The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1892-04-01
AN ,NpIARuBeeR NAVY.
This Ex-Auditor of Indiana Thinks Iron.
clads Must Give Way to rubber.
AS the ma was going out of the

AS the man was going out of the big
hotel he whispered to ME in sepulchral
tones, Col. Rice is not right in hts
upper story-he is clean daft"
In a few minutes l saw the full
moon, jocund face of Col. James H.
Rice. ex-auditor of Indiana, coming
from the elevator. He looked per-
fectly sane, and | asked him who his
friend was that had just departed.
THAT man." said the colonel, sis u
promoter. and has not given me mo-
ment's rest since i arrived in the city.
I've Just let him in on the ground floor
of an idea Of mine and have shown
him illustrations of it. I offered to
have him elected vice president of a
company that is not formed. If my
idea is put into execution it will revo-
l%utionize naval warfare. and an iron
clad will be as harmless as n barge
carrying q load of Sunday school ex-
cursiouists."
The colonel invited me to his room,
where / saw n number of illustrations
in the rough of queer looking ships. l
asked him to explain them. His eyes
beamed with pleasure as he proceeded
to elucidate his ideas. "'The cuts" he
said, represent war vessels armored
with tough i~ndiarubber. Each vessel
is protected with rubber seven feet in
thickness and with enough give or
elasticity to it to send the largest ball
ever fired against it bounding back in
to the water. ! admit that the COM
non rubber is not of sufficient tough
ness to resist the impact of the ordi-
nary cannon ball. but mind YOU the
rubber | intend to use is not common.
Every man who makes an innovation
and relegatcs established methods to
the past is in the beginning considered
a crank. But | do not mind any little
cpithet of that kind"
what is the tall spire in the yes
selsp"
THAT" said the scientific colonel,
us the lookout. 1t is a tower that can
be telescoped in second to the surface
of the vessels deck and erected in the
same space of time. 1t is 500 feet
high. There is only one smokestack
and it AN be taken down in a minute.
Cannons? All! that is a secret, but |
shall tell you because You are not a
promoter. In the rear of the vessel
there is a turret tower with four de-
structive guns. You don't see it, CHI
Well. neither do |, but if the enemy
appeared by manipulating machinery
there would rise from the hull Of the
vessel II turrct, protected by indiarub-
Der and ready to sink q fleet of IRON
clads. Everything on the deck of my
indinrnbbcr vessel can be dropped be-
low i'll u few moments"
"Have YOU ever studied that branch
| of mathematics which treats of %traiec-
tory?"
The colonel had, and added: my
boy. Il ball dropped on the deck of one
of my vessels would bound Il mile
high, There is absolutely no powder
or force strong enough to drive a bal
into the rubber
"One more question. colonel. How
long have you had this peculiar elastic
ideap"
1T came to me as an inspiration five
years ago, ] vas in Chicago and a
weakened faced mar with a voice tina,
sounded like the noise made by tear.
ing calico made life miserable to me.
He had a scheme and for Il week ht
became my shadow, trying to get me
to go into It.. | worked out the india.
rubber vessel and for three hours
earnestly explained 10 him the fortune
in it if he would accept the vice presi,
dcncy. From that time he has never
said scheme To me again. have
shown it to dozens of promoters ant
have talked So much about it that
really think some kind of rubber cal
be made to resist and throw back can.
non balls
"Have You mentioned your idea tc
Gen. Tracy, secretary of the navyp"
81 am n democrat" said the colonel
proudly You wait until a democratic
president is elected"
Col. Rice is a hnmorist and a practi
cal jokcr.-N. I.Heruii.