Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-15

French force effected 1t is true that
these plans appear to suggest posi-
bility that France will be able to ac-
complish the task which the late Lord
Bismarck said could never be MASTER
ed, but in the meantime Great Britain
is not allowing the grass to grow under
her feet.
According to the British naval au-
thoritieS they have an Invention which
will render the submarine boat as help
less as is the torpedo boat against
torpedo boat destroyer, OF which class
OF vessel the British navy possesses,
the largest number Of the best and fast
est kind, one OF these vessels having
made over 90 knots an hour in recent
trials. The invention referred 10 is
crutch attached TO the destroyer. upon
which a boom A. feet long works. The
boom, normally slows inboard and for
ward and at the extreme end a charge
of explosives is carried which can be
set of like all spar torpedoes. When
the submarine boat has been sighted, or
her presence indicated beneath the sur
tace by the new bell system, which has
been introduced in the channel waters,
and which indicates the approach of Il
vessel to within II miles, the boom is
slung well forward and immersed This
action carries the boom end downward
and aft, so that ii is exploded directly
after the submarine boat has passed.
The latter experiences the full center OF
the explosion, which causes a compress
sion Of the sides and leakage sufficient
to sink IT. The submarine boat de-
stroyers discharges the force whist 60
ing at IA high rate of speed and, conse-
quently, he's passed her opponent too
far when the explosion occurs 10 suf-
fer from its consequences. Several 9TH
er devices fur the destruction OF subma-
rine boats are also being tested by the
admiralty.
in the case of an attack by means of
balloons France would appear to be
slightly handicapped, for at The Hague
con 'erence she signed an agreement not
to use aerial machines for the discharge
of projectiles or explosives. Great
Britain, on the other hand, together
with the United States. refused to sign
an agreement which the other powers
signed not to use asphyxiating shells,
which could he used to rout balloon
shells are made OF glass. encased in oak,
sheathed in brittle steel and charged
with carbolic acid. liquetied by 20 ut
mosphere of intense pressure, The
shell is electrically synchronized and
TIE fuse SO arranged that when the bal
loon has been sighted and distance TAX
en- the shot can be SO directed that 1t
Will cause instant death Ct everyone In
IT, AS soon as the shell explodcs an
enormous quantity of carbolic acid
PUSHES out into the surrounding atmo-
sphere Being much heavier than the
atmosphere it displaces and drives the
air before II in every dir elton and
terrific cold OF hundreds OF degrees be-
low zero. Is produced within radius
OF about so yards from the point OF
explosion The balloon and It's con
tents would suddenly fall like a glacier
to the earth. As the gas remains In the
spot where it Is discharged for several
hours any other balloon entering It's
area would meet with similar fate
One hundred-ton gun batteries are to
be used for the discharge of these
shells, which can in emergency. be as
well used on land as sea II the neces-
sity for such action arises. Another
shell now being made is filled with nj
trate OF amyl, which instead Of killing
by intense cold. would cause immediate
suffocation to all living beings within
its radius by increasing the beats OF
the heart -four fold A man with 81
pulse would have the beats increased To
about 200, and every blood vessel In
the body would then break The OBJ
lection TO this shell Is purely sanitary
one. England also retained at the con
ference the right to use another gas
which would have the effect of putting
an entire city to sleep for about "a
hours. No one but the high officials
OF the British war department know
what this gas is. ARTHUR FIELD.