The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-08-30
One Inventor Would Snatch En-
envy Rifles BY Means Of.
Magnets.
FLEA SHELL IS OFFERED
Then There 10 the Scissors Plane, the
Tally-Ho Cannon, and the Moon
vell-Aeronautics Favored
BY inventors.

LondOn.-Pushing the war on II the
latest popular hobby. It's a great
amusement. Perhaps you have a tame
balloon to snatch the rifles from the
enemy's hands by means of suspended
magnets: or, maybe. q few spare
snakes to hurl into the trenches by
pneumatic propulsion: or, perhaps, a
shell with a mar inside It to steer. It
at the target. II so. pack In brown
paper and dispatch to Inventions De-
parrnent, 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 to contain f1eas or other YER
min inoculated with disease.
The spraying of cement owe soldiers
30 rs to petrify them.
The throwing Of live wire cables
carrying a high voltage among advanc-
Ing bodies Of infantry by means IT
rockets.
Germany should be attacked in 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 a machine OF
the nature Of a lawn mower as large
as a tank to make mincemeat OF them.
The Scissors Plane . New ldea.
The clouds IRE to be frozen artif.
cially and guns mounted on them ;
heavy guns are to be suspended from
captive balloons; the Q Is to he
covered with a big black balloon afr
planes are to be armed with scissors or
scythes, like Roadlcea's chariote or to
trail bombs behind them on a 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 a s%earchlight to an
antiaircraft gun. get the light on the
object and shoot along the beam; but,
unfortunately. the path Of n shell Is
quite different from that Of the ray
OF light. Most elaborate "decoy"
schemes are sometimes worked out for
the confusion OF the enemy. compris.
ing in at least M 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 tran: port OF artillery by
airplane and Of troons by balloon.
Shells and projectiles have received
not a little attention. Proposals include
a she'll containing gravel to lay a path
way over mud another containing irri-
tant powder or sticky substance to
hsmper machine guns. and another FOR
holding many thousand feet OF wire,
weights and a clock motor.
Many inventors Of a device requir.
ing a knowledge of ballistics be
tray no knowledge that such a SCI
ence exists. BY one scheme two guns
are to be fired simultaneously, the
shot being connected by a chain
to which bombs and incendiary de.
vices, ETC.. are to be attached. It Is
clear that variations in powder or
differences In wear would make 1t I'M
possible to predict which direction the
device would take.
Then There 70 the Relay She'll.
Another favorite subject. mec'lnn-
ically unsound, IL the "relay SHE'LL" q
shell acting as q small gun discharged
In n.id-air and expelling q small In
e shell. the object being to ottain
an increased rnngc. The fact II that
a shell In flight does no point direct.
II along its trajectory, but makes an
uncertain angle with It. 30 that nc
curacy Of aim Would be impossible.
In the group Of inventions coming