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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



AERIAL TORPEDOES. 

 By John T. Carrington. 



/^vNE of the most remarkable applications of 

 ^^ science in modern times is to aerial torpedoes 

 by Mr. Hudson Maxim, the celebrated American 

 chemist and inventor. This gentleman must not 

 be confused with his brother, Mr. Hiram Maxim, 

 who is at present engaged upon the solution of the 

 problem of aerial navigation. 



Mr. Hudson Maxim has published a book, which 

 is beautifully illustrated and is otherwise a remark- 

 able production (*). So terrible indeed is the subject 

 that one stands appalled before it. When we think 

 that the mere pulling of a fuse-cord attached to 

 a big gun will set in motion such devastating 

 machinery created by man, we wonder where his 

 inventive faculty will carry him in future ages. 

 This sharp touch of the fuse-cord sets in flight a 

 mass of explosive material enough to sink several 

 immense men-of-war and destroy the thousands of 

 strong men forming their crews. 



The first paragraphs of the book, indeed, form 

 an apology of the inventor for this awful creation 

 of his brilliant mind. They run thus in part : 



"War must be looked upon as a business, and 

 subject, like any other business to business 

 principles. War is the business of destruction of 

 life and property of an enemy, and has no regard 

 for the sacredness or pricelessness of human life. 

 At best war is cruelty ; but it is not only often a 

 necessity, but unavoidable, and once engaged in 

 should be made as terrible and destructive as 

 possible while it lasts, in order that it may be 

 brief as possible, thus minimising the evil in the 

 aggregate. . . . The most deadly and destructive 

 implements of war are the most humane, and the 

 producers of them may justly be looked upon as 

 humanitarians. Such inventions have put a 

 limit to the time when barbarian hordes can over- 

 run and subdue the earth ; to ravage, destroy, 

 and enslave by sheer brute force and power of 

 numbers." 



A short time ago we had the pleasure of spend- 

 ing an afternoon with the inventor, and of 

 examining specimens of these torpedoes and other 

 things of equal interest in his laboratory. Though 

 surrounded by such death-dealing objects, they 

 have by no means imparted to their inventor the 

 savageness of destruction. We found Mr. Maxim 

 the type of gentle kindness and bright humour. 

 It is only within the last forty years that torpedoes 

 were invented, and they have been hitherto sub- 

 marine in their action. Mr. Maxim, however, has 

 invented and successfully tried a more accurate 

 system than that of the marine torpedoes, which 



0) " Maxim Aerial Torpedo : A New System of Throw- 

 ing High Explosives from Ordnance, and some Recent 

 Improvements in Smokeless Powders," by Hudson Maxim. 

 Illustrated. (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1897.) Price 

 21s. 



are, whether active or passive, more or less un- 

 certain in their action. In the old system there 

 are no half measures, for either the object attacked 

 is completely destroyed or it escapes it altogether. 

 In the Maxim system it is not necessary to hit 

 the enemy's ship with the active form of torpedo, 

 for if one of his invention explodes within a con- 

 siderable radius, even the most powerful war-ship 

 afloat would collapse and immediately sink. 



For some years past there has been going on 

 a close contest between the artillerymen and the 

 makers of armour-plates for defending ships. The 

 present position of this contest has been latterly 

 advanced in favour of the guns. This has been 

 achieved, however, at immense expense and by 

 sacrificing the possibility of quickly moving the 

 guns from place to place, or of easily handling 

 them. Great weight of metal constitutes their 

 ability to withstand the strain of the enormously 

 heavy charges of powder used. In this game of 

 destruction and resistance, the tendency of the 

 artillerymen has been in the direction of relying 

 upon the smashing effect of a huge steel bolt. To 

 succeed, this bolt must hit the object desired, 

 and we know how uncertain is that hitting, as 

 can be observed by watching gun practice at 

 sea. It will be found that the hits are by far 

 the exception. 



The Maxim system is to substitute torpedoes for 

 the shot and shell at present used in big guns. The 

 inventor claims, among other advantages, that a 

 torpedo projectile of twice the calibre, double the 

 length, and three times the weight of the present 

 armour-piercing shell, half of which may be high 

 explosive, projected with a less velocity, is capable 

 of working more destruction upon the average 

 target than the present shell. A gun can be made 

 at less cost than the present types, and of double 

 the calibre, but of equal weight with the present 

 forms of high-power guns, which will be capable 

 of sustaining a working pressure of 10,000 lbs. to 

 the square inch. A propelling charge of smokeless 

 pcjA'der can be produced which with full charges 

 will give an initial pressure of 10,000 lbs. to the 

 square inch and maintain that pressure behind the 

 projectile in its flight through the entire length 

 of the gun. The torpedo projectile can be made 

 capable of carrying its own weight of wet 

 compressed guncotton or other suitable high ex- 

 plosive, such as picric acid or maximite, and will 

 be of such shape and strength as to enable it to 

 sustain the mass of explosive in its flight from the 

 gun, and endure with absolute certainty of perfect 



