The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-20

approach near enough TO hurl their terri
HE explosives into the heart Of a great
city. IL once the bombardment began, In
few hours the city would be DEBRIS,
Electricity makes this needed harbor pro-
lection II possibility.
The waters of the surrounding harDors
are plotted in such way that the exact
position of ship at any moment ray
be known, BY the aid OF electric position
and range finders, to an operator stationed
en- the shore, maybe miles away. sub
marine mines. loaded with the most power
full explosives. are planted In various parts
of the harbor aud connected by means
OF wires with a common center Men are
stationed at this point, who, should hos
tile fleet appear, have only to walt until
/, shin Ia over one of the submarine mines,
then press a button and electricity and
the explosives will do the rest. There Is not
Il battleship aiioat that could Withstand Tue
shock OF the explosion of one Of these pow
erful submarine mines. .
Another method OF harbor defense 10
suggested by Edison Suppose, says
he. 'you sink an endless cable to the bot
tom of a harbor, at the proper distance
from the shore, and work 1t around wheels,
lust as the bridge cable Is worked, so that
it can be moved forward and backward.
lnsrllate the cable so that it can be charged
with electricity. Then attach torpedoes 10
1t every 200 feet or more. NOW, by having
a long string of these torpedoes on nova
ble cable, II would be possible 10 hit any
ship that tried to enter the harbor. the
generator of the cable at his inland OBJ
seryatory watching the ship calculates
their positions with his electric position
finder He knows where his torpedoes
ATE, and at the proper time he pushes the
button and fires two or three OF them Inc
result is the destruction OF the ship. Ii
- ,,.,N hail nr
lu.ed with such cables, and the protection
OF The city would be absolute Torpedo
catchers would not be effective against
such defense, because Ii they began
graphing FOR the cable, the first touch OF
their graphing irons would notify the ope-
rator. All he would have to do would be
to fire couple OF torpedoes. That would
be the end OF the torpedo catchers.'
Then there are the auto mobile or fish
torppdoes These are guided and propelled
through the w.,er from the shore by cleo
tricitv fed to them through wires which
are uncoiled as the torpedoes speed
through the water on their missions OF
destruction. Should one of these strike n
ship the torpedo explodes and the vessel
is destroyed.
The uses Of electricity on board a modern
man of war are manifold. The ships are
lighted with electricity, the great guns
are moved and fired by electricity, tie speed
Of the ship is determined with electric
logs" the steering gear is handled with
electricity and IN the engine room, pilot
house aud officers quarters are electrical
annunciatora. telephones, etc. At night
time the powerful electric searchligft IL
lumines the waters in all directions, and,
should battle occur, small electric lights
on the sights of the guns can be used to
assist in the aiming. network of wires, |
heavily charged with electricity and en- |
circling a ship would make its capture by |
boarders an impossibIlty. At close quarters |
continuous stream of water, charged |
with electricity and thrown by q powerful |
hose. would kill every living thing it |
touched Electricity makes the arming CT |
vessels with dynamite guns a safe POS |
sibiity. The shells loaded with this power |
ful explosive carry small electric batteries,
which fire the deadly charge at the proper |
instant, and without danger to the gun
ners A vessel armed with these terrible |
guns would be the terror of the seas
Electricity is making possible the sub
marine boat 1t is the only motive power
that can he used TO drive these mysterious
crafts through the water Such boat
could creep up unseen to the largest man
t-war aioat, fix torpedo to her hull and
when at a safe distance fire the torpedo and
blow the great ship out of the water.
Only a war can bring out the latest de-
structive possibilities of electricity. but
Its powers are sufficiently well known to-
day TO make 1t the most powerful often
5ive and defensive agent nation can have.