Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1896-01-23


accurately placed and will begin to
toss skyward their hail of shells.
As the ships draw near, (their bear
ings have been got, the range finders,
will measure their distance every few
seconds, and the high-pOwer guns
ing shells. If the great armOr-
clads withstand this, unscathed,
and come still nearer, the curious
coughs of the dynamite guns will
begin. The huge tubes will he
trained by instantly wol king electric
motors; the odd cigar-shaped projec-
tiles will soar slowly into the air,
carrying certain destruction to any
vessel which one of them may hit, or,
if failing to strike, hurling alOft
great geysers of foam. There is no
delay in this firing; not only will the
electric motors quickly move the
guns'responsive to touch, but the
propelling charges of the powder
guns will be ignited by the passing
of the button controlling the electric
primsrs. and the electric fuses in the
shells filed with nitro-gelatine or
gun cotton will detOnate them the
instant the ship is struck or the
moment after submersion.
But perhaps the attacking vessels
are pouring "a return fire, silencing
the batteries, so that the long line
of ships begins to enter the channel.
Now a dozen or more of lean, long
pointed craft moving under the
water draw away from the shore.
No human being is on them. Some
are driven by electric engines, sup
piled with currant by wires leading
to dynamos on the land; Others are
propelled by carbonic acid gas, and
are only steered by electricity through
cables which they lay behind them
as they move. They will run at
high speed for miles. Any one of
them touching Il ship infallibly sinks
dynamite.
Or perhaps a column of black smoke
(Which seems to rise out of the water
itself close to the land suddenly
disappears ana the sea is scarcely
troubled by the swift progress be-
meath it of the Holland submarine
boat, 80 feet i'm length, a warship in
herself driven by electric motors,
and rushing unseen to the attack,
delivering torpedo after torpedo, or
finally crashing her ram into the
enemy's ungartled ribs. far below the
water line.
Meanwhile the position finders on
the harbor forts are showing stimuli
taneously to the whole Gordon OF
fortifications which the fire of all the
smoke cuts off the view from one
battery, another may have clear
sight, and the telegraph conveys
knowledge of the exact position of
the ships from those who can see to
those who cannot.
| As the vessels penetrate the outer
harbor new difficulties confront them
The whole roadstead is planted
with submarine mines, placed at
exactly designated places. A system
of electric wires connects these with
the governing switchboard and
Observation-Disclosures i'm the forts. They
are so placed that ships going
through the channels must pass
over them.
When the position finder shows
that a vessel is finally i'm the tolls.
the observer i'm some far-distant
lbomb-proof touches a key, and the
hidden volcano is set loose. Nor
does the blackness of night serve AS
"a shield. The powerful beams of a
dozen electric searchlights may be
: converged upon the vessel so that
every mast and every rope stands
ont like silver.
! ii the position finder is wholly
blinded by densely encOmpassine
smoke. clouds or fog, then the watch
, full electric buoy, floating above the
deadly magazine just below the
surface of the water, upon the coli
: sion of the ironclad with it. operates 9
delicate circuit closer, and thus the
victim herself sets free the current
] which fires the blast and causes hel
own destruction.
| All this presuppOses that our OWL
. warships have not been ON the