The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-06-15
THE NAMELEss FORCE.
Prof. Wingard Blows Up n Schooner a
a Distance OF One and Three-Eifth

a Distance of one and Three-Fifths
Miles.
+ [From the New Orleans Republican,
A prOces Uer6al has been made out
and signed by Prof. c. G. Forshey, l..
p. Maddox and NJ. T. Bigney, in which
these gentlemen state that they yester-
day witnessed the demonstration of
Prof. Vineyards nameless force" at
Lake Ponchartrain; that at 2 :35 O'Clock
in the afternoon the professor discharg-
ed his apparatus, and ninety seconds af-
ter the Schooner ut which the test was
applied, moored; at one and three-itths
miles distance, blew up by the stern and
sunk to the waters edge. The menu
ofandum of the committee goes on to
state that after Prof. 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 stand
ing, 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.
Prof. Vineyards hand was severely
burned by the flash, the silk glove with
which he held glass tube not proving
q 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: Capt. John Grant, j. B. Kelly,
Capt. E. l.. Cope, Charles Brown, John
p. Labrano, III. ROsenhaber, George w.
Wintz, Capt. M. H. Riddell, Andrew
Despartes, NJ. Brannon, A. r. Ober, NJ.
D., A. B. Williams, James Jane En-
,brey, Joseph G Steeher.
From an interview with Mr.. Bigney,
one of the Committee, the following adj
ditiOnal particulars were obtained:
Mr.. BigleY states that at the time
mentioned in the brief process Uer6GL,
heretofore alluded to, he discovered 4
slight volume of smoke arising from the
skiff in which Mr.. Wingard had taken
his position, and Immediately after saw
what appeared to be the trail of
some substance or body passing out
from the skiff toward the doomed
schooner Augusta. Supposing cleo
tricity to be the agent employed,
and that the effect would be almost in
stantaneous, he turned his eyes toward
the schooner. But there she lay with
her flag still floating defantly. He
then arrived at the conclusion that there
had been another failure, and that his
friend Wingard was self-deluded NOR
tai, led away by such stuff as dreams
are made of. A little more than min
ute elapsed when some one remarked,
'eThere she gOesl" G
He then saw a smoke above the
schooner, heard the report of an explo-
sion, 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 entirely Of wood, still
foated at anchor on the lake, with the
flag, partly freed from tie broken hal
Yards, settled at half-mast, as if indica-
tive of a vessel in distress.
If the force be all that Mr.. Wingard
claims it to be, says Mr.. Bigney, one
that can be successfully and ecOnomi-
cally employed at a distance of from
five to seven miles, and wholly beyond
the range of the best guns hitherto made,
it will completely revolutienize mari
time warfare, and leave the cannon of
to-day with the clumsy enginery of an
cient times.
In conclusion Mr. Bigney said Mr..
Wingard, though much laughed at Of
late, is neither fool nor a madman.
He has already vindicated his claim as
a successful and scientific inventor, and
the hitherto ''nameless force"-hence-
forth the ''Wingard force"-will yet be
heard Of as a factor in controlling the
destinies of Nations. ....