Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-05-12
TO DEFEND San FRANCISCO
The HarbOr Is Being SOWn Thick With
TorpedosS.
At Night Vessels Will Not Be Permitted to
Enter or Leave the
HarbOr.

Five hundred submarine torpe.
does are to be placed in Sa,
Francisco harbor almost immedi.
> ately by the United States Gov
eminent as a protection to thii
city 10 case Spanish feet should
attempt to enter this port.
Manufacture of the explosive
material has just been completed
by the Giant Powder Company
tits being placed in the proper
receptacles, and the final prepare.
tons are being made to locate and
anchor the submarine mines and
connect them with the electric
detonatiug machinery on shore.
1t is understood that the torpedoes
will extend between Alcatraz and
Lime point on the Martin county
-hore and Alcatraz and Black
point in San Francisco, and pro-
badly will also be extended to the
Golden Gate and across the en-
trance to the harbor. Their loca-
ton will be marked by buoys, and
channel for the mgr, So and
egress of vessels will be left free,
so that the pilots of the port may
.leer their way safely through the
Instructions in the daytime, but
at night vessels will not be per-
nltted to enter or leave the har.
Dor. Should Spanish war ships
make their appearance of this
coast the prohibition to pass out
even during daylight will be
made absolute. This is going to
be an obstacle in the way of com
merce, hut it will eff ctually pre-
vent he destruction of shipping
IN this port, and render an attempt
10 bombarl San Francisco ax
tramely hazardous to the enemy's
fleets.
both "coutact" and "intent
torpe ioes will be employed. The
contact" mines, As the pam-
W .uld indicate, are those which
Explode on being struck, as by a
ve--el, AID are the most dangerous
to peaceful me,chantrnru. The
''inten'" to'pedops are those which
are exploded by electricity, and
are, therefore, peculiarly effective
as directed against hostile war
ships.
The torpedoes are being loaded
With gun ton and gelatiue. Gun
cotton is h. most powerful explo
i've known, and gela'ine is Miro
heated to the consist.
.ncy of thick jelly, in which
it resembles soap in AID
, arauce but not in effect The
,ltro glyceriuce is a compound IF
,lycerine oil and sulphuric acid
United with wood pulp, 81 IA t. be
hanged from liquid form to
Plastic solid. As an explosive it
auks third; bu' is more common
y employ ed than illuminate If
,old or illuminate of mercury ow-
ng to the great cost of production
It these latter. The illuminate of
Dercury is used, however, a. n d..
Dnator to explode the dynamite.
The dynamic is manufactured
o as to contain as high a. 80 per I
ent OF tn pitrogly cerine. Its
Explosive power is sufficient To
slse 10000 times it's own weight
he dynamite is composed OF 50
er cent ut sulphuric acid aud 483
er cent of nitric scil, which are
liked and t'"n unired with H.. I
lycerine oil, which j. made FIR m '
" and candle drippinvs. The
wo classes of torpedo are -imi-
n in material, ave that the "con- 4
'ct mines contain fulmi, ate of '
lercury in order to rpudrr hem
to the touch, while the
intent" torpedoes are exploded
trough electric action on detona-
IRA of illuminate of mercury.
The responsibility of exploding v
,e intent" torpedoes is a great
ne, aud has been placed by the
government with Captain W. F.
!. Has-o q, formerly of the United I
ia IS Navy, an electrician of =
reat experience and knowledge,
bo successfully filed the
-duous position of chief electric
,glneer of the California Mid
inter International Exposition.
he torpedoes will be connected
Y metal rods, from which electric
Tres will run to each explosive,
arranged that any number may
, ax nIndad nj q fipa -, I'll of