The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-06
AERIAL DESTROYERS.
They Will Be the Naval Sur
prise Of the Future.
NEW INVENTION FOR SHIP ARMOR.
IL Ii Device For Extending the Armor by
ssystem Of Hydraulic screws-shock to
BE Taken Up by Air Cushions Dimcuity
OF Guarding War Secrets.

Aerial machines will be the naval sur |
prise Of the future" said navy expert to |
me today. "We have gone about as far as |
we can go In perfection of the floating |
craft, the battleship, the torpedo boat that |
stays upon the surface Of the water, the |
cruiser and torpedo boat destroyer. The
submarine craft Is now much In vogue
In fact, 1t Is quite the rage among GER
tain class OF daring inventors. But every
man who has carefully studied the ques-
ton OF submarine navigation knows tho
dreadful difficulties In the way and doubts
complete success by any methods which
| can now be discerned. But the aerial ma
chine OF destruction Is an untried field.
| That we are upon the eve of important de-
velopments In that direction I am con-
WINGED. In fact. personally know Of a
number Of inventors who are even now at
work upon devices of this sort. If the art
of navigating the air could be developed
to practical state, of course the use of
aerial destroyers would follow as mat
ter of course and follow very quickly. But
as yet flying machines are mere toys, and
it Is impossible to say how long 1t will
take to develop them to the stage of use
fulness
Successful use of aerial machines Of
destruction does not wholly depend upon
navigation of the air. The use Of kites In
testing meteorological conditions indicates
In small way what may be done In the
dropping Of explosives upon the ships or
cities OF an enemy. So IL is, too, with
balloons which float at the end of guy
ropes. Even without navigation Of the
air our inventors are likely to produce
some very remarkable devices for drifting
| u;.I he int To a
attacked, permitting dynamite or gun cot
ton or mellenite shells to be dropped. In
just what way these devices will be adapt
cd to throwing explosives out to wind.
ward In case the point to be attacked lies
In that direction of course cannot say.
II could tell that, l would have the
secret myself. But I believe 1t will be
. done With the coming of aerial machines
, for dropping high explosives we shall have
| a new argument in favor of universal
peace.
Hydraulic Ship Armor.
Another naval expert was telling me Of
an invention for protecting ships from the
: heavy shot Of an enemy. 1t was device
1 by which there was to be extended out
from the armor sides Of the vessel when
t in action secondary protection Of metal,
| b0lS W U6 Seb III q by ooOh Va GA PaooOSo'
4 In other words, when a ship is ready to 60
: into battle this extension armor plating
e will be showed out 10 or 20 feet by means
Y of hydraulic screws. 1t will be held In
place by pistous working in air piungers.
When a shot strikes the outside armor, II
will force the wall of metal inward against
e the air resistance practically without dam
i age to the OUTER armor plating or to the
q ship itself.
n This, at least, Is the idea of the invent
d or. Whether it will or will not work wei
& i'm actual trial remains to be seen. On'
expert to whom the matter was suggested
said in his opinion 1t would not work a
all. but that the effect would be very mucl
as if piece of paper were put out befor
!, ones hand to ward off a blow from sharl
: edged tool. The paper not having sum
y Gent bulk and resistance to stop the poln
~ aimed at 1t would simply be pierced. IN
fact that it is hold in place by air cushion
plungers will not. in his opinion, he'll
matters at all, because the blow from
modern cannon ball is so quick and shor
that before the air plunger could be set u
40 motion to take up the shock the armo
V, would be pierced and the shot would nav
I'd passed on to the ship itself.
ed There has been such large number {
ed volunteers under the calls issued by Tn
~ president that discussion has been rile
~ To the number of men the United State
al could throw into the field In case we WEI
ed threatened with really great war. I
ed course the trouble with Spain does NJ
l5 stir the people of our country as whol
~ IL touches only the edge OF our great Doc
IL politic. But let the United States becon
80 involved in a desperate " ar with such
an nation as Germany or France or 3ritail
TX, and it would be seen that we were capap
70, 90 raising such armies as the world new
g saw before.
% Guarding War Secrets.
Secretary Alger gave 1t as his opinit
the other night In private conversati'
that the United States could II necessa
". throw 3. 900, 900 soldiers into the Held In
or wear or a year and half, all fully equi
Tor ned for effective service. There Is
nd donbt that the men could DO had. Il
p- onIv noiut would be as to their outfttin
,.ss Would IL be possible to provide guns al
20 ammunition and commissary and ter
is and medical supplies and all the paraph'
to MALTA of war for SO many men In suof
re-, sI .,rt timer Other military experts tn
20 the secretary of war believe 1t could
4o done. They say the people Of the Unit
us States are the most inventive and mecho
nd ically resourceful people In the world.
az, such war come on, and just as our ma
55 time inventors and constructors have
O@ ways met every great emergency W,
something new and effective SO it Is
jieyed our machinists throughout the col
J. try would rise to the occasion and turn
m sorts of machine shops and factories u
!. concerns for turning out guns ana inu
ing tions of war.
es: Great trouble has been experienced
RS; the leading officials Of the war and nj
800 departments in preserving the war seer
80; Entrusted to them. The newspaper Col
s. spondent is everywhere. He has MS Q
Ell nections and his means OF getting Id
tb, nation which puzzle even the Oldest
10; most experienced staff commanders. III
orders have been issued in both OF the "
making departments to keep informal
< from the press, and yet the press contil
to print the news. WALTER WELL" NJ
.23; -
nc Invitation Declined.
ard at will make you eat your WORDS