Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-13

other substances nave been discarded.
Among the essentials of Smokeless pow
derS are smokceSSneSS. stability under
vary ing conditions, safety III handling and
freedom from gases injurious 10 guns on
inhdlaiiu There are nome that comply
with all these conditions. The comhus-
ton Of smokeless powder is usually com
plete the resulting gases being chiefly
carbonic acid ana steam.
The above uses Of the now explosives
are to weapons-grcduy improved. It Is
truc-whiCh in some form have been in
use for many centuries. But the rcToIu-
tOn wrought hY gun cotton aud nitro
glyccrin i'm warfare has also brought into
a high degree Of efficiency new ami ter
rible devices Of destruction. Mines ana
torpedoes We're only germs during the
regime Of black SunpoWder They are
now most valuable adjunctS especially IN
naval warfare, and, in the opinion q
some experts. have superseded. or VIII
soon supersede, gunncry in relative I'M
portance.
Both torpedoes and mines were first
used in naval operations in the war OF
the rebellion, during which struggle TWEEN
ty-eight vessels Were blown up by mines
ami six by torpedoes. These devices.
deadly as they were at times, We're usual
| ly of the crudest description; Inc MINES
were often merely wooden barrels filled
| with gunpowder and fired by slow-burn-
| ing fuses No Drawer or more daring ma
| val deed in relation to mines was per
| formed than the passage Of Admiral far-
raguts fleet through channel IN the
| Mississippi river known to be alive with
mines. one ship. the Tecumseh. was
struck. but though desperate odds were
against him. the admiral ran the gauntlet
| fortunately without further loss. Inc
| cases of the torpedoeS scraped against the
| copper bottoms of the ships, and IN sew
cral instances the primers snapped au-
dibly. but no more torpcdoes exploded:
During the F'ranco-Prussian war the
French fleets did not enter Prusslan mar
| borS through fear of submarine dangers.
The Japanese fleet at Yalu did not hest
tate to attack their enemy on the open
sea, but refrainei from following the YES
sells up the river. The hidden dangers
were held to be far greater than guns
The only way to overcome the danger OF
mines is TO destroy them, q slow and la
borious task for an enemy.
a submarine mine is usually compose
of steel sheet. filled with gun cotton OF
some other high explosive and containing
at its base a decorating substance for i1r
: ing the mine. There are three prlhcipa
varieties. An observation mine is hre'
. from the shore. when the enemys snip /
seen in it's vicinity. An electrical contac
, mine, when struck by ship, gives no
tice to the operator on shore, VINO thel
) fires the mine by pressing a button, a.
. automatic mine is self-firifN when struc
n by a vessel. The latter is dangerous t
: friendly as well as hostile fleets, unles
: their vicinity is scrupulously Stunned.
h For offensive operations in attacklh
IttlS On tilt Open STD luG w pN"' -
+ cOgnized as the most effective weapon.
+ is a marvel of mechanical ingenuity an
= perfection.
i The Whitehead torpedo, the standaf
e with most nations at present,~was eNoiNe
n in 1864 from the brain of Captain Lupul
: an Austrian naval officer. 1t has slno
&c been greatly improved 1t is in appear
+. ance ciSar-shaped from fourteen 70 nm,
s teen feet in length and from fourteen !
:. nineteen inches in diameter at its tnici
S est point, The shell is made OF steel
l. observation-disclosures. Within are three con
H. partments. In the first is a heaNS clars
n of gun cotton. The second is the ar r.
le ceiver. filled with compressed ar, Wni
e in the third are the propelling engln
ID and guiding mechanism The HoWell 70