The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-06-22
The Han,eIsss Force.


A proces verbal has been made out and
signed by Professor @. G. Forshey, L. P.
Maddox, and M. F. Bigney, in which
these gentlemen state that they yester-
day witnessed the demonstration of Pro-
fessor Vineyards nameless force" at
Lake Pontchartrain; that at 2:35 o'clock
in the afternoon the Professor discharged
his apparatus, and ninety seconds after
the schooner at which the test was ap-
piled, moored at one and three-ffth miles
distance, blew up the stern and sunk to
the waters edge. The memorandum Of
the committee goes on to state that after
Professor Wingard came ashore they
went to visit with him the vessel in a
sail boat. They found her completely
wrecked. Even the small timbers aft of
the mainmast were broken all to pieces.
The mast was still standing, but all else
was wrecked so that it would not stand
being towed ashore. The flag was torn
to pieces and fell to halfmast, where it
was still flying.
Professor Vineyards hand was severely
burned by the flash, the silk glove with
which he held the glass tube not proving
sufficient non-conductor.
The statement of the committee is
signed by the following-named citizens,
most of them well known to the public,
who were present and corroborate the
same: Captain John Grant, J. B. Kelly,
Captain E. L. Cope, Charles Brown,
John P. Labrano, H. Rosenhaber, George
w. Wintz, Captain M. H. Riddell, An
drew Despartes, M. Branon, A. R. Ober,
M. D.. A B. Williams, James Jane En-
brey, Joseph G. Steeher.
From an interview with Mr.. Bigney,
one of the committee, the following ad-
ditional particulars were obtained:
Mr.. Bigney states that at the time
mentioned in the process verbal, heretofore
alluded to, he discovered slight volume
of smoke arising from the skiff in which
Mr.. Bigney had taken his position, and
Immediately after saw what appeared to
be the trail of some substance or body
passing out from the skif toward the
doomed schooner Augusta. Supposing
electricity to be the agent employed, and
that the effect would be instantaneous,
he turned his eyes toward the schooner.
But there she lay with her flag still float
ing defantly. He then arrived at the
conclusion that there had been another
failure, and that his friend Wingard was
self-deluded mortal, led away by such
stuff as dreams are made Of. A little
more than aminute elapsed, when some
one remarked, "There she geesp'
He then saw smoke above the
schooner, heard the report of an ex
plosion, and in less than five minutes
the doomed vessel had settled down to
the waters edge.
Mr.. Wingard came ashore, and after
his hand had been dressed, which was
badly burned, the committee accom-
panied him, proceeded to the wreck,
which, being of wood, still foated at
anchor on the lake with the flag, partly
freed from the broken halyards, settled
at halfmast, as if indicative of vessel
in distress.
If the force be all that Mr.. Wingard
claims it to be, says Mr.. Bigney, one
that can be successfully and economically
employed at distance of from five to
seven miles, and wholly beyond the
range of the best guns hitherto made, it
will completely revolutionize maritime
warfare and leave the cannon of to-day
with the clumsy enginery of ancient
times.
In conclusion, Mr.. Bigney said that
Mr.. Wingard, though much laughed at
of late, is neither fool nor madman.
He has already vindicated his claim as a
successful and scientific inventor, and
the hitherto "nameless force hence
forth the "WiDgard force will yet be
heard as a factor controlling the des-
TIMES of nations.