Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1881-08-18
Dynamite Marines and Coal Terpe-
does.

The official acknowled cement, made
IN Monday by Sir W v Harcourt in
the House of Commons. that ten infer.
nal machines. charged with nitro
giyccrine, had been discovered a; Liv-
erpocl. must send shudder through
Great Britain Had ten field pieces,
with their ammunition. or ten Calling
guns, or ten boxes of repeating small
arms, been found, there might have
been no emotion of alarm a. such
proofs Of an insurrectionary movement
secretly preparing for hostiiities. Such
weapons are recognized as legitimate.
and their Use supposes war to have
been begun after far warning. But
the terrible implements concealed in
the cement barrels at Liverpool are
those that are resorted Ia when no war
has been declared, and that work their
destruction upon unsuspecting persons.
Indeed. the news Of this traffic in in
formal machines might as properly
cause anxiety on this side OF the ocean
rs on the other. Six of these destruct-
i've barrels were found in one ocean
steamer and four in another. Regard
cd without reference to the interna-
tionai questions Involved. and simply
with respect 10 the terrible risk which
ocean steamers run from chance con-
cussion while carrying such freight, the
subject IL one TO excite horror.
IL is TO be feared. also, that these dis
closures have only begun. Ten explo-
sirc machines have been discovered in
one port, at one time; but only those
who are in the secret can say how many
have passed into England. undetected.
nor how soon they may be put to their
work. 1t is highly probable, also. that
more than one kind of explosive ma
chine has been prepared. The device
used in trying to blow up Guildhall. n
few months ago, WAS different from the
one used in trying TO blow up St.
Georges Hall The barrels just discov-
cred. filed with rifro-glycerine car
tridgcs. form a third device.
Now, also. il becomes clearly posi-.
bic that the British war ship Dotercl
was destroyed by coal torpedo. When
this suggestion was made, some weeks
ago. it was received with smile. as if
fear of The Fenians had become a ma
mia. But the American correspondent
ct the London Times declares i, to be
almost the accepted conclusion now
that the Dotaraf was 50 destroyed. and
thai two other British vessels took coal
torpedoes into their cumbersome Of
them being now at sea, while the other
was about 10 90 into commission when
detained by a warning message.
There Is no question that the coal
torpedo is a terribly dangerous device
for slaughter. Its shell is of cast iron.
so shaped 81 70 initiate exactly 3 big
lump Of steamer coal. aud then coated
with II prepared substance in such way
as TO make the device beyond dctec-l
iiop. inside IL is Tiled with powder
and plug ed, aud its work is performed
when IT Is thrown into the furnace.
There is no question that. whether or
not this device was used ON the DOterel.
the destruction of this vessel happened
precisely rs il would have happened ii
blown up with "A coal torpedo; and,
further. that all ordinary explanations
OF the disaster are surrounded with oh
icchons. IT. is also known that coal
torpedoes we've invented during the
war of the rebellion; but whether the
mysterious destruction of some of our
Government vessels was due TO thUm.
cannot be asserted.
The fact must be faced that terrible
means of destruction have been fur
nished by the ingenuity of modern
mechanism; and that the comparative
eheapness of nitro-glyeerine machines
and coal torpedoes, coupled with the
facilities sor eoneealing their presence
unisi thor work is deae. makes them
the resort OF the Desperate /.