New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-11
l8RszaalzzEal The Great Workshop of Science @zaYB
Liquid Fire

do not know, the place of the latter in the
mixture was taken by ordinary commercial
ether.
"The lighting device fixed at the end of
the flexible hose is the most ingenious part
of the whole contrvance, and is so made
that the oil ignites spontaneously the min
ute the jet is turned on and is kept aight
by fiercely burning mixture which lasts
throughout the discharge.
"The nozzle is about nine inches long and
detachable, so that replacement is easy. 1t
clips into the end of the tube and is held
in position by an annular ring. When the
OIL with its twenty-three atmospheres
pressure behind it, is rushed out Of the jet,
1t forces up the plunger of friction lighter
and ignites core Of fierce burning fuse
mixture which fills the whole Of the space
between the central tube and n outer cas-
ing. The latter consists of thick wick
soaked in paraffin wax and fitting loosely
into thin brass case. When the nozzle is
in position all that is necessary is to turn
on the tap, and the stream of flame issues
from the tube and can be directed at will"
The author goes on to tell why this
most ingenious contrivance has been
found SO ineffective in trench warfare.
1.-The most essential part of the tactics
and the most difficult thing to do is to
get near enough the target to make the
shot effective, and the range is only fifty
or sixty feet" he asserts. And further:
"The attackers suffer from two such
severe disadvantages that against we'll dis
ciplined troops they stand little chance
These disadvantages CD the fammen-
werfer carriers have to get so near their
objective that they are almost certain to be
shot, and they then become source Of dan
ger to their own side; (2) men in trenches
know they are perfectly safe from frontal
flame attack if they keep well down and
hug the parapet side of the trench. The
reason for this is that the fame will not
sink down into trench, but having little
force behind it at the end of its journey is
curled upward by the rising currents of hot
air. The result is that any sort of head
cover (unless made of woody makes per-
feet protection, and man crouching in a
trench or even lying prone in she'll hole is
very unlikely to be more than slightly
scorched at the very worst. l can vouch
for this, for have lain at the bottom Of
"->'A
and have not been injured in the slightest
though | confess to being very much re-
lieved when the fame stopped. The only
danger in trenches to men who keep their
heads is that of 'blobs' of burning oil fall
ing from the end of the fiery stream, but
this is not very serious chance.
"Another serious disability in the German
liquid fire is its very short duration. The
stream of flame from the portable Aammen-
werfer lasts rather less than one minute It
is impossible to charge up again on the
spot, and the result is that once the flame
stops the whole game is finished and the
operators are at mercy. Without max
ing the apparatus of prohibtive weight
the duration of the fame cannot be in
creased Even the heavy projectors give
only flame lasting at the best one minute
and q quarter.
ut must be realized that it is discipline
and GOODNESS Off one may the word)
which count, and that the moral effect on
unsteady troops, unaware Of the fact that
the appalling flames have little destructive
value, may be very great indeed. When
men have bolted from the trenches into the
open they are an easy prey