GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 284, 10 May 1915, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The most important lighthouse at the present time, so far as actual war operations are eonce rned, is the. light of Heligoland, the island which Oerinanv lias turned into a naval base. The Heligoland light is au electric one, and the most powerful in Germany, mid is claimby the Hermans to be the most powerful light in existence. The light consists ol a cluster of three revolving lights, having a lighting power of 4(1,OKI),(KM) candles, a magnitude of light which from figures alone is hard and dillicuit to realise. The lights are on the searchlight principle, and the cluster is surmounted hv it sinule light, of the, same kind and size, that can be revolved independently and three times ay fast the three lights. The single light is put into use in case of accident to thu cluster of three. Ihe eh-.'lj'ie power is crated by two steam-engines and boilerj umn ing belt-driven electric generator.-.

What .">0 or (if) years ajro would liavc been re;;ani"il as a miracle is bein}; performed to-day (says Mr. llurd). Ilijw surprise!] Lord Palinevstuit and his contemporaries, v, hose lnimls v.'ere obsessed Willi llu' superiority of loi'ts over ships, would hi l at the attacks and success of (.lie Aii'jlii ! iviirli .siimoinm iii dest rovim;the outer forts of tile Dardanelles after a few days' -bombardment, ami with eomIHiniUvely small losses on (lie side of (lie .Allies! 'I lie Criiuean war consisted mainly oT tile sicim ol a single fortress, v> nit'll held out. for II months. The sieae created a. widespread impression that sea power was of very limited value. I'lincli summed up the opinion of tlm moment in a. riddle. "What," it. asked, "is the dill'erenee between the Meet in Ihe Haiti-.- ami ti:e Meet in the |!lack *ea »" The answer was: "The licet in Ihe I'allic v.-i'< e\|;c< f e-1 to ,|„ ~v , .r r. ' liiliy. am! il iliil mil.liiiiLT; the fleet in the lilac), S-a was i vpect.eil to do lhitliiiii,', am! il, did it.-' "Which to ni o\c t.imt I'i no-li is s-mietimes wronc; but for our control of --en eommunicnI ions the I >rif Kit am] I'lem-h armies could not have reached the Crimen.