The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-11
BOIL EN- IN OIL
STRANGE IDEAS
RESULT OF WAR
Plan Advanced to Set the
Ocean on Fire.
Burning Oil on Water to In
wade Hostile Ships.
. BALL AND CHAIN PROPOSED
Unique Shell Would Destroy
Barbed Wire ENHANCEMENT.
New Torpedo Follows Ship Like
"Nigger Chaser"
BALL AND CHAIN PROPOSED

Washington. d. c., March IL
The European war naturally has
stimulated inventors in continuing de-
vices for the destruction of human
Secretary Daniels of the naval advis-
ory board, with Mr.. Edison at its
head, to pass upon the practicab1Ilty
of the various suggestions gave an
added impetus to invention. Besides
the schemes and plans that come to
the advisory board and TO the navy
department are still others which are
received by the army board OF ord
nance and Notifications. These lat
ter total alone 500 month on the av-
erage.
{ OF course, the great majority are
scrank" nVentions-fantastic and i'm
practical. But some of these have the
germ of an excellent idea-one at
least worthy of experimentation and
development Dozens of such are
now under test.
Besides the Gathmann airship and
the Tesla suggestion, the most inter-
esting are two that come from the
west. The first of them is a plan by
Bernard Macdonald, a mining eng1-
neer of South Pasadena. Mr.. Mac
Donald recognizes that one of the
greatest factors of our national I'M
s Preparedness is the lack of roads
along our coast and boundaries
which would allow a speedy concen-
tratiOn of troops against an invasion
at any point. He would have the gov
eminent build military highway of
concrete so feet wide all around the
country. The building would be done
by an augmented United States army.
The road would be located so miles
inland from the coasts, thus removing
it beyond Smelling distance of hos
tile fleet. The same distance would
S be preserved along the borders north
ct would
be placed at regular distances along
the road, allowing rapid communica-
ton in time of need and the rushing
of forces to the imperiled places.
Hundreds of minor roads would
lead from the girdling highways
to the coast cities and ether
hundreds would lead into the regu-
lar roads behind the girdle.
The National Good Roads associa-
ton is agitating a somewhat similar
military highway across the center OF
the country.
Burn Attacking Ships.
The second suggestion is to incin-
crate an invading fleet by setting fire
to the ocean around it. This would
be done by the construction of bat
teries of great oil tanks at various
points along the coast. From these
reservoirs pipes would be carried IN
derground into the sea and along the
ocean bed from Is to 20 miles out
from land. Pumps of great power
wpuld be constructed to force crude
oil through the pipes when neces-
sary.
Oil. being lighter than water, rises
TO the surface. on the approach of j
hostile fleet the pipes in range of the
ships would be put to work and tons
foil be forced through them. The oil
would rise and spread over hundreds
ba CHI CT inf
these deadly ponds on the oceans sur
face a flock of aeroplanes would be
sent from shore. Their occupants
would be armed with incendiarS
bombs, which would be dropped upor
the oil, igniting it.
Any one who has seen oil in great
Quantities burning on water will have
no doubt of the fate of the invaders
Before the ships could dash through
the blazing area their crews woulC
be- sIffocated or blasted by the heat
Very probably the magazines, igniting
would blow the vessel to pieces A
any rate, in this CHASTITY funeral pyre
the sea power of the enemy would
even if not entirely destroyed be 81
broken as to be useless.
Like ShrapncI Shell.
A very interesting and practical de
vice is a shell loaded with chains anC
balls. It's main use would be cuttine
wire entanglements. There are tire,
forms of the chain and ball shell
The chain and weights are not con
nected with the shell, but are merel!
held within it. The projectile-lik,
shrapnel-has a bursting charge o
high explosive, which may be PLACED
in the rear end or in the middle, or il
both ends, divided. The burstin;
charge is so controlled by a time fus
as to explode a short distance in from
of the enemy's entanglements. TIL