New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-21

-,ssfa- warship and one Russian torpedo
Wv sest-oved Ivy Russian submarine mines
t--,o-5ing 10 varying reports rom 'he ser %
h 80, she only active work done NJ 10 oate
A. ne Russians "'-
~irs OF war. 80.
ST. rar~agut calculated Damn The torpeooes.
bsirr warned OF The dangers THAI lay IN ms
- Mobile Bag he expressed ms courageous
- fe- what are now known as MINES iNe
coh stationarv devices Tor harbor defence
--u,te-v men I,mit TIE term 'torpedoes'
VI =. -srf-r~opeue6 missiles. travers.ng the
W -, a. sho~. distance. Though both have
- great development In the last quarter
.-f,.-y one ilea is almost as old as the
po5ert Fulton suggested 10 the Jniiea
- Government the adoption or three typcs or
-, ono t1 be ses ad.in and controlled by
-,.l,e- 90 BE- carried ~ The end Of boom.
.tr-5 2, be shot out of gun and equipped
- ,erraon Tor taking hold q an eDernys ship
. =. sa7-e time he also recommended the Use %
-, mines 20 he anchored in the channel and
'-..-s,t,sliv exploded by mechanism set IN action
- .nouy's ship. Fulton, then. may be regarded
-, author Of the contact" mine Another
- colonel Samuel Colt OF Hartford, seems
-. e,lef-a Ted the other kind AS carly as ls-s
So nc hogan experimenting and in the winter
80 ~ no laid on insulated electric cable across
-, Past River Tor the purpose Of hring suoma-
=. nine IRON shore. a Few months later he gave
- striking demonstrations OF his system al
.,.-s-fa Va on one occasion, In the presence
~ the President and oineT 2Icla-s. ne o'e" ~ "
e-,r under nall sail
\, .be conflict over chieswiE-Folstoin, In 1e4N
-. -,--,sre defended the harbor OF Kiel with ap-
..,,s NJ this kind. though its efficiency hao no
r,,-frr fhe war which England and France
- sgainst Russia, In 1855 three or four
-, wer, provided with similar mechanism
-. ,l,s,, ssbastopo! and Cronstadt Inasmuoh
= ,bs charge consisted OF only twenty-five pouhos
~ ols-fsshioued powder little or no hafm vas
-. hrr EXPLOSIONS were actually produced Nhuer
- - .p-ss British f-icatss. Russia appears 10
a.. triss both types Of mine. those controlled hy
slst-cfty from land and those which eNpioaeo
-, tr bv p ship For tho latter an expert
NAMED Jacob invented a fIse composed OF SUI
r,hurc acid. sugar and potassium ohlorate' KEPT
tss-ste until the fragile glass tube containing the
acid vas broken by impact
During The American Civil War the Oonleoerale
etstss f-5.ected reveral Of their harbors with
mines Sometimes these were mounted on frame
work that was fastened 10 The bottom sometimes
20 a solitary pile and occasionally 10 an uPIlE"1
Fn-- troy Az Savannah charges as smaH ~
tv.ertv-hve hounds were used. but on al least one
occasion ag much az a ton was employed A mine
A. Che yarnor River exploded from shore Win the
sis of q Bunse- battery. contained shat amount
snf DESTROYED the Commodore Jones. winch vas
passing ove' Il AZ the moment II is HARD 10 ols
treuish betwesa torpedoes and mines in some OF
tho accounts 90 warfare upon the federal navy
forty wears age but there can be no DOUBT tha1
considerable harm was done by both agencies.
since ihat tine new sorts Of explosives have
CON. irtc use notably dynamite snd guncotton
A. the former Is slightly more powerful than The
latter one might suppose that Il would receive the
p-eCereuCt Experiments have been made with II 70
Hscerta'r rs availability for military use. but II
has rrt hcaI adortes Iu mines. as in torpedoes.
euncattaa b. uSe5 almost exclusively the world
owe ore rcoseu i1r this choice is probably the
1ac: THAI s.arelteu BE- much "a err II the fibre is
thorough. Fe-t.G tt becomes iuseEs. i've 10 shocks
f.at Hobli rz-oia .s--l-nitc---As tha receptacles
witch c.rI... tiie rp..s.ye Yer a mine must un-
DER ure. handling iu government workshops
e.. ..-te 'rfoie being lodged in place. and again
slfe- - cessation of h1s-ilities there chances
a. seroua consequence fr1n only slight accidents
II 5au.,. .s ..liHiuizcl Dog sticking 20 guncOtton
T. r.m.r a.d rree can De added az the last
moment .r -..srtire.
oat ~ 3d. uost impressive exhibitions az the
possa.....s of % mine ol this kind w2s afforded in
ravau. tarbo- when trc Maine was destroyed.
El- t'r i.~ .trrrs was goo orc can say. There can
Z, E,te l1ll- tsat the suauia-is used guncotton
az thar .h. Charge was exploded electrically by
somebody 0H land. So .tr az is known. thcre were
10 contact r-ro- .u Havana. Had there been one
uats. t1e Nirr she would probably nave dscoy-
ere e much sooner
AL Santiago two laad- 90 asi-cs were laid down
b. Admire cerEc-a after uis arrival. Subsequent
t1amral0r Indicated that they were prepared
rather hastily The more powerful ores too were
Eianie' closer together than was iUdiclous Still
they were far from harmless. and the knowledge OF
Their existence put wholesome restraint upon Ad-
mira. Sampson Who might otherwise have sought
thf sraniards 10 their place OF refuge. Seven OF
eight rat ir nid-chafrel. were controlled by cleo
tlcty most " them being connected with two dif-
serent stetons The 'obser1a:on'' u1ines-so-called
because tlcs were 20 be- operated by an observer
were planted on the bottom in from forty 20 sixty
I've feet ot water They were inclosed in cubical
j lr.r
each of these was put main charge o. H6 kuo-
Gams oi guncotton or nearly FIVE hundred hounds
IHfet mines were fired when H0Bson went in with
No Merrimac: two were Intentionally exploded bv
nc Americans after the capture OF Santiago and
1i'eT Tho stations controlling them were FOUND
Two others refused 10 respond 20 Tho attempt 10
.eaaei them harmless by the same methods. and.
" The Interest o. navigation IL became necessary,
U remove them aItocetilc~
Nhe contact mines were discovered These were
ullased ~ c5uical huovs and anchored so as 10 Be-
'eu ieei below Che surface o. tho water. They
eoAined only "a trhe over ninety pounds of gun
'1eh each which vas inserted in a. vertical hole
ne centre Of the buoy. The latter measured
se-ah inches in height ard was thirty-tHo
uroush a. the top and twelve and q half
- M 0ot'cn. To the lower extremity was at
49, re- and ratchet FOR adjusting the length
e-chor cable 20 amy dcqth 81 water. Radiat-
DHaar from the upper part ~ equal dis
ron one another. were six arms. or pluug-
F-'.soung lar enough 10 insure one or another
- At ny a passing vessel. Tie arms were ar
- u sloo Inward. and the inner extremlties
- - TIN sheet ~ lead which could he peue-
'eu ty slight pressure. Evidently the designer
F'ed that pancture would render active
-. OF ne type used a. scbaetopol. composed Of
49, ac'c. potassium. sulphate and sugar
- 'losn exports have entertained doubts rs 20 the
&c oi this fuse. None OF the Santiago mines
Ninch i Vas added were fred. however. so that
=, 'nilossitle 10 say what would have happened
aessel had given oue - them a sharp rap IN
c,aoing tho hsrbor
sun another variety % contact o- seIf-acting.
A mas been tried Ignition was effected IN this
at electric decorator. in combination with
Aslery that vas l-c-oead n she mine ftsaIr instead