The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-02-09
Our Olio.
To be Fortified by Fire.


4 powerful company Of capitalists, al
ready Organized. with millions Of dollars
behind Il, has proposed to the Goyernmen,
a plan to defend the entrance 10 harbors
by forcing petroleum 10 the surface Of the
water through pipes laid at the bottom for
that purpose and iguiting 1t with burn
ing bomb. thus creating a sea of FIRE,
through which the enemies feet must pass,
An experiment. viii sDon be made TO dem
oussrate the praeticsbili,y Of the plan. and
the apparatus necessary Is now ready.
This Is 40 insane theory. Il is a revolu-
,ion IL is just what this eoansry has been
looking for.
Consider It's application in the defense of
New York and Brooklyn. An enemy 5
ironclad feet arrives of Sandy Hook As
long As they can be kept outside the Hook
there viii be litSle danger, aud people may
70 about their business as usual, for, al
though guns have been built that would
throw projectilcs from Sandy Hook TO
Brooklyn, the gun carriages on board ship
do not admit Of sufficient elevation of the
guns 10 attain that range The enemy
must come Inside, up near the Narrows, at
least, to bring its guns to bear effectively.
Their yessels-nearly all foreign iron-clads
draw between twenty-five aud thirty
feet Of water. They must maneuvre with
caution, therefore, aud avoid all shoal places,
entering only through the main ship chan
mel; the vessels OF lighter draught through
the Swash Channel perhaps Buried in
the sand on the Hook and in underground
passages on she Long Island shore, the plants
aud machinery will be established for forcing
che petroleum as desired From each OF
these stations a system of many pipes will
be laid, running to different points in the
main ship channels at intervals of few
hundred feet apart, beginning at the ex-
treme seaward entrance of the channel
The pipes viii be fitted with valves, which
will be closed by the water pressure, but
opened by the hydraulic power used to
force the petroleum from the reservoirs
Some of these pipes may even be brought
to the surface in Shoal waters and being
pointed towards the channel, the petroleum
may be fred in stream from consider,
able distance and fall in the track of vessel.
at different points,
THE BATTLE.
The enemy decides to enter and form,
in column, one vessel ahead Of the other, IL
steam through the narrow channels. They
can only come in at high water, or at the
beginning of the ebb. As the leading
vessel approaches the entrance of the chan
mel heavy charges of petroleum are free
through the nearest pipes and, rising to the
surface, spread over a wide area, At the
same time the dynamite guns, placed ip tht
proper positions, throw number of burn
/ ing and lnextinguishable buoys, which fall
in the channel and set fire to the petroleum
These buoys, being light, may be thrown a
great distance from guns hidden from view
sunk, in emplaeements on shore. Capt
Zalinski has proposed to throw such buoy;
to light up the water that guns on shore
may be trained upon vessels attempting tC
enter harbors at night. The buoy scheme
is perfectly feasible and may be utilized t.
ignite the petroleum. The fire spreads
rapidly, but the leading vessel dashes
ahead, nothing daunted, thinking to pas
beyond the ships in the rear. But as they
proceed charge after charge of petroleum
will be forced through the pipes successive
ly as they are approached and the flaming
buoys will continue to fall. The oil spread
ing all over the surface of the water, bu
thickest in the channel, soon becomes
lake of fire, completely enveloping the ships
BURIED IN THE SMOKE.
An iron ship may not burn, though i
will make a good furnace. But the smok
that must not be forgotten 1t is wei
known that smoke will be an importan