The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12

into holes in the ground. It is obviously
desirable. should any foreign war arise,
placing this country on the defensive, 10
keep the floating enemy at long range,
and, while holding him there. assume the
offensive in a manner that viii either
diminish his fleet or cause it to retire. Can
electricity do anything by its marvellous
nexibnty and adaptablity to insure the
safety Of the great city, and keep the har-
Dor inviolate2
1t is believed by those who have studied
the subject that electricity offers re-
sources of great value for such a moment
OF national need, and that six of its Meap-
ons alone might prove adequate. These
six are submarine mines, dynamite guns
dlrigible tOrpedoes, trolley forts, disap-
pearing boats and naVigable balloons.
All of these can be readily operated from
the Long Island or Jersey shores, so that,
10 begin with, the invader would be held
off at more than arms length.
Submarine mines are simply anchored
and submerged torpedOes controlled at
practically any distance from shore by
electrical apparatus, which sends the cur
rent through the wire, and fires the fuse
or effects a release. The operator on land,
guided by various methods. discharges
the mine at the right moment; and there
are also electrical methods which cause
the simultaneous discharge OF guns
trained upon the same spots as those at
which the mines are situated. The shores
and waters around Sandy Hook are ad-
and 1t would not be very expensive to
provide mines enough to blow sky-hgh
even as large a fleet as that which gather
ed last year to see the international yacht
races.
There is no good reason why submerged
forts should not take the place OF the
mines, or supplement them, ana the guns
therein be fired electrically from shore,
miles away. IL has already been demon
etrated that an Ericsson submarine gun
viii fire projectile no less than 600 feet
"a "a M a - fac 1nFaur
from a depth of p feet
My next item is dynamite guns. The
shells from these terrible weapons carry
q small electric battery, and thus the
explosion of the deadly charge is regu-
lated, although the gunners are quite
safe. Hitherto the range of dynamiters
has been comparatively limited, but il is
certainly capable Of increase, with an
increase also in the quantity of the
charge. 1t must be remembered, too,
that the shell does not have to strike
plosion is the main thing. Dynamite
guns with a seaward range of only five
miles at Sandy Hook, firing charges Of
600 pounds Of explosive in the electrical
shells, would be oppressiVely disagreeable
TO an invading fleet.
Navigable balloons operated by electric
motors are success, and in the time
of emergency would become vastly more
so. AS far back as 1884 two French army
officers showed what could be done in
this respect, steering big balloon around
freely, and making 51s miles in twenty
three minutes Such balloons as this
could be admirably operated from the
highlands, and could drop explosives or
suffocating chemicals at will upon any
ship. Recent trials in Austria have show
that il Is well nigh, IL not altogether, inn
possible TO train guns up into the air
ary." Balloons steered around by cleo
trio motor can go out boldly to sea. and
half dozen of them would be worth
untold millions, but the very finest could
be had for 100000 apiece, fully equipped.
come next to dirigible torpedoes, OF
which the Sims-Edison is probably the
best type. 1t is entirely operated from
shore carrying along in its huh coil of
wire, which unreels as 1t goes, ana
through which passes the current which
enables the operator on shore 70 make II
dodge like a dexterous football player. Dy-
Mantle is slowed away at the business end
and the fuse is also fired by the guiding
hand on shore. At Wnlets Point in 1881,
one of these torpedoes, loaded with 500
pounds of dynamite, was manipulated at
a speed of 20 knots an hour for miles. Inc
English in 1892, tried one of them by man.
oeliyerine IL from the deck of a steamer in
motion, when 1t ran out actually I,UO0 rect
of cable in a shade over minutes, ana was
made to twist and dive like an eel A batch
of these would be ugly customers, no mat
ter how thorough might be the manor
wars protection of torpedo netting. only
80 horsepower in electric current IS re-
uuired to propel one of standard size, and
il 500 horsepower, or even loo horse pow
er of electricity We're put behind one, y
would rush on its prey several miles OIL
with liberal ton or two OF dynamite, ahu
with absolute certainty of delivering the
goods. The machinery on shore Wmch
operated it could operate an endless sue
cession If IL were necessary.
Trolley forts are feature worthy OF
consideration in coast defense. 1t IS not
new to iron-clad a locomotive and car
and run them over track, but IL would
be new to adapt the light and simple
trolley to a system of movable patrol
Forts and each equipped with as heavy a
gun as could be mounted on big truck
of broad gauge. Dynamite shells can be
fired from such a trolley fort at any
point along twenty miles of coast, the
The machinery for firing dirigible tope-
does could also be handled comfortably
on such a trolley fort. The recon even OF
big artillery is easily provided for. II
the road were shorter very weighty pieces
of ordnance could be moved thus up and
down a mile or two of earthworks OF
masonry. There are electric motors on
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad to-day
hauling loads of LOO to 1900 tons at sew
eral miles an hour, and they could GER
tainly tow around a fort any artillery
weighing less than a quarter of that, The
same trolley road would be available al
all times for moving troops ana trans
porting supplies, and IN times OF peace
for Ufeboat service. One of the best de-
fenses for New York is a military trolley
road on each shore at Sandy Hook. The
track can be depressed and the wire put
low at the side. Laying and repair are
both remarkably easy, and some electric
locomotives even now are built as nat as
turtles.
4 good many disappearing electric boats
have been constructed, and there is nc
doubt whatever that New York harbol
can have the benefit of some very good
ones when the time arrives. A French
boat of this class has remained under
water with two men eight hours at a
depth of thirty-three feet. The American
Baker boat of seVenty-four tons has re
manned sealed up, on the surface and be
low il two and three-quarter hours, and
travels on an even keel far under water
turning readily right or left. The only
trouble in this work is the difficulty OF
seeing very far ahead below water, but
these boats would be able to do consid.
cradle damage and often escape unseen
The use of storage batteries enables them
10 travel silently on the surface unit
near their mark, and recent experience
have shown that even an ordinary torpe.
do boat can get over the danger line be.
fore her big opponent is aware of it
Electric launches, for regular work
would be very useful at Sandy Hook as
an arm of defense, in addition to those
above enumerated. They would handle
troops and stores in enormous quantities
but silently and obscurely / have trav.
eled over the whole harbor in one WITH
the utmost ease and safety Electric
search lights would point their long fin.
gers of revealing light at the approaching
enemy, and the Boughton felephotos
nc 70 clio 2