The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-22
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MAINE
What May Have Caused an ExpIO-
sion in the Great Shin


sion in the Great Ship.
Since the discovery of the Roentgen
X-rays, electrical science has advanced
with rapid and fearless strides into the OBJ
scure and fearful domain of the supersti-
tious, the magical, the marvellous and the
miraculous, showing many of their most
profound mysteries clear in the light of
nineteenth century revelation. In, and
through the primary essence or ether, that
mysterious substance, unseen and impon-
derable, which is believed to inhabit uni
versal space and to permeate all tangible
matter, the thought of man since the be-
ginning of time. has wandered
in search of evidental knowledge and
truth. But he has been forever stultified
by false teachings and blinded by supersti-
tious fears.
In this age, being no longer priest-rid-
den, man has cast aside his superstitions.
Therefore he obtains and profits by prac-
teal knowledge.
AS it is now believed that the destruc-
ton of the United States battleship Maine
was accomplished premeditatively by ennis
saries in the employ of Spain, and as it is
believed that the destruction was caused
by some explosive propelled against
drifted against or attached to the huh OF
the vessel it seems relevant to state that
the wreck may have been caused inten-
tionaHy, by an outward cause, acting in
ternally This cause may have been the
power of electrical induction creating
waves in the ether and thereby igniting
the explosives in the ships magazine.
Electric induction is now an accomplished
fart Edison tplppra nha1 a ranidIv dUip o
train.
Hertz, the great German investigator of
the power and penetrative force of Undue
tive electric waves, claimed that they pen
trated wood and brick, but not metal
Hertz, however exploded gunpowder by
use of these waves.
DIR. Jagadis Chunder Bose, a Hindoo pro-
fessor of physics in the Presidency College
in Calcutta, and who graduated at Cam
bridge College with the degree of master OF
arts, has by means of peculiar apparatus
Connected with a two volt storage battery
caused an induced electric wave to pass
over a distance of seventy-fve feet
through three walls of brick and mortar
each eighteen inches thick, and over this
distance and through these obstacles
without any connecting medium except
ETHEREAL waves to ring a bell and fire a
pistol. Metal however, stopped the waves
which he produced.
DR.. Bose has said, 1.-THE ether is the
great field of the future, a field whose
products no one can imagine or attempt
to conceive"
1t remained for Guglielmo Marconi. a
young Anglo-Italian, to produce waves
that will penetrate all substances, iron
and steel included. He has conveyed
messages, inductively, through a hill OF
the thickness of three-quarters of a mile
He has telegraphed through the air the
distance of a mile and three-quarters. His
waves have passed through seven or eight
walls, a distance of one hundred wards
He believes that his waves may be used
in electric light houses during a time OF
fog receiver on vessels would indicate
the presence, distance and direction OF
the lighthouse. He claims that these waves
may be used as constant source of COM
munication between the shore and light
ships, al any distance within twenty
miles. He also believes that they will be
used to prevent collision between ships in
q fog. Two ships being 50 fitted alarms
would ring on them at any set distance
from each other, and the direction of either
could be indicated by an index. Marcon
has,claimed that by use of a station about
twenty feet square it would be possible 10
transmit and receive messages between
London, England, and New York, II. s. A
He claims his apparatus TO be practical
for use in military operations in the field
in time of war. He says: There is nc
reason why the commander Of an army
should not be able to easily communicate
Geographically with his subordinate Off
GERS without wires over any distance ur
TO twenty miles" He said that the dan
ger of the use of these waves as signals
between ships would be in causing by in
duction between plates, nails or other
pieces of iron a spark which would ex-
plode the powder or dynamite in the ship $
magazine. He claimed further that The
danger of the utility of electric light
houses would be to cause explosions IN
ships as far as the light in the lighthouse
could be SEEN
II. ]. w. Dam, who interviewed Marco
nj, and from whose article In Mcclure
Magazine for March, 1897, in part. l draw
these facts, says in conclusion: ut is 50
much possibility that electric RAYS can
explode the magazine Of an ironclad. that
the fact has already been recognized by
the English royal engineers.
How powerless In the future will be the
most formidable ironclad, when il is
known that an old time wooden steam OF
sail ship, schooner, an oyster smack
with no armor. ard no armament. except
lis powerful electric engines of death, may
creep cumhrously within easy range of a
H..