New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-10
DEADLY INVENTIONS.


The present war has raised, perhaps more
acutely than ever before, the question how
far il is permissible TO go with death dealing
inventions. Ii will be recalled that in the Peace
Congress at The Hague efforts were made
largely on the initiative of Russia to prohibit
by universal treaty the use of aerial battleships
or the hurting of explosives or other prOjecties
from balloons. That effort failed, but there
have since been proposals in the same direc-
ton, and going even further. to prohibit not
only new devices, but the further employment
Of old ones, such as submarine boats torpedoes
and mines. 1t has also been suggested that the
use OF very high explosives and those emit
ting sufocating fumes should be put under
the ban of international law. These proposals
have been renewed with multiplied earnestness
since the outbreak of this war, with the terri
BILE effects of torpedoes and mines and of the
new explosive invented by Professor Shimose
the energy of which is so tremendous that If
handful Of it he laid loosely upon an iron
plate an inch and n half thick and exploded a
hole will be blown clear through the plate
These things recall To mind the mysterious
invention of the great Dundonald, which was
so terrible that the British government even
in its need and extremity shrank from employ
ing it. and resolved to keep II a profound secret
lest somebody should put it 10 use and literally
"stagger humanity" Dundonald, who was as
accomplished in chemistry and engineering as
he formidable in conflict first proposed
his device in the early Napoleonic wars, 10 an
initiate the French fleet and fortresses at Tou-
lon 1t was considered by committee COM
posed OF the foremost army and navy authOr-
ties and including Cougreve, the inventor Of
the rocket. The committee reported that the
device would undoubtedly do all that Dundon-
aid claimed, but with devastating fury that
would be inhuman. SO the government de-
clined TO use it at Toulon at Flushing When
Dundonald went TO South America, the Brit
ish government exacted Of him n pledge that
he would not use nor divugs his invention
there, a pledge which he kept at cost Of for
feiting his pay from South American States. In
1916 when there was fear OF war with France.
his scheme was again cOnsiuereu by a British
committee. which reported that it would infalli-
bly, annihate hostile fleet but that the use
Of 1t would be inhuman. Twice during the Cr-
mean War il was considered for the reduc-
ton OF Sebastopol, but. though nobody doubted
IL would do the work effectively, il was reject
ed on the same grounds as before So TO this
day the awful secret remains secret, hidden
away in the confidential archives OF the Brit
ish War Office.
Now, il may he that the British government
was right, and that Dundonald's invention was
too inhumanly destructive 10 be used But 1t
seems doubtful If governments will assent 10
the outlawing Of any of the existing enginery
Of war, or even Of some new inventions that
may yet be perfected. We can readily under
stand that the use Of gunpowder, even in flint
lock muskets and muzzle loading smoothDore
cannon, would have seemed as startling and
a. terrible, and perhaps inhuman in Caesars
time as the latest twentieth century devices of
military engineers seem to u.s. The fact is, the
arts Of war are bound TO make Progress at
equal pace with those OF peace. Inventions in
chemistry, in metal working and in mechan-
les will be applied TO warfare whenever they
found suitable 1t would be absurd to de-
mand that warfare in the twentieth century
should be conducted with the weapons OF the
tenth century. Nor are we sure that It would
be we'll for humanity thus TO restrain warfare
within primitive limits, even if it could be done
Tho more terrible the engines of war become the
fewer the wars themselves become, and strange
as IL may seem, the less destructive do they
become. Hannibal used weapons which would
be contemplate by tho side OF those of the last
hundred years and his army was mere hand
full compared with those welded by Napoleon
and Grant and Moltke. Yet no battle of the
last century can be compared with Canine in
destructiveness of human life. Had Gettysburg
equalled IL, prOpOrtiOnately, not single man
of Lees army would have been left alive. AS
for Waterloo, its slaughter seems insignificant
beside that OF the Apulian field Nor was
CANINE singular. The battles and the wars of
old were, as general rule, more numerous and
more deadly than those of modern times The
broadsword and the plum did greater havoc
than the rifle and the machine gun. So. in a
strange way. do deadly inventions lessen NOR
tally, and so. with strange literalness. does
civilization get forward upon powder cart.
BUSY BUILDERS.