Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-25
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS IN KILLING.

London Spectator
Are no discoveries possible which should
radically alter all the conditions of fight
ing, and either render war impossible or
give certain victory to those who dare face
such destructive machines? Il is most
improbable. The human race have been
studying the art of war for four Thousand
years, and has discovered exceedingly lit.
tie, except the fact that an explosive in
confined space will drive a missile long
wsy. They have learned to throw stones
scientifically. Since Agincourt, man has
improved ON the discovery of gunpowder,
but has invented nothing absolutely origi-
nal. For thirty years the most learned
chemists, the most inventive mechanicians,
the most scientific soldiers have devoted
their minds to this subject, with kind of
fury of eagerness promoted at 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
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 little bullets
through small barrel; the way of de-
stroying works is to fire big bullets through
a big barrel, and that is all. New explo-
sives have been discovered, but no new
way of throwing them for the required
distance. If ships ever touched, or nearly
touched, as in Nelson's time, we suppose a
catapult might throw barrel OF nitro
glycerine which, exploding downward,
would annihilate the enemy's vessel but
the experiment has never been tried. A
ship which approached so 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 a probability of much
change are the use of electricity or the use
of balloons, and OF either the prospect is
very slight. We can Go great deal with
the lightning, bus we cannot throw it, nor
is it easy to conceive how it could be darted,
except through conductor. Mr.. Urqu-
hart's dream of the quiet savant who
fought the Capitalists army without weap-
ons was original, but was only dream.
The Capitalists had mastered the world,
and the ProletaFiat rose in revolt, resolved
to die rather than be pillaged longer.
They had no weapons, the Capitalists own
ing all but as the Capitalists army ap-
preached, electricity, shot from unseen
batteries, struck every particle of metal
used by the soldiers, and the army ~.
ished as suddenly and silently as that Of
Sennacherib. That is mere dream. 1t
is just conceivable that some Mr. Edison
might manage so to establish a wire con-
nection with an ironclad that the whole
structure should be full of death
giving electricity-be, in fact, huge
wire charged by q dynamo. But it
is only conceivable, as is the similar dream
which has greatly interested some able
mechanicians so arranging mirrors as
to concentrate intolerable heat, heat that
would pulverize diamond, at a considera.
eestsnee. The thing could be done, we
believe, so elfectasss.- that the very ribs ef
an iron ship would dissolve into ni5r.an
metal, but not at any distance. In bal.
looms there is little, and very little,
more hope. 1t is always a possibility chat
immense electric force may be concentrated
in such small space that a machine sup.
ported in the air by balloons could be
guided at will; and if that were
achieved, the conditions of war would, of
comse. be finally altered. No cities could
be defended against a machine showeripg
dynamite shells, armies might be destroyed
in few minutes, and all fortresses must
be subterranean structures. In practice,
battles would have to be fought in the air
and the survivors would be accepted as ir-
resistible masters. But the more expert.
enced 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 points of OBJ
servation.