Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-03-03
To Smash Hostile Fleets.

Au entirely rew plan for TIE defence OF
New York cit, and barber .sgeirsta ecst lie
Heet ls undeE consideration By the commit
tse on coast Ge!encee oi the UriteG Stetss
Senate /: isa plen With scme very strik.
Ing features, which appeal to the !maglne-
t.cn of tne ordinary urscientfio oitzsn sLd
hss bean before military and naval experts
:or eeyeral months. Is 10 before Congress- 81
the icetance Of the Adiu.apt.Generals Office
Of the State OF New Jersey and of commit.
toes o; the New York Chamber Of Commerce
and Board of Trade. appointed to look after
tha matter Of the 6sfeDce OF tne city. II the
Invention will 60 all tb, is claimed for 1t a
Gig load will bs taken eff the minds OF very
nsuy Nav Workers.
The invention Is electrical. I, cGp be ap,
piled 10 iho protection Of all seRcoaat c!tiee,
In eny country, but the Chamber ef Com.
merce snd Board OF Trade committees are
not worrying about lis rsa any @here but In
New York, and all ihe plans go far have
been coz feed 10 tbis heEhor.
Whet Ia claimed for tee in7entlop, Ia
iew words. is thls: II any hostile ship or
fs,s attempted to ertsr this barber, as 1t
Crosssd any given line, cay the 64.fa'hon
line In she cGtsr Bag, a blow OF 80. 600 foot.
tcns ccuId be struUS upon eRoh chip, which
would sffecua'ly pm! eny weasel nov efoas
oct o; the way Of doing damage to New
York c.!v or to anything elss. The bow
would come frcm overhead, ert OF
tae cir, would st.ike vertically and
wi.h absolute csi slinty. II could be directed
as sny part c! tho surface Of the ship, and
would be aiDei at the spot where VI would
do she most aud surest damage. Twenty of
;hsse so 000.fott tnn blows oould 30 struck
In isn seconds of time. TIE slx.and-R-half-
tstaom lire ia dlsta: about fourteen mi es
f.om the City Hal and !weive miles fsom
tie bui..up part; OF Brooklyn. Oetsi6e
t1st line 40 ship now slo&t could do any
damage o New York Il 5, and intiie thst
line the invsntor esys, 1t would he sbsc-
lu,eiy impossible far any vessel t. ccae.
The 5lcw could pcs be conducted eff, ss p
stroke of lightning might, AID it would
shatlor tlo object struck Into fragments.
Oae feature Of tie iavet ton, the i5Ventcr
says, Is that Il requires only very eimp!e ma.
ohinery. Ali the parts o!ths construction cen
be bought from machinery dealers, and read
only be collected nnd pu! together ready Tor
sCt on. N9 expensive plaIt will be neces-
sSry to make any psrt OF the system. Far
thesmore there will be practically nothing
Of the Tcrks Of the plan for the enemy to
attack. The enemy will be helpless in
eithsr ttsck OF defence sgsrst tho e!eet 10
eirvger.
For mapy yssrs taa 1T aok, In nRk!ua
war CT countr5, has b. o .t,adi!y aai0ipa
cn the defence. nitl nov tse defence is
mcet particularly weak. A. breakfast
given by the Chsmte- of Oommsrte 20 the
officers CT tis white squadron Iast year Ad-
nirai 3 aiaa ssid he thought 1t wei t, tell
the tnembsra CT the Chsnber thet If he
were attacking New York. ard bad but two
OF tle vessels com posing The white squadron,
hs could easily lay New York under con-
!E;tu:ion. sad make the city deii7er up lie
fiVe 1T eix huHdred mi!li3ns OF t,eaeure.-
N Y Sim