The Winslow mail., 1915-02-27
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nected with each other and with the shore by one
main cable 1t is only when current of cleo
tricity is turned that they become dangerous:
under other circumstances they are dead" and
harmless. But when they are "alive" if a shin
hits them, circuit is automatically closed and the
water is quickly strewn with her remains Vari.
GUS ingenious means have been devised for bring
Ing about this closing Of the circuit, one of them
being little cup partly filled with mercury
which, if tilted by shock, causes the mercury to
reach metal bar This does the business and
bang goes the mine
1t is interesting just to consider the fact
that the very first employment of floating mine
was at the siege Of Antwerp by the Spaniards in
1885. The besiegers, being able to make little or
no headway in their attacks upon the stout walls
of the city, resorted to novel and unheardof
stratagem. Loading a sap with great quantity
OF gunpowder they set her adrift at time when
the wind and tide would surely bring Ter up
against the sea wall; and when she was toleraby
close two on board of her gnited a pre-
viously arranged fuse
The idea worked out, however, in a way not
at all in accordance with the plan contemplated
For the sturdy burghers of Antwerp repaired the
damage done to the wall by the explosion before
the besiegers could take advantage of it, and
adopting the suggestion offered them by the en-.
emy sent out similar gunpowder boat under full
sail against the Spanish fleet and blew up one Of
their biggest ships.
In recent news dispatches a good deal has been
said about the of mines land, for the oppor,
tune blowing up of bridges approaches to forti-
fcations while the enemy was passing over them.
BY such means whole regiments said to have
been annhilated. The eXpedient Is by means
new, but the methods adopted are of up-todate
and superior ingenuity.
Suppose, for example, that piece of road is 90
be mined. The Internal machine is concealed from
view by spreading over it few inches of earth
In consists in part of small electric battery.
provided with two wires of which communi
Gates with receptacle containing large quantity
of high explosive while the other to an
rangement called 'spIngboard" When a man
or horse steps the springbOard, piece of metal
beneath the latter is brought into contact with
projecting pin, thereby completing circuit which
ignites fuse
The same idea is easily applied to a bridge
In the case of a fort a system of more scientific
ally constructed mines may render every approach
waiting volcano, a switchboard inside the de-
fenses enabling the besieged to explode :hem at
the moment when they likely to kill the great.
est number of men.
In modern warfare wholesale killing takes the
place of the old-fashioned military murder by re-
tail Doubtless, time goes on, Improvements"
in this direction will steadily progress. The Brit
ish and Germans have both been experimenting
with means whereby Git is hoped) submarine
mines may be set off by wireless apparatus They
are also trying to contrive submarine fish tor
pedo' resembling the Whitehead) which can be
steered from shore to attack a hostile ship per-
haps miles from land.
The Whitehead is Englishman's invention,
and is the only kind of fish torpedo used in the
British navy. Oddly enough, the similar devils