SECRET WEAPON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1939, Page 6

SECRET WEAPON

SCIENTIST’S WORK USE AGAINST AIRCRAFT. EXPERIMENTS IN BRITAIN. Recent reports from London suggesting the possible use by Britain of a new weapon against enemy aircraft recall strange experiments made by a distinguished British scientist, Mr H. Grindell-Matthews, over a number of years. The inventor, who has already sold to Britain a motor-boat controlled by light-rays, with guns fired by searchlight beam, is known to have been working upon a means of intercepting aircraft by the special application of electrical energy. Many and varied claims for the efficacy of mysterious rays have been made, some even in New Zealand, but so far there has not been made public any convincing proof of practical success in intercepting aeroplanes by this means. CONFIDENCE IN SUCCESS. Confidence in ultimate success in this ambitious plan was expressed several years ago by Mr Grindell-Matthews. “It will be possible in time,” he said, “to arrange an electric charge with lightning speed to arrest aeroplanes in mid-flight, to stop motors and internal combustion engines in their tracks. This ray will naturally cost a great deal to operate over long distances. An aeroplane caught by this ‘policeman’ ray will not be destroyed, but, with its engine useless, would be forced to land.” References to Mr Grindell-Matthews’ experiments was contained in an article written by Colonel T. P. Etherton in the Sunday Express, London, some time ago. He tyas privileged to visit the inventor’s retreat in North Wales, where barbed-wire fences and complicated burglar alarms guarded the laboratory. TO CONQUER DEATH. “I have heard Mr Grindell-Matt-hews’ own story of how he hopes to conquer death in the skies, under the sea and in the human body,” the writer said. “He does not receive visitors. Because I am counted among his friends, I am the first to be allowed past his steel door and wire fences, and weapon used recently for the first den retreat. ‘Here are his objects!—To perfect a device for detecting the presence of submarines 30 miles away; to discover a ray to kill disease germs; to set up a new aerial defence for London, or any other city, by rocket and steelwire aprons which will hang in the sky; and to devise rocket aeroplanes to travel at the incredible speed of six miles a second, with which man might be able to reach the moon.” Rapid progress was reported to have been made by Mr Grindell-Matthews. Nearly four years ago he had developed rays said to be capable of stopping a motor-car engine at a considerable distance, and it is possible that further developments have resulted in the perfecting for Britain of a new secret weapons used recently for the first time against an enemy raider.