The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-02-02
HORTIFIED BY FIRE.
A Defense That Will Battle an Iron
clad Fleet.
New York World.

from Washington that the fertile
American mind has grappleti with the
subject, and that the armnred ships Of
Europe will he held at bay by flooding
the harhur entrances with blazing pc
troll, um, conveyed under the ship
channels through submerged pipes.
A powerful company Of capitalists,
airtady organic Il, with m1l!ions Of
sinliaIs t~!'iEd il, has proposed to the
gNve,ninent n plan TO defend the EN-
lraire To ha, bois by forcing petroleum
~ tue Surface .f the water through
pipes laid AT the bottom ~. that pur
pose and :sniting il with burning
bomb, thus creating sea Of fire,
through which The ene'ny's fleet must
pass. An experiment will soon be
matt tn demonstrate the prac,;cahiilty
Of ,te pian, and the apparatus neces-
sary is NOW ready. This is no insaue
Theory. Ii is n revolution. Ii is just
What this country has be en- look ing
for.
Co,,eas:er It's application in defense of
New York and Brooklyn. An eue-
my ) irn,icisd fleet arrives of Sandy
Hook. AS long as they can be kept
outside 'he Hook there will be little
danger, a.h 'he people may go about
ihtir business AS usual, for, although
xu"s have been built that would throw
prj-ctiea from Sandy Hook to Brook
'yn, the gun Carriages on board ship
do i.rt admit af u sufficient elevation
of tt;e guns to attain that range. The
enemy must come ins.de, up bear the
Narr"~s, at least, tn bring the guns tn
bear effectively. Their vessels-nearly
all foreign irnhcisds-uraw between
twenty five an;! thirty feet of water.
They must maneuver with caution,
therefore, and avoid all shosl places,
entering only through the main ship
channel; the vessels OF lighter draf.
through the Swash Camel, perhaps.
Buried In the sand on the Hook, and
in underground passages on the Long
1slsuti shore, the plants and machinery
viii be established for forcing the pes
sro!eum rs desired. From each of these
stations Il system of many pipes will be
laid, running to different points in the
main ship channels at intervals Of a
few hundred feet apart, beginning al
the, extreme seaward entrance of the
channel. The pipes will be fitted with
valves, which will be closed by the
water pressure, but opened by the by-
draul e power used to force the petro-
jeuln from the reservoirs. Some of
these pipes may even be brought to
the surface in shOal water, and being
pointed towards the channel, the pc.
troleum may be fired in stream from
"A considerable distance, and fall In the
track Of vessels at different points.
THE BATTLE.
The enemy decides to enter and
forms in column, one vessel ahead of
the other, to steam through the narrow
channels. They can only come in at
high water, or 1T beginning of the ebb.
As the leading vessel approaches the
entrance to the channel heavy charges
Of petroleum are fred through the
nearest pipes, and, rising to the sur
face, spread over a wide area. AT the
same time the dynamite guns, placed
in the proper positions, throw u num-
ber Of burning and inextiuguishabIs
buoys, which fall in the channel and
set fire to the petroleum.. These bouys,
being light, may be thrown a great
distance from guns hidden from view,
sunk in empacements, on shore. Capt.
X.linski has proposed TO throw such
uuuys to light up the water that guns
nH shore may be trained upon vessels
attempting to enter harbnrs at night
The bouy scheme is perfectly feasible
sud may be utilized 10 ignite the Pc
iro!eum. The fire spreads rapidly, but
the leading vessel dashes ahead, Moth
ing daunsed, thinking to pass beyond
the limits Of the fire, followed by
the ships in the rear. But As they
proceed charge after charge of peiro-
ieum will be forced through tho pipes
successiveiy rs they are approached,
aud the flaming bouys will continue to
faN. The oil, spreading over the sur
face Of the water, but thickes. in the
channel, soon becomes lake Of fire,
envcloping the ships,
BURIED IN TIE SMOKE.
An iron ship may not burn, though
it Will make good furnace. But the
smoke-ihat must not be forgotten
IL l. well known that the smoke will
he an. important 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 ii impossible for
them to see each other or the shore.
The narbor bouys will all be removed
in time of war, aud the officers, not
being able To see the landmarks, can
not get their bearings to steer by. They
may attempt 10 steer by compass, but
that will not save them in a narrow
channel. What will they do? They