The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1903-01-24
LETTERS IN SHELLS.
New Method Of Communication by
Armies in Time of War.
Ordinary CannOns Are Successfully
Used rs Mail Carriers-BOmbs
Explode at VIII of the
+. Sender.

One of the most interesting sug-
gestions recently submitted to the
military authorities is that made by
Capt. Hardin Beverly Littlepage, at
present employed in the division of
naval war records in the navy de-
partment. 1t is new method in the
forwarding of dispatches in the time
of war, a system by which time will
be almost obliterated, while there
will be no danger of the courier fall
ing into the hands of the foe, says
the Washington Post.
The means is an ordinary cannon,
from which dispatch boom" can
be fred to the distance to which a
shell is sent. The projectile is
cylinder or sphere so constructed as
to insure its fight, it's explosion at
the proper time, its breaking into
harmless fragments and at the same
time unfolding trailing streamer
of any color preferred containing
the message.
\ dispatch at night could be made
of luminous ribbon, SO as to be read
lily found in the darkness, while the
shell itself would be so pyrotechnic
in character that it would plainly in
dictate it's course while in the sky
and be easily seen at its explosion.
The shell, which can be timed so as
TO explode at any point desired, is
81 arranged that when explosion
takes place the sides of the projec-
tile will fall apart. releasing the rib
bon on which the message is written
and allowing it to trail on the
ground.
This method will obviate the diff
Guilty which so hampered both armies
during the civil war. Captured
couriers have been the reason of one
branch of the army being delayed
or routed through their ignorance
of orders which were intercepted,
while the bad results of such orders
falling into the hands of the enemy
cannot be overestimated.
lad the French during the siege of
u ris by the German army employed
such methods they could have sent
messages over the heads of the enc
my right into the hands of friends.
The confederates could have signaled
over the union lines in the civil war
al the assault on Fort Fisher, while
e; the investment of Fort Morgan,
a fter Farragut's feet had passed in
s. e and the fort was entirely cut off
Fl lm the confederates, the latter
could have sent dispatch booms over
tie federal lines without a single
m ssage being intercepted.
vt present the navy is experiment.
ing with wireless telegraphy, which,
% course, can be used as a means of
communication even with an enemy
intervening. but there are many
Putting Up Pumpkins.
Pumpkins are easily canned or
dried. To can, stew till Just soft
enough to put through the colander,
the cans or jars and set them in
q Ut of water to cook 20 minutes;
then seal.
To dry, stew the pumpkin down
slowly as dry as possible, SO dry that
when stirred away from the bottom
no water will gather. When cool,
put hnC COAdAOCAS 6PACoa OA
plates in thin layers and dry on the
lack of the stove When the top |
has caked a little, take a knife and
turn the pumpkin over. breaking in
small pieces. Do this before it has
died onto the plates. When wholly
dry. pack in stout bags. or in boxes
OF jars. To use, for one pie take
Of a cupful of the dried
pumpkin and soak over night in a
rip of milk. In the morning put on
he back of the stove to warm and
mash the Jumps out Add more milk
md heat hot; add one egg beaten
With three tablespoonfuls Of sugar,
quarter Of q teaspoonful Of cinna-
non, 9 pinch Of ginger. put into the
rust and bal.e.@ Anerican Queen.