Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-07-07
BLASTS KAISER'SE
HOPE or VICTORY
italian Invents Canned Lightning
Capable Of Destroying
Trenches OF Enemy.
TERRIBLE ENGINE OF DEATH
Claimed Invention Could End War IN
Thirty Days ard Allies sould March
unehaliensed Into Berlin
Tests Prove It's Value.

Rome The kaiscr's dream Of vic
,nry and world supremacy may b.
blasted out by canned lightning" a
terrible death engine invented by an
knllan scientist. Dazzling swords of
IRE more deadly than are highest ex.
pl1sives. followed by annihilating ex'
plosions. are capable ~ destroying en-
envy trenches with one binding fash.
according 20 his claims. Mine sweep.
ers equipped with this device could
iire mines thousands of yards dis.an'
on the land. canned lightning" could
be used IN form n most successful bar
rnge and could wipe out the defenders
NJ German trenches with unerring Ger
tainty.
The scientist L. credited with hav-
ing discovered means Of concenust'
Ing aud rejecting electric rays In such
q uranner ~ 10 produce the results de-
scrihcd. II Il reported that this In
ventor has proved to representatives,
81 his government that electric cur
rent can b. concentrated and directed
In rays
Tests Held on Banks Of TIber.
IN describing the results OF these
tests. held on the banks OF the
historic Tiber. r. II. Randall. writing
In the Illustrated World. says that the
scientist was asked TO burn through
a three-lnch plank Of hardwood. In
an instant. the writer says. the plank
was scared aDd broken as n II had
been broken by lightning.
Oficials then asked the scientist TO
explode two bombs. one hidden along
the bank OF the river and the other In
the bed OF the stream. within ten
minutes the bomb along the bank ex-
ploded. Il required q much longer
time 10 explode the other bomb. but
this. too. was finally accomplished.
The entire outfit used by the inventor
was placed on a single small barge.
An approximate idea Of the power
OF the arcing electricity may DO OBJ
tained by watching an electric furnace
az work II WIN cut the hardest steel
like putty. To Hash such a flame
through an aeroplane. submarine. bat
tieship or a trench would leave a to-
tai wreck. Mines placed In the North
sea by the GermanE could be elm
mated. and mine sweepers could de
stroy all Of these hidden terrors of the
sea located within thousands OF yards
OF the ship.
Death 10 AIrpIanss.
To q gruphie description. Mr.. Rand
all paints a picture Of what would
happen with this machine In action.
Every enemy airplane or any feet Of
them would fall TO earth. a crumpled
wreck. At the touch Of a button. a
bolt Of electricity would suddenly
shoot forward with incredible speed.
A few SCARED parts would be all that
was left Of what had been q soaring
airplane a few minutes before.
scout could Turk with his deadly
weapons. connected with the gener-
arors and concentrntors behind the
lines. IN shell holes or craters In no
mans land When the enemy
charged he could sweep the whole line
as Il passed. annihIlating each success
sive wave OF advancing Germans.
Mr.. Randall says that he can't say
that this has been done or will be
done. but he don't dare to suggest that
Il cannot be accomplished. Light.
heat and rays OF other kind can be
reflected. He concludes by saying:
"Once this problem IL solved there
win be no war. II the allies were pos
sessed OF equipment that would permit
the arcing ut a distance Of powerful
electric currents. the war would be
won In 30 days aud allied troops would
be marching unchalienged into Ber-
lin."