Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-01-14

THE difficulty of hitting anything with
the pneumatic guns OF the vehuvius, in
o,ined 90 they are At high angle and using
force OF relatively low power % compared
with powder, has not been exaggerated and
may yet prove . serious obstacle, but the
genius Of Zalinski and others appears to
have furnished devices for aiming 90 won
derfully perfect that there 10 good hope OF
success. First, On the shell will travel 40.
cording 10 the air pressure OF the pneu-
mstio tube, there 10 . balanced valve
which at Q touch OF the operator
causes any desired loss O: pressure,
90 that tho range can be varied with.
out moving the gun. There Ia also
throttle valve whioh controls the amount
OF cir entering the gun 10 given time to
part OF . second. 1.-THE ship were motion.
less shells could be dropped ovor regularly
decreasing or increasing intervals, or II she
were advancing they could be dropped
over and over again upon the same point.
Tho pitching and tossing Of the ship appears
to oomplioate the problem hopslessly, but
Il must be remembered that the shells are
not Hred ct ths vessel, but dropped upon It
or anywhere near H. 20 the target II much
larger than In direct nring. Explosion of
. nitro.RelAtins she'll within nifty feet OF .
hostile vessel would probably destroy the
hull and certainly disable her. Lieut.. Brad.
Icy Fiske, OF the navy, hes Invented an
electrical instrument for Determining ac.
curstly and instantly the distance
of . far OF target II is guarded
% . secret OF great value, but
Park Benjamin says OF t.: "On the deck
OF the dynamite ship are stationed two
Observers, who by suitable instruments
simply direct their gaze upon the enemy,
The officer In charge OF the valve regulating
machinery below decks stands receiving Q
signal, with his hand ON pointer, which
he moves over graduated scale. This he
does until the signal ceaseA The scale
mark, which the pointer indicates at that
moment, shows the range. The act Of ad-
Jussing the pointer sets the valv0 10 a. to
allow just the proper amount OF cir into
the gun TO throw the shells over
that range" Referring to the motion
OF the ship on the waves he says,
"the electric current and the attraction OF
grsvitstion which Lieut. Flake harnesses
together are neither OF them subject TO
human failinRs. II II IL desired that the
gun should nre whom ct . certain angle and
hence ut certain instant during its move.
ment these two forces cause II to hre ut that
instant and angle entirely regardless of the
wayward waves. Therefore having sd.
justed his gun for the proper range the
gunner leaves the two least known fcr,es
| Of nature to do the rest"
War is certainly becoming 10 terribly
destructive that the common sense of men
will revolt sgainst the wholesale slaughter
| Of armies and annihilation OF ayles, but q
suggestion is offered by the same authority
that IL more pleasant to contemplate. He
proposes that nitrate OF smyl should be
used In the pneumatic shslls In some cases
instead OF the explosive gslaptius. This
vapor whom inhaled produces cerebral con-
gestion and Inconsistencies. "Profussly
scattered over the ship and floating on the
water It might render her crew incapable
L OF resistance.