Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-11-14
NO. 27O
Miseellameous.
ELECTRICITY IN WAR.

| ty in modern warfare affords an excellent
| example of the influence which science
has of late exerted in naval and military
affairs. 1t is no isolated example of SCI
entific warfare that we have here to deal
with, for the electric fluid has in a great
measure changed our whole practice of
war, and bids fair to revolutionize il still
more in the future. Every soldier or
sailor, If he desires to make his mark,
must be something of an electrician, for
there seems to be no limit to the useful
| applications OF the galvanic spark in bat
tie. Broadly, we may divide these appli-
cations under three heads, namely, the
employment OF electricity for signaling,
Tor the explosion OF charges, and, lastly,
Tor illumination, both for the purposes OF
attack or defence, it being difficult mat
| ter to decide in which connection the
electric spark fulfis the most important
duty.
To begin with the telegraph. All will
agree that it is wel-nigh impossible to
overrate the advantages which this rap
id means of communication gives to the
general in these days, when the line-of-
battle sometimes extends for dozen
miles. Let the commander occupy the
most central position, a long time must
elapse before his aides de-camp can COM
munlcate with one wing or the other. As
sisted by the electric telegraph, however,
the general is as close to his subordinates
as II he were within shooting distance.
Even brigade of horse artillery, or a cav
airy division advancing at galop, can
carry its telegraph equipment with it, the
operators accompanying flying column
OF this nature with but very little difficulty.
The wire drums are started off at gallop,
the cable being unwound as the carts pro-
ceed, and sergeant on horseback with
''sounder" to his ear, in connection
with one end of the wire, receives the gem
erals commands AS soon almost as tbey
are spoken. The movement countermand-
ed or retreat ordered, the cable is again
wound up as readily as it was laid down
and the telegraphers make good their re-
turn with the rest of the troops
Coming next to the explosion of charg.
es by means OF the electric spart, we en-
ter upon phase of war science which
bids fair to grow to infinite proportions.
Both Franklin and Priestly suggested the
| employment of electricity in this connec-
tion more than one hundred years ago,
| it Is very recently indeed that we have
| been in position to make proper use of
this valuable agent as means OF firing
/ oHai Soo at d uistahce. In TACT, at the
present moment we have by no means
exhausted research in this direction, and
We find scientific soldiers and sailors still
| at variance with one another as the best
plan of using the electric current current
Tor flrlng purposes.
One OF the first applications made of the
subtle fluid was on the removal of the
wreck of the Royal George at Spithead
nearly fifty years ago, when the explosion
OF the charges was brought about bv what
Is termed Il wire fuse, Or i'm other words.
short piece of platinum thread stretched
between two copper wires. The platinum
bridge, having less conducting power
than the copper wires, presents a consid-
cradle amount OF resistance to any current
OF electricity that passes, aud, in doing
this, becomes so heated as to be capable
OF ignitlng any particles of gunpowder in
contact with it. A wire fuse of this des-
crlplion has simply to be placed in the
middle OF u charge. and ii then a current
OF electricity is passed from a battery
| along the wire in communication with the
iuse instantaneous ignition is the result.
This simple method OF firing charges un-
der water was a vast Improvement over
the Old one In use by our engineers, which
| consisted in leading up "A metal pipe from
the charge to the surface OF the water;
the outlet OF the pipe WAS placed as far as
possible from the charge beneath the wa
ter, and then ladle iull OF red-hot shot
was emptied down it, and SO reached the
gunpoW der below, which thereupon ex-
ploded if the iron fragments had not be-
come too cool in transit.
But for many purposes the wire fuse is
ill-adapted TO the military and naval SER
vices. A voltaic battery is necessary to
evolve the low-tension electricity required
| To yield sufficient resistance and heat, and
| such battery made up OF metal plates,
| and involving the use OF acids, is an awk-
| ward apparatus to carry in the field. AL
| ready, IN 1893, this fact seems to have oc-
| Cured TO II Spanish officer, Col. Verdi,
| who determined to see what could be done
IN the way OF exploding gunpowder by a
spark, or, in other words. by high tension
| electricity. Aided by Ruhmkotf coil he
| succeeded in firing half dozen charges
| simultaneously, and, although the dis
charges simultaneously. and, although the
discharge was sometimes matter OF con-
| siderable uncertainty, to Verdue certainly
belongs the credit OF having been the first
soldier to apply electricity in this way To
the hiring OF one or more mines. Wheat
|
| steps, and while the former directed his
attention to the construction OF q friction
al apparatus OF portable nature, which
should be suitable tor military use, the lat
ter busted himself in the preparation OF
fuse enclosing compound more delicate-
| ly explosive than gunpowder; fuse. by
| the way. which still retains an important
place among our warike stores.
In was in the China war of 1860 that we
| first find an electric firing apparatus FORM
ing part OF an army equipment In this
| case the outfit was OF somewhat clumsy
nature. A conveyance, in shape and size
much resembling bakers barrow, con-
tanned monster horseshoe magnet, and
1t Is the sudden disruption OF armature
from this magnet which generated the
spark to fire the fuse. few years AFTER
wards, this ponderous conveyance gave
place to a neat little mahogany box about
a foot cube. which contained halt dozen