THE NEW ELECTRIC RAY

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1924, Page 3

THE NEW ELECTRIC RAY

IT'S destructive cataiullti es. (“Sydney Sun” Cables). (Received this day at 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 8. Matthews explains that his new destructive electrical agency uses a controllable ray ns a path just as lightning • uses a conductor. He points out that its range and destructive power are i only limited by the size, of the gcncratP ing plant. Zepplin engines could he put out of action and the envelope fired in five minutes by the apparatus which is compact enough to he carried in a battle plane, or a motor lorry. Recently one of Matthew’s assistants accidentally cam.o in contact with the weakest possible ray and was rendered unconscious for twenty-four hours. Another had his face completely skinned in less than a second.

A POWERFUL AGENT. EXPERIMENTS ON LARGE SCALE. Received tliis (lav at 8 AO a.m.) (LONDON, April 8. Further experiments with the Grin-dle-Mntthews’ Ray, which is capable of stopping aeroplanes in flight or exploding distant ammunition dumps show that it is even more powerful than at first supposed. A mouse sixty-four feet away, upon whieli the / ray was directed, was killed instantly. ' Enormous interest has been aroused in the invention and the newspaper “Star” reveals that preparations are being made secretly for large scale tests on a barren part of the Coast in which it is exepeted the ray will he found capable of intercepting and exploding a shell at any point in its trajectory. It also will be able to destroy distant ammunition dumps, whereas poison gas and shrapnel are unable to penetrate every nook and cranny of the bnttloludd. Matthews claims the ray is controllable anil it is possible to sweep every square inch of any desired space. Tie proposes, during war in generate I the destructive power at a central staestimated to cost three millions, and distribute it throughout sub-sta-tions, thus maiutaning an aerial barrage 50 miles around Loudon in which nothing could live. It is suggested that portable sets might bo employed in time of peace for the destruction of locusts. Matthews claims that he could sweep the heavens clear in ten minutes.