The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-01-13
ELgoTaIolTy m po0gRa wAaFaRE
Tho Torpsae -ltiiiisFy Tsisgraph I'll.
ihr Bsa.asldss- ctlies uss.. y

lifW Ycrt s1a.
The esssy Of Lieut.. b A. Fiste, otthe
nsyy, read bstor the RrantHn jnstitnte,
Of the past played by electricity n war.
fare, shows It 70 10 already d military
agent Of high Importance instead ot q
power to 30 Developed only IN the.
filturs.
Probably few people appreciate the
fact that electrical torpedoes really date
back over f0ttYyeafs, 10 the time when
Col. sauiuel Colt, IN the presence Of
Presidsnt Tyler, Cen. scott, and many
congressman, blew up vessels ilye.
milcs away BY the use Of, En electric
wire, Long after, nevertheless; both in
European wars and IN our own civil.
conflict, eomhatants were content 70
rely chiefly on the Old mechanical mihp,
which, when once fixed ina channel for
the defense Of a hatbor, blows up i'm
partially friend and foe Hereafter the
almost universal rule viii h8 10 plant
torpedoes that remain harmless rntn q
signal delivered through, the electric,
wire sloEsthat the enemy IS upon them,
whlchwill instantly De rsspondeditob ~
ther current rom tie iifins bat
terry onshora The harb6s isthsn no
longer blocked to all friendly commerce
from the moment that. t6rpedoes are
planted, On the other hand, electricity
may 10 employed also 70 detect the
presence Of fixed torpedoes. In NOV
able torpedoes 10 exercises constant con.
trol over the weapon, directing 1t against
the enemy, and hence preventing him
from evnding It, rs he may eyade non.
electrical torpedoeS
Tho torpedo, however, though iust
nov the most prominent military appli-
cation Of electricity. Is only one OF
many The military telegraph was
familiar in our civil war, where It had
its origin; and now military telegraph
corps, with their special apparatus for
laying wire at great speed, form part
Of all great armies The telephone sup.
plements the telegraph, and both instrn.
ments arc used in artillery practice to
track hostile vessels so as to determine
exactly whom to Gre on them. and also to
register tho time Of light Of pro ectiles.
Since Lieut.. FiSke says that "the prs-
cisO instant Of start to within tll0n-
sandth OF q second" Is recorded
for prOiectiles by electricity, the
slggestion comes up whether
some application Of electricity
will not one day giya moro accurate in.
dications in racing than stop watches,
whose recorded ifthS Of q second are
sometimes looked on withdolbt on mar.
row questions Of BREAKING records,
Electricity nov iircs whole broad
sides Of prolicious guns at tho torch OF
button; thereby not only producing
that absolutely simultaneous discharge,
thiCh has hitherto not been known, hut
also eliminating the element Of change
in aim produced by even an lnstant's
roll Of the ship during the slower
process Of hanl dFing. EleOtricity also.
can hafidla with ease heavy ordnance
in forts and on shipboard; though this
must rather 10 ranked among its uses
hereafter 10 10 developed.
Rl0otriclty examines tho horcs Of guns
to ascertain their condition. and in the
powerful form OF the olectro,dynamo
search light Unveils IN tho darkest night
lseCret movements aliko on ship anil
Shore, OF besiAVers and bCsisged, tho
stealthy approach OF tho torpedo.boat,
or the movement Of a hostile column to
surprise o fort AS q signal light it is
palpably useful, while 1t can even bo
nade TO confuse an enemy by throwing
upon him sudden alterations OF blind.
lug light and paralyiing darkness.
Launches have been diven BY cleo.
tricitY, which will. doubtIesS, on 40.
count Of the stoady improvement OF
storage batteries, one day Wh5lly no.
place steam for this purpose. Electric
sights for riiOd muSkets arc now fur.
nishsl for night firing: and cnmbinBd
with thctn arosmall lamps FOR illuminat.
ing tho target pubhsr bands fasten
those ingonions devices to the marks
mans gun. There Hrr also electric
rifles, in which tha soldier presses a
small button, thereby, unlcss. he is q
very skillEGl marksman, gcttioga better
aim thsn when llo pulls a trigger.
IT. in addition 70 all these applica.
iions, electricity should furnish n con.
pact and not too heavy power for steer
ing military balloons, its contributions
to the art Of war will be still mora
remarkable.