New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-20
DEADLY HAIL FROM AN UNSEEN SOURCE.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS IN AIMING BIG GUNS
WITHOUT EXPOSING GUNNERS.

Day By day the art OF warfare is becoming more
and more an exact science. With the calmness OF
students seated at their desks. working out al
gebraic problems men now plot the destruction Of
hundreds of lives and Of great batteships worth
millions Of dollars and requiring years Of time
10 construct. and, unseen, they plan 10 deal the
blow that Will send all TO the bottom IN an instant
Of time There viii be no warning, no visible evi-
dence Of the origin OF the blow. simply the falling
OF bolt from the skies, rain Of similar bolts
from the point; then the end.
Some fair morning, perhaps a feet Of warships
viii come sailing toward the mouth of q port of
the United States with hostile motive. There is
nothing IN the landscape to suggest Notifications
The land rises gently from the water the green
slope in the morning sunshine presenting pleasing
prospect Even as the glasses Of those on the
bridge are sweeping the distant horizon. men sta
toned in slim but lofty towers the shore have
observed their approach and have taken observa-
tons on which TO work out the exact point which
viii be reached by the feet within few minutes
Men at the tables figuring on the data secured
md soon inform the officers in charge OF the ex-
act range
In the mean time. q few hundred yards away
other men, hidden within the green banks with dis
appearing guns capable Of striking blow at a dis
lance OF miles that viii sink a vessel are
busy loading their guns. By means OF a unique in
stTument which transmits writing and drawings in
fac-simile they receive from the towers the range
at which they 10 train their guns. They set
the guns for this distance sets camera for
a certain distance by means of the graduated
scale All is ready. They await the order TO fire
from the towers. Suddenly there appear small
dzshes the paper IN this unique transmitting IN
E-ume1t and almost simultaneously the aimed
guns rise. deliver their charges and return to
their places. There IS no smoke, for srnokeless
powder has been used No in the battery has
the target at which he has aimed his gun
The head Of lot ons OF them has been exposed 10
the enemy's FIRE
The warships glide along over the blue water
Those On the bridge see evidences of attack
the shore evidence Of the presence of fortf-
cations. Suddenly several Finch shells separated
by hardly appreciable portion Of time pierce
as many decks and explode beneath IN the vitals
OF the vessels. The machinery has been turned to
junk, many have been killed and wounded, and
the water rushes in az holes in the hulls Of the
vessels. Within a minute another shower of these
destroying bolts descend upon them and the YES
sels are IN a sinking condition. This is warfare
in the future This is the kind Of warfare Uncle
sam is preparing for and which he is now ex-
pertuenting with, the appended dispatch from
Washington VIII show:
LrEOM TIE TRIBUNE BUREAU.l
Washington, Dec. 1s-There has just been pub
Ashed by the Army Board OF Ordnance and Fort-
hcation z confidential document which is being
distributed 10 officers Of the artillery. ordnance
department and signal corps. 1t viii have that
exclusive circulation to keep the pamphlet from
the alert foreign military attaches in this country,
whose governments might by this
into possession Of some valuable strategic infor-
nation The publication relates TO the mysterious
method now finally adopted by this government OF
destroying q naval foe from the coast forts. The
technical name OF the process IS fire control and
direction The plan represents two years Of hard
work Of a scientific military character and the ex-
penditure al Fort Wadsworth. \. Y. and Fort Ba-
racas II Pensacola Harbor Florida. Of So, GOO It
means further expenditure Of $4,000 in equipping
The forts OF the Atlantic, Gulf snd Pacific coasts
with intricate ard delicate mechanism. and the
appropriation annually of probably 10000 TO keep
me system IN working order. No one knows what
Il VIII cost equip all the coast defences after
The manner Of the system at Baroness, but IT will
certainly an expense OF SIS 900 $50 900 600,
disbursement which the War Department
thorities say viii be a profitable investment The
system IS the acme Of electrical and mechanical
skill harnessed 10 mathematics for the triumph
o. coast artillery marksma nsllip. Its great ao-
vantage stated briefly, that it tells the gunner
who cannot see or be seen by the enemy, when 10
hre and how 70 hit the target.
The system began 10 be developed in February.
-sl, when board was convened at Fort Wads-
worth IN NeN-York Harbor. and arranged for the
test OF the relative merits Of horizontal and vert-
cal base position finding system" and TO deter
nine the value OF searchlights for the coast de-
fences including practical trial Of the scheme Of
fire control and direction. II was found that
greater secrecy and better opportunity Of trial e1-
sied in Pensacola barbor. and the instruments
were installed and the system developed at that
place under the charge of Major G. n. Whistler.
worth General Randolph. chief Of artillery, says
o. the Pensacola test:
This crystaLized The ideas OF the leading stu
dents and experts the matters involved and has
Proved OF the greatest benefit 10 the service by
permitting the determination Of definite type, en-
AIMING the supply departments to submit compre-
hensive estimates for the completion Of all tho
.pilhcar'ons IN this respect The test OF the sys-
in was thoroughly carried out by the officers ana
men charged with IT, and the scheme, with some
i.| notifications with the idea OF increasing
3suclty IN its use. Was adopted by the board
'Ll approved by the Secretary Of War"
!. as proposed 10 20 ahead with the equipment at
Ger places on the Pensacola plan the difficulty
"e'Ag increased by The fact that each harbor pre-
sh's its cEn problem For this purpose the Board
:" ordnance and Fortihcations IN this years
.'ft recommends appropriation Of not less than
'y-'O0 annually for tho next several years TO the
-o hat the goTc:nment may purchase range
'Nlefs, install scarchliehts and furnish the es-
s-'al llDes Of communication.
re IRE control system cTllsts the united efforts
-u cooperation Of The signal corps engineer
o1Is' ordnance department and artillery corps.
ne selection q sites viii be made by the chief
u ~Et-l4ery; the construction OF works and certain
'supineIt VIII come under the Engineers and TIE
iolal.ce officers, while llc ELECTRICAL features are
eppAee by the signal officers. General Greely.
me- signal officer, says Inc entire electrical in
me =