of the
machine has as yet been given, although the exact
particulars will doubtless transpire during judi
cial inquiry. 1t is, however, by no means i'm
probable that the mechanical arrangement will
prove to be very much like one which was de-
signed for a similar dastardly purpose nearly
three years since. AS stated in a letter of a cor
respondent, writing over the signature of War
hawk" and which appeared in the Times of the
22d instant, there was at that time a conspiracy
to ship a quantity Of highly-insured but worth
less goods on board one Of the Messageries Mari
times Company's vessels, either at Bordeaux or
Marseilles. With the goods was to be shipped
an Internal machine, which at a given time was
10 eXplOue, cause the INSTRUCTION OF the snip, ana
bring the conspirators their miserable reward.
This machine consisted of a chest containing u
POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND
And an exploding apparatus. The principle OF
the explOder was that of the needle gun, a needle
being driven into a primed cartridge and causing
the explosion of the whole mass Of the compound.
The mechanism consisted of a needle or striker
set in a bolt, at the other end of which was a
spiral spring held in a tube. When the bolt was
forced back into the tube there was, of course, q
powerful pressure behind it tending to push it
outward and to drive the needle into the cart
ridge. In order to hold the bolt back until the
proper moment for the discharge had arrived, a
catch or stud was formed on it, which was made
to engage with a horizontal lever, having a ham,
mer-shaped head. The lever was connected with
springs so arranged as to have a constant tendency
to release its head from the catch. This ten
dency, however, was counteracted by a broad disc
OF metal which, being placed close against the
lower part of the leyer-head, held it in its place
in front of the catch on the needle-bolt. In the
disc was cut a notch sufficiently deep to allow the
overhead to drop into it when that part of the
disc was presented to it, and so to release the
needle-bolt. The disc was revolved by a train of
clock-work, so speeded as that the disc should
travel a given distance in a definite time. The
edge of the disc was marked with q number of
spaces, one space representing a day, and the
edge would travel through that space in one day.
Assuming the disc to be marked into ten portions,
and the machine to be required to
EXPLODE IN EIGHT DAYS,
The lever would be set at the eighth mark from
the notch. The clock-work would then be started,
and the disc would reyolve until, at the end of
the eighth day, the notch would arrive at the
lever head which would be forced into the notch
by its springs. The needle-bolt would thus be
released, and being impelled sharply forward by
the powerful spiral spring at its rear, would
cause the explosion of the cartridge, and so of
the whole mass of the explosive compound. Thus
would be contaminated a catastrophe from which
it is probable no living soul would escape to
record it. The 60 rats, of which there are two
species, is intended to operate on iron ships, the
other upon wooden ones. The iron ship b" rat"
consists ofa block of iron known as Kentledge,"
which has a hole bored into it, in which is placed
a tubular boring-tool as a lever, with a weight at
its outer end, and this lever can work to and fro
horizontally in q space cut out of the top of the
{" Kentledge." The lever is, of course, carefully
boxed in, and the surface of the iron restored.
A confederate is required, who will place the
machine in the right position-that is, with the
bottom of the boring-tool downward and on the
iron skin of the vessel. Being SO placed, the
rolling of the ship causes the lever to move back
ward and forward and the end of the tool to cut
into the ships plates, the action being promoted
by the acid and by a slight pressure given to the
boring-tool by a spring. The terrible process
may be somewhat slow, but it is very sure.
THE wooDEN-sHP RAT.
Is q more complex machine, and possibly more
ingenious. Ii cOnSlstS OF o DOx, In winch are
placed a pair of vertical cylinders, one at each
end of the box and spaced about five feet apart.
In the center, between the two, is a horizontal
cylinder having q piston working in it, the rod
passing through a stuf6ng-box. The outer end
of the piston-rod works a rachel drill or auger,
the auger being weighted. The two vertical
cylinders are each 'halfflled with water and COM
municate with the horizontal cylinder by pipes,
each having its own pipe leading to the end of
the horizontal cylinder nearest to it. The con-
sequence is that as the ship rolls the water alter
nately quits and returns to the vertical cylinders.
and, acting first on one side of the piston and
then on the other, communicates n reciprocating
motion to the piston-rod. This motion is con-
verted into q rotary motion at the weighted
auger, and in time a hole is bored through the
planking of the ship, which gradually fills and
may be lost before the seat of the leak is discov-
cred. Provision is made for the release of the
auger directly the hole has been bored and the
resistance to it removed, when it silently drops
through into the sea. Thus the hole is not
plugged by the anger, and the ends of villainy
are successful. Should the hole be discovered
and the box be examined, there is nothing in it,
except to a professional eye, to show how the hole
was produced. Like the iron rat, the wooden
ship rat requires a confederate to place it well
for its deadly work. Such are some of the foul
est ofenses against society.