The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-06-21


eminent electrical expert. that the re-
suit Of tie war With Spain will depend
more upon which side has the best cleo
tricians than upon the question OF the
biggest ships and heaviest guns.
The novel and startling uses 20
which electricity may be put in the
next great naval war" says Mr. Short
In the Golden Penny. ARE likely 10
play a decisive part In the struggle.
1T is possible that direct verbal
communication. without electrical con
nection. may be established between a
fort or a flagship and a vessel miles
out al sea. A beam OF light may be
pressed into service TO carry the words
OF the admiral In default % telephone
cable. The same commanding officer
may equip a harbor or roads,ead with
an Invisible battery OF magnets which
shall seize a hostile ship and hold her
motionless. In spite OF the most frantic
efforts Of her crew. right under his
guns. He may even sit In a dark room
and by a camera and a mirror have
her movements photographed on the
mine chart In front OF him. until. when
her miniature sails over the paper map.
he shall by pressing a button explode
the mine which az that moment must
infallibly be- Immediately under the ac-
tual ship herself These are only a
few OF the coups his electrical experts
may enable him 10 strike
"A iifiy horsepower engine will gen
crate electricity enough for a search
light Of 100000 candle power No such
tremendous light would be- necessary.
however. 70 enable the commanders Of
two ships. or the commander Of a ship
and a shore fort, TO talk 10 each other.
II the experiments with selenium al
ready worked out practically on land
and on a small scale shall prove 10
m the conditions Of modern naval war
fare The sensitIyeness Of the metal
selenlum Is such that the instan, a
beam OF light falls upon lts surface the
selenium gives ont a distinct electrical
click: It's resistance has been changed
when the beam Of light Is removed It's
resistance Is once more changed. and
the selenium gives ont another click
The admiral who talks into the tele-
phone mou,hplece on the hatileship or
In the fort opens and closes by the vi
brations Of his voice the slit In the
metal plate. Every word aul lone me
admiral utters into Il viii be carried
by the yibrsuons OF the beam Of light
and reproduced exactly In the ear Of a
listener at the telephone receiver.
There would be teiephonlng along a
beam Of light instead Of along an cleo
trio wire.
THE destructive agency OF high e1-
plosives was made effective some time
since the Russo Turkish war. and has
been more recently used In the Gillian
and Brazilian revolutions. and In the
war between China and Japan. The
effects OF such an explosion on or near
a modern steel ship we're lamentably
exhibited In the ruins OF the Maine and
the slaughter % hundreds OF her men
in Havana harbor The astounding re-
suits 10 be achieved by the alliance OF
electricity and high explosives are.
however. yet TO be only imagined. Such
a combination holds the potential ruin
% entire fleets Assuredly electricity
may be- made 20 work yet unthought Of
horrors In the next clash % steel ma
yles. Indeed. I believe there will be
no great difficulty in sending directly
through salt water a current OF cleo.
tricity strong enough 10 explode a mine
some distance away. without the use
% wires 10 connect the mine % the
shore
THE magazines % battleshlps are
toe well protected and surrounded by
veniiIatlng spaces 10 be In danger Of
explosion from a current = electricity
conveyed 20 them directly through the