West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-07-19
SCIENTIFIC.

Use Of Electricity. - If electricity
lends its aid in the raising of ships, it
also contributes TO their destruction
through the ignition of torpedoes by
electric wires, 1t Is at once the bane
and antidote, so TO speak, I'm this species
of warfare, since our iron-clads are
now fitted with electric lights and re-
flecting apparatus, likely to be Of good
service In protecting them from night
attacks Of torpedo boats. The electric
lights provided on Admiral Hornby's
ships are described as appearing as
as bright as star of the first magni-
tude at distance of thirty miles on a
clear night. In this powerful light the
smoke of "A steam launch betrays Itself
at a distance OF two hundred yards, so
that its value as preservative of our
costly war vessels from destruction can
scarcely be overrated. Electricity,
however, can equally be adapted for
purposes OF attack az for defence, for IL
seems that on board ship the electric
fuse is superseding the old lanyard in
the firing of heavy cannon. Ii Is, as
we have on former occasions shown,
specially convenient for turret guns,
as Ii is not only possible to take better
ain by this use of electricity, but the
effect of the shots is more terrible,
through the concentrated fire of sim
ultaneous discharge of several project
lies, which Will penetrate heavy armor
when single shots are comparatively
harmless. AS, owing to the smallness
of port holes and the nearness of guns
to the water, the sighting is better per-
formed by an officer stationed above
them, he can by electric wires dis
charge the guns simultaneously at the
moment he thinks fit, while being
likely to act with all the more GOODNESS
and judgement from being out of the
way of the smoke and hustle below
AS an illumination fol military purposes,
the electric light will probably ere
long prove equally useful. The Rus
sian government has been experiment
ing recently at st. Petersburg with the
special object of increasing the distance
to which the light produced by cleo
tricity may be thrown. The power of
the light was found to be greatly aug
mented by covering the carbon burner
with thin sheet of copper. BY this
means the Alteneck lamp was made to
increase the power of light from ten
thousand two hundred and ten to six
teen thousand two hundred and fiftv-
five candles; and even this increased
power was again raised to that repre-
sented by the light of twenty thousand
two hundred and seventy-five candles,
by slight alteration I'm the position of
the carbon and its covering. BY this
light, objects are clearly visible at
night AT distance of three thousand
yards. From such experiments it
seems that the improvements i'm the
system of electric lighting are largely
to produce Important effects on the
arts OF war and peace. Such are few
of the uses to which this strange pow
er has already been applied; and yet
electricity, like steam, may still be con-
sidered in its infancy. In future
article we shall have the pleasure of
laying before our readers some further
notes o. this interesting subject, inclu-
ding what has been done and what is
likely to be done in the way of lllumin-
ating large cities such as London, by
electricity.