Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-12-20
Suggestions for Making War More
Destructive.

suggestions FOR Making war More
Destructive.
Are not discoveries possible which
should radically alter all the conditions
of fighting, and either render war i'm
possible or give certain victory to those
who dare face such destructive machines?
1t Is most improbable. The human race
has been studying the art of war for four
thousand years, and has discovered ex-
ccedingly little, except the fact that an
explosive in confined space will drive
a missile long way. They have learned
to throw stones scientifically. Since
Agincourt, man has improved on tho
discovery of gunpowder, but has invented
nothing absolutely original. For thirty
years the most learned chemists, the
most inventive mechanicians the most
scientific soldiers, have devoted their
minds to the subject, with akind of fury
of eagerness prompted ut once by the love
of fame, by patriotism, and by the hope
of rewards which, to some of them, like
Mr.. Whitworth, Sir w. Armstrong, and
Herr Krupp, have been granted with a
lavish hand, and they have discovered
nothing. They have made bigger guns,
and better shells, and more explosive
powder, and have devised clever ways of
keeping the shells out, but that is all.
The way of killing soldiers is to fire lit
tie bullets through small barrel; the
way of destroying works is TO fire big
bullets through big barrel--and this
is all. New explosives have been dis
covered, but no new way of throwing
them for the required distance. If ships
ever touched, or nearly touched, rs in
Nelson's time, we suppose Il catapult
might throw barrel of nitro-glycerine
which, exploding downward, would an
initiate the enemy's vessel; but the ex-
pertinent has never been tried. A ship
which approached 50 close could ram;
and such barrel, not being driven by
an explosive, could be kept off by wire
netting.
The only two directions in which even
dreamers can see probability of much
change are the use of electricity or the
use of balloons, and of either the prospect
is very slight. We can do great deal
with the lightning, but we cannot throw
it, nor is it easy to conceive how it could
be darted, except through conductor.
Mr.. Urquhart's dream of the quiet savant
who fought the capitalists army without
weapons was original, but was only
dream. The capitalists had mastered
the world, and the Proletariat rose in
revolt, resolved to die rather than be
pillaged longer. They had no weapons,
the capitalists owning all; but as the
capitalists army approached electricity
shot from unseen batteries, struck every
particle of metal used by the soldiers, and
the army persisted assuddenly and silent
ly as that of Sennacherib. That is a
mere dream. 1t is just conceivable that
some Mr.. Edison might manage so as to
establish wire connection with an iron
clad that the whole structure should be
full of death-giving electricity-be, in
fact, huge wire charged by dynamo.
But it is only conceivable, as in the SIM
liar dream which has greatly interested
some able mechanicians, If so arranging
mirrors as to concentrate intolerable heat
heat that would pulvarise diamond,
at n considerable distance. The thing
could be done, we believe, so effectually
that the very ribs of an iron ship would
dissolve into molten metal, but not at
any distance. In balloons there is lit
tie, and very little, more hope. 1t is
always possibility that immense electric
force may he concentrated i'm such q
small space that machine, supported in
the air by balloons, could be guided at
will and if that were achieved the con-
ditions of war would, of course, be finally
altered. No cities could be defended
against machine showering dynamite
cb all ,oht ha 81 -,
few minutes, and all fortresses must be
subterranean structures. In practice,
battles would have to be fought i'm the
air, and the survivors would be accepted
as irresistible masters. But the more
experienced man of science is, the
more he doubts the possibility of making
an aerial machine Independent of the
wind, or of using balloons in war, except
as he would use steeples or other high
pointstof observation. London Spectator.
The question of damages resulting
from an undeservedly unfavorabe rating
by a mercantile agency has just been
considered by the United States Distri4'
Court of Arkansas. The court laid down
the principle that if the agency acted in
good faith, using all reasonable precau-
tons TO obtain trustworthy information,
and communicated this only upon the
application of subscriber whose interest
demanded such knowledge, then the mat.
ter was privileged communication, and
the agency could not be held i'm damages.
On the other hand, it was ruled that il
the agency sent out the report indis.
criminately among its subscribers, with.
out regard to whether they were i'm.
terested in knowing the financial condi.
ton OF the firm, then the latter might re.
cover damages.-N Y. Herald.
In the course of lecture at New
Haven, the other evening, upon the
customs and religion of his race, Rev.
Thomas :. Dana, an educated Indian
made this singular statement: "The
Indians never cook anything in the
house where they live. They cook out.
side, and they give as reason that il
they cook inside the steam collects in
their clothing and draws the lightning
Whether this is 80 or not do not know,
but / know that an Indian wigmam is
never struck by lightning, and no Indian
hos heon killrd i'm a huudrod vo.. ~ n