Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-10
Modern Discovery in Occult Power.

4
flashing intelligence across wide conti-
nents and drought the depths of the
mighty ocean, or by the same mysteri-
, Gus agency store away the very ac-
cents OF his voice to be reproduced
centuries hence, We are assured that
the end OF p0ssib lie achievements has
been 10y no means attained nor its out
lines been even dimly outlined.
The electric current succeeded gas
as an illuminant, just as gas at the
proper time had displaced whale oil, and
that, a few years before, had super.
seeded the ,allow dip and the bit of rag
floating in a saucer of grease. Elec.
trio motors have largely superseded
the steam engine, as that had dis
placed the waterwheel and the various
devices for utilizing horsepower.
Now comes proposition to do the
heating Of our homes and the cooking
OF our dinners by the same mysterious
agency. All that is necessary under
the new dispensation is to press but
ton to raise the temperature to COM
Portable heat or to set the oysters to
stewing or the eggs to sizzling. There
will soon be no coal, no ashes, no
smoke, nor no dirt in the kitchen, the
range ready at a moments notice, and
there will be no need for the cook to
swelter in the hot days of summer.
The same current will furnish the light
and do away with that dangerous fluid
which has destroyed more lives than
war and been the cause of nine tenths
the destructive CONGREGATIONS since it
found its way from the coal-ledges far
beneath the earth's surface.
With an elimination of the condition
OF great weight which has been I'M
avoidable in construction of powerful
motors, electricity has necessarily
spanned the way towards aerial com.
municstion. And now comes Edison,
at an opportune moment, with a pro-
position to supply our government
with electrical appliances that will
render the country impregnable to as
sault of the navies of the world. He
declares that water may be made more
effective than bullets. He proposes,
in capturing fort, for instance where
water power is available, to place dy-
namo at some sheltered point con-
nected with hose, and send q stream
of water charged with 5000 volts all
over the fortress and earthworks. 1t
would sweep everything before it like
chat, and its efficiency would be sim
ply limited by the distance the water
could be thrown. He proposes to sur
round our cities with cables that will
deal death to all who attempt to cross
them. They could be concealed so
fectively that the invader would liter.
ally never know what struck him!
Another idea of the wizard, which
comes as near "chain lightning" rs
anything imaginable, is the firing of
electric chains into the ranks of an in.
vading force. Talk OF the Calling gun
or the metraileuse-why they would be
pop.guns in comparison. His idea is
to take chains of any desirable length
and attach one end to the wires of a
dynamo. The other end could be
placed in a cannon and fired at the ap-
preaching foe. He declares that this
chain lightning would send instant
destruction to every living thing with
which it came in contract, and by
keeping the air filled with these sway.
ing serpents of death-dealing agency,
advance would be utterly impossible.
To resist naval attacks he thinks
that dynamite is the great moral per-
suader. He thinks that air vessels
may be constructed by which 500
pound charge of that powerful explo-
sive may be placed where it would un.
doubtedly do the most good. 1t would
not be necessary to secure accurate
aim with such charge. The force Of
a conclusion from it within two miles
of ship would almost shiver her. He
suggests an improvement in placing Of
torpedoes for harbor defense. He
would not have them stationery, but
, on cable traversing a circuit of sew
eral miles out into the harbor, some
what on the principle OF the movement
of the cable street cars. By this
means, an almost impossible Gordon
of death-dealing mines could be ar
ranged SO as to bring them within
almost certain effective distance of all
invading war-ships. Although sub.
merged, tho exact location of these
torpedoes could be traced, and they
could be released and fired by the cleo
trio spark at any point on the miles of
protective cable.
Edison favors the use OF torpedo
boats as we'll. They are so easily ham
died, require so few men and are so
inexpensive compared with more pre-
tentious substitutes, that a myriad of
these little fighting devils would be
much more effective than the largest
battle ship. High explosives, he
maintains, have done more to equalize
the strength of nations, than any other
agency, and the means of making them
effective, the war spirit will speedily
develop. Speaking of himself, Mr..
Edison says: eff there ia war with
England, which / trust there never