Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
WAR DANGEROUS NOW
Hodern Equipments Make q Tre-
= mendous Killing Inevitable.

Z
- mendous Killing Inevitable
FUMES TO PUT ARMIES TO SLEEP;
Explosives by Means Of Which Ono Har
Could Destroy Big City.
KILLING SOLDIERS THREE MILES AwAl
Whoever It was. whether Blaine or Har-
rinon, that kept this country out of wal
with Chile, the failure of fight was great
disappointment to experts in warfare all
over the world, who vainly sigh for con-
fict that will afford some sort of test Of the
value of modern naval and military methods
There has been no battle on the sea since
the days of wooden battleships, and rapid
firing weapons. fish torpedoes, high ex-
prosives, submarine destroyers and other
devices for scientific and wholesome killing
have had no chance for practical trial
The United States Government is taking
active part-particularly Of late in the line
of strategic ballooning-in the experiments
which all civilized and Christian nations
are engaged with-for the purpose of dis
covering more effective means for wiping
out hostile armies and fleets While busy
with smokeless powders, the chief object Of
which is to make the foe visible, the War
Department has been keeping an eye upon
the "smoke grenades" that are now excit-
ing attention in England. They are filled
with chemical substances which. on explo-
sion, produce clouds of dense black smoke.
and are designed to be carried in advance
BY administers and thrown 50 as to conceal
the troops following.
Illuminating Shells and stinkpotS. f.
Not less novel and remarkable are the
Illuminating bombs which are being tested
by the Italianl One Of them, cast among
the enemy at night will burst and immedi-
ately light up the darkness with power of
100, 900 candleA One of the most extraor-
dinary of new inventions in warfare is the
French explosive called "melinire," which
is not only effective for rending and de-
stroying when thrown in bomb. but also
serves q purpose similar to That of the
'xtinkpots" of long ago. These latter, sup
posed to have been originated by the Sara
Gems during the Middle Ages, were utilized
as late as the last century by the British,
French and Spanish. Smashed among the
enemy they set free volumes Of poisonous
and asphyxiating gases
Melinite is not only three times as pow
erful as gunpowder. but 1t has the great ad-
vantage of being entirely safe to handle.
Its base is coal tar product termed picric
acid. and it has about the consistency of
molasses, being poured into shells and hard
enlng. The fumes liberated by the bursting
of one of these bombs are most deadly. Not
long ago, for the purpose Of experiment, a
single one was fired at vessel on which
had been placed number of sheep. and
goats All of the animals not killed by the
fragments of the exploded shell were suffo-
man, digging out of the ground melinite
bomb that had been fred three days before,
was so far overcome by the gases which it
still exhaled as to be with difficulty re-
stored.
Putting " hole Army to Sleep.
The object of clvilIsed warfare being not
to kill but to disable or capture the adver-
sary. it has been suggested that shells, In
deadly explosives, should be filled with
powerful though harmless drugs, which ON
bursting would spread sleep-producing
vapor Thus an entire ships company
might be plunged into involuntary slumber
by single bomb, and in like manner whole
regiments and brigades could be forced to
resign themselves to sudden and helpless
repose, to be revived later by their humane
captors The somniferous gas ought to
have as nearly as possible the same specific
gravity as the atmosphere 50 as to be dis
persed in the latter and hang in cloud
about the enemy, neither rising in the air
nor falling to the ground.
High explosives, hitherto untried in
either military or naval contests, will play
a large and important part in the warfare
of the future. The most powerful at pres
ent known is "explosive gelatine, being 10
times as strong as gunpowder. It is made
by dissolving gun-cotton in nitro-glycerine,
the preparation having the consistency of
honey. Unfortunately, it is very unsafe
stuff to use in battle, because bullet strik-
ing IL will set it off by conclusion. No ex-
plosive is good for fighting purposes that
can be touched off by shock or otherwise
than by actual contact with fire.
Mixing Chemicals During Flight.
A novel kind OF bomb is filled with what
the inventor calls "hellofite." The two
chemical Ingredients, binitro-benzole and
nitric acid, are in separate glass vessels,
which are broken when the shot is fred.
their contents being mixed together by the
rapid revolution OF the shell and exploded
bv time fuse Wonderful accounts are
given of the havoc created by the bursting
Of projectiles of this description. Up to
the present time no method of throwing
high-power explosives from guns by means
Of gunpowder has been proved successful,
although one scientific gentleman has
wasted $500, 900 of Uncle Sans money in
experiments which only resulted in burst
ing many valuable cannon. However,
trials that are being conducted under Gov
srnment auspices with the new mixture
termed "emmensite" seem likely to solve |
his problem. Until now only pneumatic |
yuns have been found available for such |
purposes
FLYING machines for use in war have en-
ragged no little attention of late on the part |
If inventors Maxim, the designer of the |
amous gun, claims to have produced one |
which can be controlled. He declares that |
lie can fill his aerial car with explosives |
md hover IN it over the city of London,
lolding that great metropolis at ransom to
he extent OF as many million of pounds as
lie chooses to mention.
Holding Up Big City.
Thus situated he can announce his terms |
~ dropping small package containing q |
tatement Of them and his ultimatum of |
Cash or Crash" His contrivance is q |
cylinder of aluminium containing a three. |
ourths vacuum, its collapse being pre-
rented by strong ribs inside. It Is pro-