The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-06-12

stand such shock. Its sides would be
instantly disrupted and it would sink q
broken mass into the waves. The explo-
sion of one of these huge projectiles un-
der water in proximity to man-Of-war
would be equally disastrous. for the water
being uniform body, the force OF The
conclusion would be the same in all di-
rections and would strike the side of the
ship like catapult.
This system of throwing projectiles is
just as efficacious on shipboard against
coast fortiflcations or other vessels at sea.
1t Is not hard to predict what would hap
pen. A man-of-wa armed with one of
these guns would be lord of the sea, for it
could sink any ship, wood or steel. almost
as soon as sighted. and at distance be-
yond the reach OF the heaviest guns now
ahoat. The strongest armored ships
would be crushed like egg shells before
the terrific fire, and the sea would fast
swallow up the noble steel cruisers that
1t has cost the nations SO much to perfect.
If a time should come when all the ma
vies of the world were armed with these
guns and war should be declared. they
would have such wholesome dread of
each other that the popular running tao
tics of the prize ring would prevail at sea.
The best fighter would be the best runner.
and this style OF battle would be followed
until some more powerful engine OF de-
struction was discovered which would
give new courage to its possessor.
The steel-turreted forts which 1t is pro-
posed to erect on Romer Shoals at the en-
trance to New York Harbor, command
ing all the channels, would not be invul-
nerable to one of these guns at seven
miles. No foundation could be built at
the present stage OF the military art
strong enough TO resist the explosive
force of 500 pounds of nitro-gelatlne.
Every gun would be dismantled and
every man killed by the shock. The his
tory of war, like the history OF evolution
in nature, shows that attack IS always
ahead of defense.
Imagine the fearful execution that
would be caused by one OF these man.
made meteors in case OF bombardment.
A hostile ship carrying this system could
lie beyond the Narrows and discharge
projectie into the lower portion Of New
York CITY, doing millions OF dollars
worth OF damage, blOtting out thousands
OF lives and leaving yawnlng crater
where the explosion occurred. The mere
thought OF the carnage would make
demon shiver. No nation menaced by
such a calamity could afford to stand on
ceremony in the adjustment OF lnterna-
tional questions. Wars would consist OF
one shot, if they were ever entered into at
all, and il but one OF these earth-shaklng
projectiles ever tell within great and
populous city war would be banlshed
from the earth as something too frightful,
too Satanic to be contemplated.
MODERN POWDERS.
The modern art of war had its origin in
the invention, about fifty years ago, Of
gun-coiton and nitro-glycerine, the two
high explosives employed i'll various
forms and under different names in the
mr. ~ nf
III UGH time and study have been given
by experts 10 the proper compromising OF
these two elements to obtain cannon
powder which should give maximum
velocity with 6 minimum pressure, and
like results for like charges, which should
be smok eless and leave no residue in the
gun; firm and hard, SO that it may not be
broken up i'll handling; unaffected by
climatic conditions or moisture. and the
product Of whose OmDustion should be
OF so low temperature as to cause little
heating Of the gun.
Scores OF compounds have been brought
forward which satisfy some OF these con-
ditions, but are deficient in others. The
two cannon powders now preferred by
foreign military authorities are Cordite
and French Il. \. Cordite fouls the gun
and the French B. \. is less powerful
than Cordite and is not smokeless cor
roding the gun even more than Cordite.
The inetficiency of the present naval
armament was shown in the recent en-
gagement of the lalu River in the war
between China and Japan. The tight
was OF long duration and the victory dis.
puted, considerable damage having been
done on both sides. Whereas, thor
oughly efficient system of throwing high
ex pIosive in the possession of either side
would have terminated the engagement
quickly, without leaving any doubt as to
who was entitled to the victory.
One of the inventors of this new sys-
tenn boldly defines war as 1.-THE business of
killing and manning of neighDors and
the appropriating OF their property"
| 1.-The art of war" according to the same
authority, consists of the employment
of means and instruments to accomplish
this purpose with the minimum of risk,
expenditure and loss on the investment
Tremendous agents of destruction are
now at the command of men; agents be-
fore which the human BODY is as leaf
before the wind, and even the most solid
and enduring structures OF mans devls-
ing resem BILE the mist which vanishes
away. 1t seems scarcely a stretch OF the
Imagination to picture man in tho next
century welding the thunderbolts of
Jove in battle and summoning the earth
quake and the tornado to do the bidding
of his wrath, thus realizing the Titanic
battles of the gods described by the poets
in the Greek mythology.-NewI York
World.