The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1918-08-30
One inventor Would Snatch En-
envy Rifles by Means Of
Magnets.
FLEA SHELL IS OFFERED
Then There Is the Scissors Plane, the
0hIIy-Ho Cannon, and the Moon
veil-Aeronauties Favored
by Inventors.

Misunderstanding the war on is the
latest popular hobby. It's great
amusement. Perhaps you have tame
balloon 10 snatch the rifles from the
enemy's hands by means of suspended
| magnets: or, maybe. few spare
snakes TO hurl into the trenches by
| pneumatic propulsion: or. perhaps. n
| shell with man inside il TO steer II
| at the target. If so. pack i'm brown
| paper and dispatch to Inventions De
| partment. British Ministry of NUM-
| lions. Some months later you will
receive a polite notification informing
you that your invention is receiving
their collective and earnest atten-
ton"
Meanwhile your competitors have
supplied suggestions for:
A shell 10 contain fieas or other YER
min inocuIated with disease.
The spraying of cement over soldiers
so as to petrify them.
The throwing of live 4.'ire cables
carrying a high voltage among advanc-
ing bodies of infantry by means of
rockets.
Germany should be attacked I'm one
case by making "A tube" all the way.
and in another by employing trained
cormorants to fly TO Essen and
pick out the mortar from Krupp's
chimneys.
One inventor proposes machine OF
the nature of "A lawn mower as larGe
as n tank to make rnincemeat of them.
The Scissors Plane a New Idea.
cially and guns mounted on them;
heavy guns are to be suspended from
captive balloons: the moon is TO be
covered with a big black balloon: air
planes are 10 be armed with scissors or
scythes, like Boadicea's chariot. or To
trail bombs behind them on n long
cord; heat rays are to be project
ed for the purpose of setting Zeppelins
on fire; electric waves to paralyze tn
magnetos.
One of the most popular suggestions
of all is TO attach n searchlight to an
antiaircraft gun. get the light on the
object and shoot along the beam: but,
unfortunately, the path of shell Is
quite different from that Of the ray
of light. Most elaborate "decoy"
the confusion of the enemy. cOmpris-
ing i'm at least one case sham factories
with chimneys and hooters complete.
Not unnaturally aeronautics have
been favored by the inventors. Many
seem TO have thought that the lifting
power of hydrogen is unlimited. for
they have suggested armor-plated bal
looms, the trans port of artillery by
airpIane and of troops by balloon.
Shells and projectiles have received
not little attention. Proposals include
a shell containing gravel to lay path
way over mud another containing irri-
tant powder or sticky substance to
hamper machine guns. and another for
holding many thousand feet of wire.
weights and a clock motor.
Many inventors of "a device requir-
ing knowledge of ballistics be-
tray no knowledge that such sci
ence exists. BY one scheme two guns
are to be fired simultaneously, the /
shot being connected by chain !
to which bombs and incendiary de- |
vices, etc. are TO be attached. 1t is |
clear that variations i'm powder or
differences in wear would make II i'm |
possible to predict which direction the |
device would take.
Then There Is the Relay She'll.
Another favorite subject. mechan- |
ically unsOund, Is the ''relay SHE'LL" n |
shell acting as small gun discharged |
i'm mid-alr and expelling small In
ner shell, the object being to Obtain |
an increased range. The fact Is that |
shell i'm flight does not point direct
ly along its trajectory. but makes an
uncertain angle with IT, so that ac-
curacy of aim would be impossible.
In the group of inventions coming