FIRING TWO MILLION BULLETS AN HOUR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 238, 13 November 1909, Page 6

FIRING TWO MILLION BULLETS AN HOUR

TERRIBLE MAX-KILLERS FOE FUTURE BAUTLES. The demands upon our Navy on all the Seven Seas are so great that it -- imperative we should possess moie -• vcs-els than any other Power. Lu. what is the use of building battleship. „ „u»s and torpedoes exist which, n uiL-r* were a European war to-morrow, anight, after the first few week-, <>i days, put every iiouelad at the button, of the sea or in dock, and lor the tun, being leave the ocean free to all ansmmient« of destruction will decide \<v Traial«ar of the future; battleship will not be pitted against battleship, but torpedo against torpedo and electrical gun against° electrical guu. The invention of the torpedo, or -White Devil" as Kipling aptly terms it, completely revolutionised the method oI attack in naval warfare when it was in vented .years ago. The Brennan torpjlo —once the most formidable engine lor harbor attack and defence that existed in tie world—may almost be eonsidereu old-fashioned, while the Whitehead torpedo 16 but a squib compared to the new ail-torpedo recently invented by the KwtdisnX'oloiiel Ungc.

FOR SEA AND LAND. Colonel Uuge B torpedo can be Uivu witJWtt- ,piouuciiig any recoil wa-Ucvcr, hence' tu« torpeiw.tuue. is lignt, aud ea»} to ,iruw puree to place. L. is said ilia.- « "'ill snoroy be introduced into army and navy, and it is proposed p) convey the torpedo tuLe on a motor-car lor laud delcnce. In new ofciatious the air-lorpcdo can oe u». t~ -■,*--«-- lwd- c -> oi troops as well "a" u~ ► »iuops in covered positions, Jiu °ow"bi" me tact that it can be; uiiciuugeu .w.t-ioui uie slightest nois;.-, it wiil"ue uuposo.uie lor an eueiuy'.o.locate tie position ol the tor. peuo uattery whicu'is attacking it. In: iuMt/U-ieuce the air-torpeuo can be hied in such'a way as to mop rigut on but ueeiu of ..hostile, battleships.

'. ■' A UilUliitfLE .TOIU'EDU. Had tue Haijnne dirigible Vorpeuo, thcj invention oi Lieutenant iialpino, ui the. United' States Navy, been m the aands ol HuW during, the liusso-dupaiiese War,' vile progress of events round i. J o« Arthur liiiunt nave been uilierenl. Terrible, muted, is' the naipme tor peub, auu it is =eut ou Us errand m u way unite di=tn.- li-oJJi l«at "1 «' AMiiteuead aud similar iorpcuo.-s. It is toiveu out tu sea by a sanor m a small rowing boat. Ou boaru ide boa. u a toiH.ruu.iig uoard, worKcd by elec tr.eity, aud wnen a crank is turned the nalpiue torpedo, wmen 1= attached t • the boat bj a cauie, careers along at hi"li speed, pulling the cralt alter 11. °vke.i We torpedo and the boat a :e within a couple oi wiles or so ol the vessel wmch is to be auacted, the.sailor in charge brings them 10 a dead stop. Auchor.ug his ooal, ue climbs aboaU the torpedo, sits astride, ana relea=e* the cabie or tow-line. Ills next proceed inc. is'to re-start the mechanism ol the torpedo under him. As the torpedo cuts awn* he jjuides it towards the vessel, aud, wWtf well within the mile limit, he drops into the sea-he wears a cors. iacket-and takes hold of a. controlling wire which issues from the back of the torpedo, and which niuy be run out to a inite « mme il necessary. So that tile operator can see where to guide the torpeuo by means oi the wave. A red 1 and green lamp is made to Hare at the back oi the discs at the will of theoperator, if he keeps the two lights in hue, one above the other, he can be sure that-his .weapon is heading straight for the big battleship.

Ml NIC-HT ATTACK. The torpedo, if its ''nose" runs into the Svire u tdrpedo" netting of the ironclad, automatically reverses its propeller and runs- backward a little distance, leaving its "nose" in the net. As the torpedo retreats a leaden cap is pulled from it By a chain attached to the -nose" ami a caydty containing metallic potassium is opened. The air and water .whiefcuanterwtifcis chamber result m forcing a projectile through a tube below the Torpedo.' This projectile, which is the clin g lM S " nose by acaMef arnksT Mow the sea at an angle of forty-five degrees. When about a hundred feeMKelow the surface u. come* to the end of its tether, and, be iug buoyant, .strikes upwards. In so doing it*°il" practically certain that H will etrike the hull of the battleship under the armbt-pfn'tectiHg plates and away from the torpedo net. Direc.lj the projectile-haS'Keen fired the torpedo becomes unite detached from the "nose' and backs towards the waiting operator. A small <M«iet within it rewinds the wire, and-in this way the torpedo is bound to .jeturji to. the man in char-e. He then cTaWbeVs once more on its back, ond'either steers ifrliaVk to his anchored boat or makes straight for the »hove. As. a weapon Hi 'Might attack the Halsine dirigible torpedo has yet to be icaten. v , v ' ~

VIRING FROM LONDON TO PARIS. A little while ago we were bearing much oj the wonderful.gun invented by Mr. Simpson, a Scotch engineer, who-u name is well known in connection with metallurgical researches and discoveries. His weapon is capable of imparting, by the application of electricity, an initial velocity of 30,000 ft, a "second to proje'tiles of all dimensions, and there is no thing to 'prevent itramtothers of its type from electrically propelling shells .from London to Parie, or vice versa, at the rate of thousands a day. Mr. Simpson-declares that his guu will throw a projectile four hundred miles or wore without either Hash, smoke or recoil, lie has not, naturally, divulged thi si'ireU of his invention, but he tells us that hia'electric guu is entirely different in shape from any of the firearms now iu the possession of the Great Powers, and that the projectiles it propels at such an alarming rate do not resemb'e the ordinary conical shots and bullets. This gun, which makes Jules Verne's 'Trip frdTn the Earth to the Moon" in a '.nnnon-ball almost a possibility, will probably be acquired by Britain, and, if so it might help to~turn the scale of war iu her favor.

WORKED BY MOTOR. A Mr. Bangerter has invented a quickfiring gun which is tapable of propelling Automatically, without noise, smoke or flash, bullets' at the extraordinary rate of 30,000 a minute at ordinary speed. and •2,(100,000 an hour if pushed to its maximum capacity. The cost of one hour's firing would not exceed £4. According to Mr. Bangerter, ten of his guns, firing half-inch bullets at the rate 1 of -.',090,000 every sixty minutes, would sweep away an entire army within en hour, even if only one j>er cent, of the missiles found a billet. His quick-firer is worked by motor-power, and requires two men only to operate it. When one considers the terrible engines of destruction that exist to-day cne is forced to admit that Jules Vera", besidw being a vivid author, was a prophet of the highest attainments. The devising of these fearful man-killers nm?t sooner or later result in the aboli tiou of war. In a year pi two no Power will possess a margin of superiority over another, and then the nations of tlw world will agree to cry "Halt!" The (•'oj of Peace will be Science!