Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-01-29
INTERNAL MACHINES.

her descendants in the Palgetto State.
From the Scientific Am0roan.l
INTERNAL MACHINES.
Recent European mails bring further
| details of the diabOlical plot which acct
! dentally eliminated III the fearful dy-
1 Mantle explosion on the wharf OF the
steamer MOssl, in Bremerhaven. 1t seems
/ that the igniting mechanism was COM
/ mon clock, of strong construction, and
! with its works so arranged as to cause a
! thirty pound hammer to strike a blow
/ every ten days. The dynamite WAS placed
] in four zinc boxes arranged one above the
other, the clock and hammer being be-
! tween the second and third. As to how
/ the explosion was caused there is much
! difference of opinion, but it is probable
/ that it was due 10 one of two causes; eth
/ sr the dynamite eXuding out of its recep-
| tacles and being exploded by the cOncus-
| sion Of dropping the box, or the Prema-
! ture fall Of the hammer.
: 1t is curious to mark how much me-
! chanical engenuity has been expended on
/ these engines Of destruction: ingenuity
| which if devoted to honest ends, would
/ have gained for its pOssessOrs far greater
/ rewards than they ever might hope to OBJ.
! tain through the terrible crimes intended.
! Thomassen's apparatus, above described,
| is comparatively crude, notably so in
| view Of the fact that he must have exam
! ined other devices before deciding upon
/ its use. Take, Tor instance, the machine
which some three years ago, it was at
/ tempted TO ship aboard one of the Mesa
| gerieS Maritime COmpany's vessels, at
Bordeaux or Marseilles. As usual, i
| heavy insurance on worthless goods was
! the object Of the plan. The priRciple Of
this arrangement was that of the needle
gun. The needle was set in a bolt, which
was -"ted on by a spring in a tube. In
ord o hold the bolt back, thus compress
si-s the spring, catch on the for
mer engaged with = hammer headed
. lever. The lever was also attached to
springs, which tended to draw it away
from the catch, but the operation of
which was opposed by large disk placed
close against the lower part Of the lever
head aud held in its place in front of the
catch on the bolt. In the disk there was
a notch deep enough for the lever head TO
drop into when that portion of the disk
was suitably presented. The disk was
rotated by Il train of clOckwOrk at a fixed
speed, and its edge was spaced on so that
two consecutive marks would come OppO-
site point in exactly one day. SuppOs-
ing, therefore, the disk to be marked in
ten portions, and the machine to be re-
quired to explode in eight days, the lever
would be set ut the eighth mark from the
notch. The clOckwOrk started, the disk
would reyOlve until, ut the eighth day,
the notch would come opposite the lever,
and the latter would fall into it, so free
my IAc Ht'tulC ana -s--1A-1siiua tha car
fridge. All of this mechanism was placed
in 4 common packing box, and nitrO-gly-
cerin or other fcarfully powerful explO-
Sive was used. Fortunately the scheme
was discovered and frustrated in time.
The coal shall is another internal de.
vice, the invention of which, the London
Times intimates. may be attributed to
some other Jealous supporter of PlimsOn's
parliamentary cndcaYOrS to prevent the /
sacrifice of sailors lives in rotten ships. |
Each shell was Il hollow brass casting, re- !
sembling mOderate-siZed lump of coal, |
and was simply filled with an explosive |
mixture. When coal was delivered to a /
vessel, ii was intended said the witness, /
who is supposed to have cOncOcted the /
shell and the sensational story to mix in |
a few of the shells, which, when care |
fully blackCd, it would be impossible TO |
distinguish. They would, with the coal, |
be shOveled intO the furnaces, and in |
stantly blow up, destroying the vessel, |
whose loss would probably subsequently, |
be attributed to a boiler explosion.
Ingenuity of Ii much higher and hence !
more fendish order has been brought to /
bear in the construction Of rats, - which /
are Of two species, one intended to oper- !
ate on iron, the other on wooden ships. /
The iron ship rat consisted of pig Of !
iron, similar in appearance to that COM /
monty used for kCntledge or ships bal /
last. OF course where hundred of these |
pigs were carried next the keelsOn and on /
the floor of the ship, careful scrutiny of /
each would be altogether impossible. In |
to the block q hole was made, and in this !
a tubular boring tool, hollow and filled |
with acid, was Tlaced. Above the tool |
weighted lever was rigTed, and so placed |
As TO work TO and fro horizontally in a 4
space cut out of the top of the pig. The |
whole was carefully boxed in, and the !
surface of the iron restored. The rolling |
of the ship would cause the lever to sway 1
back and forth, and so act on the tool as !
to carry it against the ships side. A |
spring helped to push the tool, and the |
latter, aided by the acid, very slowly but |
surely made its way through the iron and /
opened a leak. The latter, being in lOca- |
tion very difficult to find or even to plug, |
unless closed in some way would cause |
the ship to I'LL and sink.
The wooden rat was much more COM !
plSX, and certainly more ingenious. In !
box were placed, at distance of five |
feet apart, two vertical cylinders. Be I
tween these was a horizontal cylinder \
having piston working in it, the rod !
passing through stutfing box. The 9TH |
er end ofthe rod worked a weighted ratch- |
ct drill. The vertical cylinders were each |
half filled with water, and each connect
ed by a separate pipe with opposite ends /
of the horizontal cylinder. When the |
ship rolled, the water, alternately leaving |
and returning to the vertical cylinders, !
acted on the piston, the reciprOcating mo- |
ton Of which was converted into rotary |
motion ut the auger, which thus worked !
its way through the vessels side. After /
the hole was made, the auger was freed |
from its fastening and dropped through |
into the water, so that it neither chOked |
the hole, nor remained as evidence of how |
the same was produced. The box, even if !
discovered, would indicate nothing save
TO a mechanical eye. Both of the rats. of I
course, required that their originator or a /
confederate should adjust them to their |
work.
The use of internal machines for whole |
sale destruction, in order to gain insur-
ance, is of comparatively recent date, as
the old common employment of these de- |
vices was. and still is in a measure. to de-
strOy individuals obnoxious to the perDe-
traitor of the crime. In 1888, it will be
remembered, Fleschi devised an inpen-
iOus arrangement of TWENTY-FIVE Gun bar-
rels (perhaps the prototype of the mod
ern mitrailleuse), which were DISCHARGED
all at once at the object of his hatred
Louis Philippe, without accomplishing
the purpose intended, however. The Or
sini bombs, designed for the slaughter of
Louis Napoleon and his family, were
small IRON shells made in halves and
screwed together. The interior was filled
with powder, and the outside completely
studded with nipples aud percussion caps
so that it would be impossible to throw
down the bomb without some can exDIod-
ing the charge. These, v hen tried, Killed
several people; but the Emperor escaped
unharmed.
The simplest internal machine is that
peculiar to the New York rascal. who Oe-
casionally dispatches it per express to pol
iticians who have fallen from his good
graces. The last recipient we can recall
was Comptroller Green, of this city. The
arrangement received by this gentleman,
! luckily without injury, was a small inno-
! cent-lOOking box having a sliding lid.
: The interior of the latter was lined with