The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-04
AN lNDlA hueesR NAVY.
An Indiana Man Thinks IroncIads Have
Got to Give WAY to Rubber.

Got to Give way TO Rubber.
As the man was going out of the big
hotel he whispered to me in sepuichral
tones Colonel Rice is not right in his
upper story-he is clean daft"
III a few minutes l saw the jocund face
of Colonel James II. Rice, ex-auditor of
Indiana, coming from the elevator. He
looked perfectly sane, and / asked him who
his friend was that had just departed.
THAT man." said the colonel, ''is pro
mOter, and has not given me moments
rest since | 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. / offered to have him elected vice presi-
dent of a company that is not formed. II
my idea is put into execution it will revo-
lutionize naval warfare, and an ironclad
will be as harmless as barge carrying
load of Sunday school excursionists"
The colonel invited me to his room,
where l saw number Of illustrations in
the rough OF queer looking ships. | 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 india rub
Der. Each vessel is protected with rubber
seven feet in thickness and with enough
give or elasticity TO it TO send the largest
ball ever fred against it bounding back
into the water. admit that the common
rubber is not Of sufficient toughness to re-
sist the impact Of the ordinary cannon
ball, but the rubber | intend to use is not
common. Every man who makes an in
noyation and relegates established meth
DDS to the past is in the beginning ccnsid-
cred a crank But | do not mind any
little epithet of that kind"
What is the tall spire in the vessels"
THAT" said the scientific colonel ''is
the lookout. It il a tower that can be tele-
scoped i'm a second TO the surface Of the
vessels deck and erected in the same space
of time. 1t IS 500 feet nigh. There is only
one smokestack and it can be taken down
in a minute Cannou' All that is a Sc
cret, but ! shall tell you because you are
not a promoter. In the rear Of the vessel
there is a turret tower with four destTuc-
tive guns. You don't see il. eh' Wen,
neither do 7. but il the enemy appeared. By
manipulating machinery there would rise
from the huh OF the vessel turret. pro
tected by india rubber and ready 20 sink
feet OF ironclsds. Everything on the deck
OF my india rubber vessel can be dropped
below in few moments"
Have you ever studied that branch Of
mathematics which treats Of trajectory /
The colonel had, and added; My BOY. /
ball dropped on the deck Of one Of ny YES 4
sels would bound a mile high. There ,
is absolutely no powder or force strong
enough to drive q ball into the rubber
One more question. colonel HOY long
have you had this peculiar elastic ideas'
1T came 70 me as an inspiration I've .
years ago was in Chicago and 8 va
zened faced man with q voice that sounded .
ike the nos made by tearing calico made +
Ife miserable to NE He hsd scheme.
and for a week he became ny SHADES, try
Ing 70 gel ne 70 20 into s. worked out
the INDIA rubber vessel aid for three hours
earnestly explained 10 aim tie fortune ia .
Il II he wouid accept the vace presidearT.
From thar tine be bzs never aid 'sehsme'
to me azain have Shown Is TO d0zens Ok .
pU1aosers ard have talked - mach 45pat 4
Il that / really thsns ~gne Kind e rzbhe-
can b. made 20 r.-l-. and 'hro~ bsck can
nor balls New YORK Herald