Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-03-14
THROUGH A SEA OF FIRE.
Blazing Defenses For Our Otherwise Defense

ready formed, with millions Of dollars
behind it, has pro posed to the govern
ment q plan 80 defend the entrance to
harbors by forcing petroleum to the sur
face Of the water through pipes laid at
the bottom for that purpose and ignit-
ing il with burning bomb, thus Great
ing q sea of fire, through which the
enemy's feet must pass. Ap experiment.
will soon be made to demonstrate the
practicability of the plan and the ap-
paratUs necessary is nov ready. This is
no insane theory. 1t is a revolution!
It is Just what this country has been look
ing tor.
Consider its defense of New York and
Brooklyn. An enemy's iron-cIad fleet ar
rlYes of Sandy Hook. As long as they
can be kept outside the Hook there will
be little Danger, and people may go about
their business as usual, for although
guns have been built that would throw
projectiies from Sandy Hook to Brook
Ign the gun carriages on board ship do
not admit of sufficient elevation of the
guns to attain that range. The enemy
must come inside, up near the narrows at
least, to bring their guns to bear effect
lively. Their vessels-neariy all foreign
iron olads-draw between twenty five and
thirty feet OF water. They must man
euvre with caution, therefore, and avoid
all shoal places, entering only through
the main ship channel; the vessels Of
lighter draught through the Swash chan
mel. Buried in the sand on the Hook and
in underground passages on the Long
Island shore, the plants and machinery
will be established for forcing the petr0-
lenm as desired. From each of these
stations system of many pipes Will be
laid, running to different points in the
main ship channel. The pipes will be
fitted with valves, which will be closed by
the water pressure. but opened by the
hydraulic power G<ed to force the petro.
leum from the reservoirs. Some Of the
pipes may even be brought to the sur
face in shoal water, and being pointed
ward the channel, the petroleum may be
fred in Z stream from considerable
distance and fall in the track of vessels
at different points.
The enemy decided to enter ard form
in column, one vessel ahead OF the other,
to steam through the narrow channels.
They can only come in at high water, or
at the beginning of the ebb. AS the lead
ing vessel approaches the entrance to the
channel heavy charges of petroleum are
fired through the nearest pipes and, ris
ing to the surface, spread over wide
area. At the same time the dynamite
guns, placed in the proper positions,
throw namber of burning and inextin-
guishable bUoys, which fall in the chan
mel and set fire to the petroleum. These
buoys, being light, may be thrown a
great distance from guns hidden from
view, sunk in emplacement on shore.
Capt. zalinski has proposed TO throw such
buoys to light up the water that guns on
shore may be trained on vessels attem pit
ing to enter harbors at night. The buoy
scheme is perfectly feasible, and may be
utilized to ignite the petroleum. The
fire spreads rapidly, but the leading YES
sci dashes ahead, nothing daunted, think
ing to pass beyond the limits of the fire,
followed by the ships in the rear. But as
they proceed charge after charge OF pc
troleum will be forced through the pipes
| SUCCESSFULLY as they are approached and
the flaming buoys will continue to fall.
The oil, spreading all over the surface of
the water, but thickens in the channel,
soon becomes lake Of fire enveloping
the ships.
An iron ship may not burn, though it
will make a good furnace. But the
|
well known that smoke will be an impor-
tant element in future naval battles.
Vessels of great speed will race each
other, friend sinking friend. The smoke
from the burning petroleum will envelop
| the enemy in heavy clouds, making it i'm
possible for them to see each other or the
shore. The harbor bOUys will all be
removed in time of war, and the officers,
rot being able TO see the landmarks, oan-
not get their bearings TO steer by. They
may attempt 70 sUeer by compass, but
that will not save them in a narrow chan
mel. What will they do? They cannot
turn in the narrow channel! Signals can
OF be seen. If one ship stops the one
a8tern runs her down. They cannot get
out again as they came in. The utmost
coaf asion-a panic will be the result
| Some ships will get aground while cropping
about in the smoke and flames. Worse
still, some of the surface pipes will fire
the petroleum high into the air, landing
it on the decks and against the sides of
the armornlads. They will not burn of
course, but the petroleum will. 1t will be
| ignited by the fire on the surface of the
water, and the flames will creep up the
sides, setting fire to the boats and all ex-
posed woodwork. The flames running up
the side may reach the ports and the guns.
The gunners can see nothing. They
cannot ain their guns, surrounded by
cloud of dense black smoke. The sitting
fumes of fierceIess burning petroleum
will render the crews helpless, if it does
not suffocate them. And while the
enemy's ships are thus inexplicably mix
ed up, bew1ldered and aground, other
means of attack may be used to complete
| their destruction. The dynamite gun
| mounted ashore on a fixed platform is
acknowledged to be wonderful accurate,
| and at known range shell after shell
may be thrown among the enemy's fleet.
! Small, fast vessels, with their bow
strengthened for ramming, may dash out
| from inside the Narrows, and when their
crews protected from the smoke may rush
upon the helpless enemy who cannot use
their guns to keep them off, and thus
sink his ships. A feet in this position.
while it can see nothing, can itself be
seen from the shore and thus be a target
| for ell guns and torpedo boats. A few
vessels of the Vesuvius type, however
vulnerable to shot, would be of great SER
vice when the enemy, shut up by the
smoke, could not train his guns on them.
| Dynamite fire, and smoke combined
would leave nothing of the proud iron
clad feet of the enemy. They may come
to these shores prepared to fight the usual
weapons-gans and torpedoes-but they
will not be ready, like Clusters cavalry, to
''charge through He'll and back again."
Similar defenses could be placed in
Long Island Sound at different points to
defend that approach to New York. To
defend Baltimore and Norfolk, plants
should be established at Cape Henry, at