The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-03-31
LETTERS IN SHELLS.
New Method of Communication by
Armies in Time of War.
Ordinary Cannons Are Successfully
Used as Mail OarrIers-Bombs
Explode mt VIII of the
lender.

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 a new method in tie
forwarding of dispatches in the time
of war, a system by which time viii
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 a dispatch boom" can
be fred to the distance to which a
shell is sent. The projectile is a
cylinder or sphere so constructed as
to insure its fight, its explosion at
the proper time, its breaking into
harmless fragments and at the same
time unfolding a trailing streamer
of any color preferred containing
the message.
A 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 hat it would plainly in
dicate its 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
SO arranged that when explosion
takes place the sides of the prcjec-
tile will fall apart. releasing the rib
! 49,, -, ..HsoL A. = rr~s4ta.
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.
Had the French during the siege of
Paris 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 c~onfederates could have signaled
over the union lines in tie civil war
at the assault on Fort Fisher. while
ct the investment of Fort Morgan.
after Farragut's feet had passed in
side and the fort was entirely cut off
from the confederates, the latter
: could nave sent dispatch booms over
the federal lines without a single
! message being intercepted.
At present the navy is experiment.
l ing with wireless telegraphy. which,
of course. can be used as a means of
communication even with an enemy
( intervening, but there are many
l points about the bomb which render
: it efficacious in places where .he
telegraph could not be conveniently
utilized.
i Capt. Littlepage is a Virginian by
birth, a graduate of the naval acad-
:. envy at Annapolis and was in the serv-
D ice of the government at the beginning
$ of the civil war, when he resigned his
commission to cast his lot with his
S native state. He was one of the crew
r of the famous Merrimac, the building
of which he graphically describes.
e He also a that the statement SO
r often made in histories and universal
b ~ believed-that the Monitor defeat
II ed the Merrimac-is absolutely with
n out a vestige of truth and that the
u facts are that the Merrimac not only
e whipped the Cumberland, Congress
; Minnesota, St. Lawrence and Roanoke
i but that she gave the little cheese
t. box" such a Smelling that the latter
l. was glad to run into shallow water
into which she could not be followed
/ by the Merrimac. On being invited tC
battle next day by the proud victor tn,
IS Monitor drew away, declining to &C
If cept the gage.
D. The idea of armoring the Merrimac
he also states, was not the results O
one mans thoughts, but the gradua
outgrowth of the suggestions of sew
- eral naval officers. Railroad irons wer,
~ first used in their original state, bu
later on were taken to the Tredagel
"a works in Richmond where they wer,
is rolled out. In this way they wer,
le fastened in overlapping style, both OIL
20 the sides and top, while ships greas
NJ was literally rubbed over all to facili
tate the CHANGING of the balls.
In THAT the Merrimac was not de
IS feated by the Monitor, but that tn
in latter declined to renew the contest,
says Capt. L%ittlepage, 81 can prove b
he the reports of the captains of severa
of the federal ships, as well as b
dispatches sent TO home government
by foreign ships in our waters"
The flag of the Merrimac wa
=. brought home by Capt. Littlepage, bu
% is now owned by c. +. Gunther, of Chi
cago, the famous relic collector VIII,
removed Libby prison from Richmond
- Capt. Littlepage is a warm friend an
~ classmate of Marmaduke, now com
III mander of the Bogota, which is fight
- ing the insurgents in the interests O
the Colombian government. The off
cials of the Colombian government
first offered the commission in thei
navy to L%ittiepage, but as he was maj
~ ried. he was unable to accept an
- turned it over to M~armaduke, who,
- bachelor, was free to seek his foi
" f.roa II, - 4,-. ,F H. ,-~-ll