Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-10

tors. New ideas fo-
arms, ships, &C., are
constantly being sug-
gested to the army and navy by ambitious
and original thinkers. The archives of
those departments of the government are
full OF them. and fresh ones continually &C.
cupy most of the attention Of division In
the patent office.
The most astonishing contrivance for
warfare recently developed is Col. w. r.
Kings gigantic electromagnetic, of which
something has been said in the newspapers
within the last few days. This engineer
officer Of the army has constructed on the
top Of a fort at Willets Point, near New
York, a great horseshoe composed of two
big cannon and a metal bar, with sew
eral miles of heavy insulated telegraph wire
wound around the muzzles OF the guns for
spools Thus has been produced the most
powerful magnet In the world, current
of electricity being supplied from a dynamo.
AS alleged, 1t is capable OF deranging
ships compass at distance OF six miles,
which would be useful in case hostile ves-
sells tried to approach at night or in fog.
They would be apt to find themselves ashore
Unexpectedly. 1t has been suggested that
a row of such magnets along the walls OF a
fort might be used to draw the small arms
out of the hands of an on-coming enemy.
bian Nights storN in which the iron nails
were pulled out Of ships that ventured too
near the mountain of loadstone.
The ingenuity of this conception Is only
surpassed by a design now on file at the
Navy Department for a war vessel which
is to have three decks. Each deck is divided
up into twelve rooms. Instead OF masts,
there are three elevators, so arranged that
each of them shall open into four rooms on
each deck. The rooms are built like safes.
with every possible burglar-proof contriv-
aEce. The ship Is otherwise arranged like
any other ship-of-war. The arrangement
described Is provided as a precaution in
case of defeat In battle. In that event,
the vessel being threatened with capture,
her officers and crew retreat by the eleva-
tors to the room, In which they lock them
selves and defy the enemy. The rooms are
fitted up with every modern convenience
for comfort, 50 that the men and officers
may amuse themselves at playing cards or
otherwise until the foe goes away.
In Place of Gunpowder.
In 1872 Congress gave a lump sum Of
100000 to pay for the creation Of three new
models for ch-loading and muzzle-load-
ing cannon. A board of experts was ap-
pointed to attend to the business. and sug
gestlons were invited. Cranks all over the
country sent to Washington their ideas.
which were eventually published in book
by the government Some of them were
very funny indeed. One was for a CEN
lets by the turning of wheel. The bullets
were to be thrown into a hopper. Another
notion was for a cannon to shoot water.
This may not have been so nonsensical as
II seems. Taxidermists use water car
tridges to kill humming birds.
1t Is not safe to declare that any new idea
Is useless or impracticable. One day not
long ago a certain examiner Of patents at
Washington demonstrated conclusively by
figures that certain machine for which q
patent was desired could not possibly work.
He showed 1t by figures which were plain
and undeniable. His surprise, then. may be
imagined when the inventor brought his
machine and exhibited 1t In actual opera
ton, working to perfection. The notion Of
a gun In which carbonic acid gas is used
instead OF gpnpowder strikes one off-hand
as an absurdity. Yet this invention seems
likely to do wonders in the future. II II
does not fairly revolutionize modern war
fare
The patent was taken out not long ago in
this country by a Frenchman named Paul
Giffard. His idea is to compress carbonic
acid gas to a liquid in a small cylinder. The
cylinder may be attached to any rife, which
requires a very simple modification to adapt
1t for the purpose. A touch on the trigger
lIberates very small quantity of the
liquid carbonic acid. which instantly ex-
pands on being relieved from the pressure
and drives the bullets out of the gun.
Another bullet is dropped in at the breech,
Under is exhausted. With a single cylinder
100 bullets were fired through an inch plank
at the patent office the other day.
Compressed Air and Steam.
SO long as single drop of carbonic acid
remains liquid in the cylinder, the pressure
and hence the velocity impaired to the bull
let is the same A cylinder is good for $50
rounds and costs only % cents. valve
prevents the escape of more than a small
quantity Of the carbonic acid at a time 1t
is expected that eventually atmospheric air
l.z,x,x
of carbonic acid gas. The pressure will
then be 10000 pounds to the square inch
more than ten times that of the carbonic
acid. The velocity of the projectile will be
proportionately greater. A government
could put UP these cylinders in quantities
and they would be much cheaper than or
binary gunpowder cartridges. When one is
used up, another can be attached very
quickly to the rifle.
An idea somewhat similar has been pat
ented recently for a steam gun. Superheat-
ed steam Is confined under great pressure
and liberated like the compressed air in a
pneumatic gun. The pneumatic guns thus
far invented are not available for use on
board Of vessels. because they have to have
enormously long tubes in order to render 1t |
possible to compress the air sufficiently |
Thus II Is necessary TO trim the ship In or
der to bring the gun to bear upon the OBJ |
ject. The improved pneumatic dynamite |
gun on shore. with a fixed tube. can be |
made to strike any target with absolute |
accuracy by controlling the pressure of the |
air. The vessel to be hit must pass in front |
Of 1t. but to do Is destruction. II the |
Misunderstanding projectile falls within |
LOO yards or 50 Of the ship, the latter Is |
surely sunk.
One Of the oldest Of inventions for war |
Is a projectile which carries a huge knife |
blade like an enormous chopping knife. 1t |
Is intended to NOW down men as with a |
scythe That was the idea Of the old-fash-
toned chain-shot-a device so fearfully de-
structive that its use was forbidden by the |
laws Of nations. Two cannons were loaded |
with balls which were connected by a chain, |
and then were fired simultaneously. The |
chain was made as long as might be de- |
sired, and by this means entire ships |
company might be swept off her deck at one /
shot The most approved method was to |
have the guns near together for conveni-s
ence, but trained at angle like the let /
ter V. 1t may be imagined how murderous /
such contrivance must have been at close |
quarters ships used to fight
Another inventor has recorded a sugges-
ton for projectile with a hole through |
the middle, designed to enable the gunner
to get a dead-center sight. OF course, the |
notion is absurd, inasmUch the marks
man does not fire straight at the target |
He must allow for the trajectory, for the
drift of the shot due to its revolution
caused by the rifing, for the wind, and on |
shipboard for the movements of the vessels |
engaged In conflict. Another ingenious idea |
hoo FOR tad hv T..