The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-12-31
NOVEL WARFARE.
4 Remarkable Charge Rt Tel ELL cbir
Hit erto Not Related.


A gentleman of this city is in receipt of q
private letter from Alexandria that tells Of an Inter-
estng aud curious bit gossip being circulated there
now III quiet way, and which is not likely to reach
print In any other than the present way. The letter
reads; :" a perfectly absurd story, yet one have
to believe to he about true, has reached here
from Cairo. 1t that time before the deci
sive action at Tel-ol-kebr some Kind of mforma-
ton was received bv English colonel, through
captuIed or refugee Egyptian concerning some sort
of an electric engine of which was being
structed behind a certain earthwork OF the enemy.
The Colonel followed his Cew quietly as lie could,
aud succeeded In getting full information which was
about rs follows; young Frenchmnn attached To
Arlbi's stan had heard OF that Germans scheme
since made puhlic-to throw "A stream OF water
charged with electricity upon an advancing enemy,
and bowl ZEN down like ten pins. The Frenchmau,
filled with the idea of sweeping the entire English
army oil the face of the earth without firing single
gun, hxed mp his GENERATOR ground wire, and all that
sort of thing, and might have supplied the same APP
paratus every erthwork Of the Egyptians II he had
had time. As 1t was, they got an old French hand
engine from Cairo, connected number of pipes with
1t, connected wires with the generators into the
nozzle OF each ppe, and awaited tho oncoming
English.
II suppose You know something of the theory on
which the Frenchmnn based his rltion--consIder
ing water to br good enough conductor OF electricity
to continue he current where tho wire introduced II
into the pipe, to the besprlnkied soldier who, In re-
Cevng and transmitting the shock the EARTH should
have the unhappiness to be Killed 10y the operation
This was all simple enough and so confident was the
l
arrangement to defend the particular Work he was In
/ charge Of
/ furry to crcunVent the FIenchinan for the day OF
the attack and he was to charge that very
works. The Engllshman ala not know very great
deal about eectIictyknew blessed little about 1t as
the sequel provesbut he did know enough 10 under
stand the necessity OF insulating his soldiers In some
Manner and the manner he hit upon was To supply
/ certain company with rubber hOOts This he did, and
that company marched upon Tel El-Kebir that early
morning, looking as though they on duck hunting
N.I.. "A nT ltt NAV
getting his supply of rubber boots, such articles
not much used here, where boots OF any kind arc
unknown, except to the foreigners. lie managed,
however, to secure few cases from consignment to
freight steamer, Australia bound, then detained an
the SueZ Canal
Gwen, the charge was made, as the world knows.
No detachment had an easier job of 1t than that par
ticuar rubDerbooted one of bold Rrishers who only
had to stand n welcome shower nj cooling water a
the hands of amazed defense without the unpleas-
ant duty of stopping single rife bullet The French
force of Egyptians had not fired gun; they were al
engaged either In whooping up the old hand engine
directing the streams nj water IL is said that th
rubber booted brigade We're a sight 10 behold. TN
fellows knew they were In for some sort Of strange
warfare and probably half of them thought that III
boots might not be any protection after ALL and tina
they would be bOwled out like cricketers without
chance to save themselves,
, ''They in, laundering In the sand with the
T. heavy boots like lot Of pprpoiseS bayoneting til
dumbfounded pipemen with no more resistance thai
4 II the enemy had been dummies. That Battery wa
g the first captured
1.-the smart Colonel was Of course delighted, an
after the engagement told Woseley AL about 1t. tn
General was naturally very much Interested In Ill
matter and visited the electrically defended work
with the triumphant Colonel.
''There, when the General saw the whole quee
fake, he burst laughing the astonished Colonel
aud told him he could have the pleasure OF paying fol
is the rubber boots for his trouble.
} 1.-THE Colonel was indignant that his brilliant wor
should he laughed nj, and asked for an explanation
u lie did more: he showed his temper, and the Gen
II era In sudden freak turned one of the strea
q tho Colonel whO though he did not wear ruObe
boots only received slight pleasant shock from tn
= shaver. The explanation was-and the General
said to have given 1t with freezing patronage-thg
. water very poor conductor, and the force
the electric current far reduced by the grea
resistance offered by the water as to leave opl
enough electricity to have given the irrigate
Bntshers slight shock, had they not all bee
is eXpensively insulated. : II would have made bette
fighters OF them all, the General exclaimed, 'ha
&. they received such a shock II would have been
good brandy aud soda in bed, on shandyga
! on cricket field.
u ''MelI the smart CGlOnG felt awfuly beat |
the exposure that the General was prevailed upon
use his influence to keep the correspondents fro
telling the story. This was not very hard thing
do, after the experience of that unfortunate CORE
spOndent, who told the truth about the Sixtiet
Hines I'm the affair near Alexandria. IS. +. cal