Mr Edison's Engines of War.

Manawatu Herald, 22 February 1896, Page 3

Mr Edison's Engines of War.

Mr Edison has invented tha follow. ing destructive appliances for the use of Americans in case of war : — WATER A 8 A DESTRUCTIVE AGENT. He has invented a machine by which water can be hurled to a great, distance* Water charged with 6000 Tolts of electricity dashed on an army would sweep it away like chaff. CABLES FOR BESIEGING A CITY. He has invented cables to be drawn round a city, which would deal death to anyone who tried to cross them, and so concealed that they could not be discovered until too late. ELECTRIC CHAINS AS MISSILES. He has invented electric chains to be fired into an advanoing army. These chains are of different lengths, and are attached by one end to the wires of a dynamo while the other is placed in a oannon. When these are discharged the air will be filled with chains like great snakes, which would mean death to an adYADciog host. AJPUAL INFERNAL MACHINE. Ha has invented an aerial infernal machine which can be taken to the spot where it is to be used, and timed to explode at a given moment after it is out loose from the car of the baloon. ., Suppose fifty of these set free at once, each containing 5001bs of dynamite ; it is not necessary to strike- the doomed ship in order to destroy it. The force of the explosion would sink or disable every ship within a moderate distance. IMPROVED WATBR TOHYEDOES. Mr Edison says : —The system of Witter torpedoes can be improved. An endless cable, working round a wheel, should be laid at the bottom of a channel at the entrance of a harbour, and be kept in motion with s> number of torpedoes attached. The cable should be run out the dis tanee necessary, when a submarine torpedo released at the right moment wonld float to the surface and explode. A few such oables laid ar different points would make a bar hour a mine of death. Mr Edison states that cables such as these are ready, and could be laid to morrow. ▲ DYNAMITE GUN. Mr Edison has invented a gun for the firing of dynamite. It is, in reality, four cannons in one, eaoh Arithin the other, so that the muzzles ft .series of concentrio circles. • ~*"* These are loaded and fired to gether. The compression of the outer three cannons will enable the centre one to resist the expansion of tbt dynamite obarg«. Mr Edison

adds that the dynamite gun can be quickly perfected ; it is not not expensive, and can be made more powerful than any in existence. THROWING A SHELL TWEXTY-FOUB MILkS. Mr Edison has invented a doub'e cannon, throwing a shell twentyfour miles. OTHER WAR INVENTIONS. Mr Edison states that these are only a few of the inventions be has made fur the purposes of war, and he further states " In case of war between this country (America) and Great Britain, which 1 hope may never come to pass, and you may quote me for saying so, some extras ordinary events would take place here. I would abandon every other work, and give my whole time and my whole energy to the service of my country."