Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-10

single and powerful automatic gun,
mounted forward ana arranged in such {.
manner that upon firing the gun should
completely disappear and the port through
which it fred be automatically closed. -
AS the vessels are not intended for dis
tant work, but always To he within easy
touch OF a base Of supply the weight other
wise given to coal could in the case of
these ships be given largely to the engines.
In the semisuhlnerged condition, or fight
ing trim. Nr Maxim counts upon speed
Of IS knots, and, as the vessels are also in
tended to ram. the blow from a moving
body Of quite 1900 tons travelling Mt that
rate would prove destructive to the stout
est craft atoat today. With the water bal
last out and in light cruising trim, he ex
poets speed Of something in the neigh
borhood Of % knots an hour.
Nikola Tesla claims to have discovered
that it is just as easy to blow up an enc
my's vessel by means of his oscillator as
it is to send message by telephone from
one end of the city TO the other. The
question OF distance between the enemy $
ship and the oscllator does not enter into
consideration at all.
II can send a message that will reach
10 Mars, says MI. Iesla.
The same force that can convey mes
sage that distance will be able, MIR. Tesla
thinks, to blow up the biggest hattlesliip
that has ever been afloat at an equal dis
tanCe.
The manner Of accomplishing this is Of
course not divulged by the inventor in de-
tail. In a general way, however he docs
not hesitate to say that he simply conveys
an electric spark into the powder maya
zine of the vessel to BIO blown up and the
spark and powder do the rest.
by the aid of powerful machinery the
oscillator can be made to start "a Migratory
wave, said Mr.. Tesla yesterday, (which
would accumulate force as it progressed.
In striking the object against which the
wavo is directed it does so with such a
percussion as would inevitably explode it,
the same as if it WAS struck with a per
cusson cap"
This news will be more pleasing to
those sailing in Uncle Sans ships than
to the sailors of Spain, for MIR. Tesla will
undoubtedly offer the use of his invention
to the United States government. If his
offer is accepted-and there does not APP
pear to be any reason why it should not
be-the best thing Spain could do would
be to begin to hustle to get all her ships
relieved of ammunition. Every pound of
explosive in their magazines, no matter
how securely stored away, is but SO much
menace to their safety.
The only condition to the success of
Mr.. Tesla's operations is that he be cor
rectly posted rs to the location of the yes
sci ho desires giving the quietus to. In
order to be able to ascertain this to "a Ger
tanty another phase of the oscllator can
be called into requisition. When this part
of the mechanism has been perfected, it
is safe to predict that no natiCn on the
face of the earth will ever care to go to
war, as its own weapons will bo more
formidable against itself than the armies
and nayieS of its enemies could ever be.
Professor Garrett =. Serviss declares
that such things are actually within reach.
The experiments have been tried There
is no missing link in the chain. 1t is only
necessary that the proper Instruments
shall he supplied.
Another way in which the electric oscil-
lator could be made an effective instru-
ment on board of warships would be the
control of the engines and the electric light
system of every ship in a squadron by the
ooii'''"huSA VI oio llaSaHlp' WIFI proper
instruments attached to tho electric
switches connected with the machinery of
| the ships it would be in the power of the
commander of the squadron, by simply
pressing button, to put out or illuminate
every light in all of the vessels simultane-
ously or to stop or start their ;nachinery
as If they were all controlled By single
lever.
The trouble with most people is that
they give his satanical ma jesty more than