Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1916-06-29
LIQUID FIRE IS
the INVENTION
Of AUSTRALIAN
Eccentric John MacgarrigIe Sold
War Device to German
Government.
kept COMPOSITION A SECRET
Jealous inventor Wanted to Rid Land
Of Noxious Bushes-Observers De-
scribe Tests of Machine-Was
Man Of Remarkable Talents.

Man OF Remarkable Talents.
Sydney, Australia.-The German
liquid fre-spraying device in use on
the wars western front sprang not
from Teutonic brains, but from the
head OF an eccentric Australian, John
Macgarrigle. This fact has just been
learned here, but 1t has ample corrobo
ration. Macgarrigle is dead, but the
hideous engine he contrived still ex-
lists, and it is being recalled by init
mates of his that several years ago he
went to Germany and there sold the
thing to the military powers OF that
land.
He had previously tried the British
war Office and the Commonwealth
government, but the former declined
to treat with him on the ground that
his invention was in contraventiOn to
the laws of humanity and the princi.
pies of The Hague convention, while
the latter simply ignored his proffer
apparently as being that of a crank.
He also tried the French or the Italian
governmental is not certain which
with equally fruitless results, but
when 1t came to the kaiser's country
he had warm reception.
"The German government snapped 1t
up," he told several Of his friends. Il
was over to Germany some time ago
and l got this off and several other
patents"
Macgarrigle, commonly called Jim.
my" Macgarrigle, was genius, but,
like most of his stamp, erratic and un.
businesslike, and he died poor and vir-
tually unknown. One Of his traits was
excessive secretiveness - although
there can be no question that he was
q wonder in his way-which forbade
his committing any of his inchoate
ideas to paper, with the result that
they went to the grave with him; and
he was so impracticable in judging his
own works that the more humane OF
them could not be commercialized for
his and the general good. So, beyond
the fire-squirt and the few other in
ventions which he got off" in Ger.
many, there is little to show for his
versatility and ingenuity.
His "Fire-Squirt Ship"
Macgarrigle's home was at Wam'
beral, near Gosford, New South Wales
where he maintained laboratory.
George 2. Dupain, friend, writing OF
the old fellow to the Daily Telegraph,
says:
"After dwelling on the virtues OF
mis- Quick-drying cement, anti-fouling
paint, patent boot polish, street car
ticket system, explosives and other
things, he led me back to his house,
and showed me the plan of peculiar
vessel which looked like man-of-war,
It was roughly drawn, for old MAGYAR
rigle was a bad penman, but as soon
as he began to explain matters un'
derstood. This was what he called
his patent flre-sqdirt ship. 1t was built
to carry certain liquid below the wa
terIine, and in every portion OF the
hull there were ball-shaped AFFAIRS
which, he explained, could not be
pierced by any modern projectile. In
deed. the whole vessel seemed to be
made in such q way that no portion
was other than round. He had GER
tain receptacles for enormous pumps
worked by hydraulic pressure, ana
these pumps would throw liquid up
to three or four miles, and even more
according to their size,
"He explained that a German had
invented pump to throw a liquid tve
miles. Whether this was correct or
not / never took the trouble to nnd
out, but when old Macgarrigle had ex,
planned more details, which could
not quite follow, he told me about his
fire squirt. He pledged me to secrecy.
"He told me that he had found
chemical compound which would take
fire when it came into contact with
the air. With further experimentation
he had resolved this into liquid
form, preserving the same properties,
and then he hit upon applying 1t to
war purposes. This liquid, he ex
planned, would burn certain time,
and when on fire its density was re-
duced and 1t would run about any
where and burn everything it came In
contact with. A constant stream OF
the stun would burn necessarily It's
temperature was high enough to pro-
duce dull red heat in either iron or
steel, and II the pressure In the firing
apparatus was increased 1t would
shrivel up everything it came into con-
tact with. He went on to explain that
it could be fired In modern shell
which, when II had burst, would
spread the liquid. He became so en-
thusiastic over this invention that his
eyes glittered and he paced his labo
ratory, making convulsive gestures
and saying that the nation that bought
this invention would have the power
of controlling the world and, If neces
sary, of stopping war altogether
II began to think the man was q
maniac and looked around for meth
cd of escape in case he might 60 com
@pletely off his head. However, he
Gained down and l took courage to