The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-29
CHANGE In WARFARE.
EARTaQUAK AND CYCLONE TIE
COMING AGENTS.

| From The PitfsbuT0 Dispatch.
although the present is an age remark
able for its innovations. It still takes time
to introduce and establish new ideas. SO
welded are we 70 the old that changes gen.
orally come some considerable time after
the utility Of the new order is recognized
and its practicsbility is conceded. Gun
powder so revolutionized all military arts,
aud was such a decided advance on all pre-
vious methods that the nations throughout
the world still cling to it with the utmost
tenacity. 1t was undoubtedly the great
factor that shaped the political man of mod
ern Europe, il not OF the entire hemisphere.
| IL rolled back the tide OF Asatic invasion
at the opportune time, and taught the hordes
of the east that supremacy no longer Law in
| mere numbers 1t took centuries Of valu-
able time to develop ordnance TO yield the
| best results from its explosive power, and
| what now seems singular Is that the aim
has always been TO apply the expansive
force to the hurting of a projectile and thus
| depend for the execution on the secondary
and not the primary effect.
The philosophy of this tendency finds its
basis in the fact that the crude, barbaric an-
cestor was first mechanical rather than
| chemical; he must hurl his spear OF his ar
| row, so when chemistry dawned on him he
would still cause IL TO hurl a missile instead
of directly striking the enemy with the pri-
mary force of propulsion.
NO SYSTEMATIC BLOWING UP.
OF course, there have been attempts made
at direct blowing up" but not In syste-
NAUTICAL and general way. All this, how~
ever, has been logical enough, when we con
| slider the extreme slowness, the large bulk
| and clumsiness involved in the explosive
discovery OF Schwartz, and as we now
glance at the military and naval establish
ments of the world, we see that not few of
the nations have actually bankrupted them
selves in the endeavor to provide argument
aud equipment for this costly and round
about way OF bringing explosive action to
/ bear on the enemy.
In general terms, the plan has been and
still is, TO generate gases in strong cham
Ter with sufficient energy to expel a metal-
lie missile with great velocity and to as
great d istance as possible. Great strength
with its usual accompaniment Of tremend-
Gus weight, are the necessary concomitants
of the devices thus rendered indispensable,
until the weight of some piece reaches into
the many tens of tons with expensive para
phernalia, and the iron-sheathed vessels
mount up to an appalling avoirdupois.
All this reaches to the grotes1ue and the
comical when we consider that il is ouIy the
refinement Of crude and Ignorant barbarism
holding on to the coat-tails Of modern
progress. Clearly there is still the trace OF
the old cave dweller, only under much
changed methods.
But late chemistry has produced what
will not only surprise the ancient explosive
but what will relegate to the rear, es both
useless and ridiculous, the present expensive
and clumsy iron-clad in whatever Ruise it
may present itself 1t reeds only an oc-
casion to call the application of this force
into practical effect and iron armament will
vanish, at least from all naval calculations
But why and how!
In nitro-glycerine and its allied products
there is the volcano, the earthquake, the
cyclone and the lightning, all condensed
and packed into small space. So sudden
and instantaneous and 50 terrific is the dis
| placement OF the atmosphere when i'm
PEELED by the electric swittness of the ex~
pansion of this simple compound, and over
50 wide an area are its effects disastrous
that no particular spot need be Indicated as
an objective point Of assault, but it is only
necessary that the explosion be produced
within some miles of the object aimed at 10
insure Its utter annihilation. The vaunted
iron leviathons of the modern navy would
only need to be hit with an atmospheric
wave whose initial i'm pulse might be gener-
ated miles away.
THE POWER OF NITRO-GLYCERINE.
explosive undertake to calculate the disaster
that would occur to q feet of vessels, large
or small, should even one ton Of nitro.
glycerine be released in It's proximity. Two
waves of destructive force, atmospheric and
aqueous, would be set in motion, and the
recoil of the pressure of the former would
literally crush into the depths of the ocear
any vessel in the vicinity, as if mountain
had been hurled on TO it.
But as nitric acid and refined grease arr
both plentiful and inexpensive, what is to
hinder the letting loose Of dozens OF tons OF
this concentrated ana portable lightning
should occasion call for il! The Ingredients
when separate are harmless compoundlnp
them is a matter OF no expense, and herein
were there no other advantage, lies an i'm.
mense superiority over gunpowder, as this
compound can be made of the crude in
gradients any where and just as fast al
needed. There need be no magazine ex-
plosions.
But let US illustrate some of it's practical
applications. especially IN defensive war;
fare. Let it be assumed that a hostile feet
is on its way to pay its respects TO some Of
our seaboard cities. The Dondolo DruiliO,
Dreadnaught or some other huge, unwieldly
iron plaything-and, however costly, thi:
is about all that such vessels have been tc
date-iualiy heaves into sight and takes
position to lombard, let US suppose, New
| OTk CITY.
But now, quietly and simultaneously
from different points, from as much of the
radius of a circle as possible, small and
simply-equipped vessels depart, having the
enemy as a common converging center
Either of these craft has a stout engine and
ample boiler, whose fuel is crude petroleum
boiler and fire gagged TO insure the neces.
sary run, flying at the rate of thirty miles
per hour, which may be maintained for tbs
required distance. Each of thess dimlnutive
boats is tanked with an equipment OF de-
struction in quantity sufficient for the pur.
pose in view, aud with clock apparatus to
go off In any given time.
Here comes craft from different direc-
tons, from front and rear, come automatic
ally, with not a soul on board, fearless
come laden with an element of more than
internal destruction, dire, swift, sure-what
- to be done?
What can such an unwieldy monster dc
in the brief but fateful limit of half an
houri Flyl MOI There is no time 20 get
started even, and there is no defense
against these inanimate messengers charged
with the capacity of such terrible and in
evitable consequences.
POSSIBILITIES UNDREAMED OF.
But there comes a crash, then another
many times intensified. Earth and ocean
shake and the very molecules of the atmos-
phere seem shattered. Columns Of water
seem to reach to the clouds, and for an in