The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 11, 1896, Page 25

’ THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1896 0 Some Secret Appliances for Modern Warfare is electricity. The torpedo carries a cable | are provided with flags or disks, so that But very few of the many readers of Tue CarL know anything about the con- struction and operation of the numberless little appliances that are used in modern warfare, for the reason that such informa- tion is kept secret, because the knowledge of the operation confers upon the nation possessing it an advantage over.other less wise nations. One of the greatest difficulties in se- curing accurate gun fire at sea has been the want of definitely fixing the aistance of the object fired at. Heretofore the de- termination of distances at sea has been a matter of personal judgment and liable to error. Now the navy employs a metiod of ascertaining distances very much like that used by astronomers in' escertaining the distance of the stars; a mathematical operation by which the problem of parallel is solved. It is based upon the | well-known rule of plane geometry; that given the angles at which two sides of a triangle subtend from a known base line, the length of the perpendicular is easily computed. | | When the occasion arises that the com- | mander of one of i/ncle Sam’s wars:ips | desires to know how far distant is a vessel | the ‘“‘electrical distance indicator” 1s | brought into requsition. Two officers take | their places, one at eac: end of the ship. These officers are provided with a form of | telescope called a theodolite, which is | mounted upon a vertical axis so it can | swing from side to side. Underneath the theodolite is a semicircle of German silver | wire, and a light spring attached to the end of the theodolite presses upon the wire. Atany convenient place in the ship is placed a specially constructed galvano- meter, and conducting wires connect a small battery with the galvanometer and with each of the theodolites. Now German silver offers a very great resistance to the | passage of the electric current, and as each th-odolite is swung over the semi- | circular German silver wire when the | officer points his theodolite to the distant | vessel the resistance to the electrical cur- | rent is increased or diminished. This car- | rent is at all times circulating round the | galvanometer coils, and consequently the | deflection of the galvanometer needle is | governed by the amount of resistance | tixed by the movements of the twc! theodolites. Instead of the galvanometer | scale being divided into degrees, as is the | usual way, it indicates feet, and the needle points unerringly to that number indicat- ing the length of the perpendicular oi the triangle, of which the distance between the two officers is the base line, and the distant vessel the vertex of the other two sides. A Wonderful New Light. Quite recently there has been brought | out by the French navy a mysterious de- vice known as “la ratiere,” or the *rat- | trap light.” Itisa thing of small dimen- sions and is placed on the deck of the ves- sel. It throws out an electric light that can only be discovered dead ahead. La ratiere is constructed as follows: A square box has within it at one end a concave mirror, in front of which is adjusted an arc light. The lig is focused upon a plano-convex lens placed midway of the | length of the box, so that the rays of light are projected turough a silvered tube as a bundie of parallel rays, By the sides of the outer end of the silvered tube are placed two prisms, one of red and the other of green glass, and through which a portion of the light passes in divergent rays. At a distance of several miles the ligiat of la ratiere appears as a small point and consequently difficult of detection to those not knowing the quarter in which to look for it. Its detection is thus re- duced to & minimum, as it can only be seen within a radius of a few feet at such distance. The use of the red and green rays are for the purpose of enabling the vessel to whom the signal is intended to know in which direction to steer so as to come within the zone of white light should the white ray disappear. By meaps of this invention night signals can be made when flashiights and rockets might be useless or liable to betray the positior of the fleet | to the enemy. It can also be used asa guid: to a squadron in line, with all other lights out, in dangerous latitudes, as it cannot be seen either to the right or left, but only dead ahead or dead astern. The French Admiralty attaches great ime portance to this light, and has taken extraordinary precautions to guard it against discovery. Tue CALL for the first time makes public its nature. For pur- poses of maintaining the projection of the light upon a horizontal piane, which otherwise would be disturbed by the toss- ing and pitching of the vessel, the lamp is arranged to float in a vessel containing mercury, while an electrically connected compass maintains the azimuth direction of the light at any set angle, An Intelligent Torpedo. A very important feature in nayal war- fare is the torpedo. By this device 1t is possible to fire large charges of ex-| plosive underneath a vessel. Torpedoes are of three kinds—fixed, mobile and auto- mobile. The first—tae fixed—consist of | receptacles containing ; unpowder orother | explosive, and are anchored at the boitom depth, and consequently its approach is | of a channel or harbor. They contain a | fuse and are connected with the shore by | an electric wire, so th&tskould an enemy’s | vessel pass over them they may be ex-! ploded by the operator on the shore send- ing a current of electricity through the | wire. The second class of torpedoes are fired from a tube by compressed air. Of this class the Whitehead is a prominent example. Nearly every warship is now fitted to use these deadly and destructive missiles. This torpedo is about six feet long, made of bronze or copper. It carries several hundred pounds of explosive, and contains a small engine actuated by com- pressed air, for the purpose of driving tue propeller with which each torpedo is fitted. In operation the tube is pointed toward the vessel it is desired to destroy and the torpedo ejected from the tube by a powerful charge of compressed air. Just as the torpedo leaves the tube a trigger is released, bringing into play the little air engine within the torpedo, which assists in maintaining the velocity of the torpedo. They are tairly accurate for a few bhundred yards only and are not adapted, to Jong-distance work. Once the torpedo leaves the tube thers is no means of controlling the direction of its flight, and the accuracy of its course 1s depend- ent upon the care with which it is aimed and the nature of the water carrents it en- counters in its passage. The third class— the auto-mobile—is a torpedo that con- tains a propelling mechanism and a steer- ing gear that are controlled from the deck of the vessel or the station on shore from several miles in length, which is paid out | the operator watching them may see the from the body of the torpedo as it goes on | direction the torpedo is moving and so its way. This cable consists of a number of insu- lated wires, over which electric currents are sent by the operator to control the mechanism of the torpedo and so direct its movements, making it zo “.lheld or[ astern, or stop, and steering it to the right or left. The torpedo is almost sub- merged and carries a couple of rods pro- jecting above the water, the tops of which THIS TORPEDO CARRIES A What is a comet? Why does it have a tail? Why does tnis caudal appendage nearly always point away from the sun? How can it be switched about the sun at perihelion like an enormous sword and stiil hoid its shape? The strain would be sufficient to break solid steel! All theories that have been advanced have been rejected. No one pretends to be able to prove any feature of the phe- | nomena presented. The field is wide open, and any one hasa right to guess. Suppose we do some guessing and at the same time use a little common-sense—very common sense, indeed, for it is not very scientific nor hard to understand. Every truth is simple enough when we know it, and it is quite possible that if we proceed on very simple lines we may arrive at a great truch. To begin, the comet s not a privileged ®® '\ TO THE EARTH 7O THE SON DraGraM illustrating the binary nebule sys- tem which showed as Biela’s comet. The nebulous “wheels’” are shown in two positions. The arrows show the directions to the earth and the sun. haracter. It must exist in conformity with the great law which rules all the atoms in space. How does this law mani- fest itself to us as we are able to see it ? We see that every solid, such as a planet, is spHerical in shape. We know that every system is a great flat “wheel,” and that “‘a wheel within a wheel” is simply | a planetary wheel within a solar wheel. We know also that the bodies which are not solid—the nebulous masses in space— appear of various shapes, but that those which have definite shape are also great flat “wheels.” The more dense they are the nearer to the spherical shape they become, and we are safe 1n assuming that the first point | stroyed by him before it can intelligently guide it to ti.e object. Un- fortunately, what is visible to the operator is liable to be seen by the enemy, and the success of the attack is thereby jeopar- dized to that extent; forif the torpedo is discovered by the enemy it may be de- perform its purpose. Qui e recently there has been invented a naval torpedo which mov s at all times below the surface at any desired | CABLE ATTACHM completely masked to the enemy, who has no knowledge of the presence of the de- structive machine until the occurrence of the fatal explosion. This torpedo would seem to be endowed with almost human sentiency. Itis under | the absolute control of its operator, who can cause it to sink or rise at will and to move in every desired direction, and it communicates to the operator continu- ously its exact position as to deptb, direc- | tion of movement, lateral drift, etc. It| also tells him when it contacts with the enemy and the character of the contact, | whetber it is at the side of the enemy’s | vessel or beneath it. Of course the man- | ner of operating so valnable an arm of warfare is preserved a jealously guarded secret. Magnetic Attraction Used. Electricity for the Beautiful to construct a machine that indicates the presence of a vessel in close proximity that otherwise by fog or mist would be hidden from view. Curious electrical devices are =also em- ployed bv means of which any action on board ship, such as the course steered, the rate of speed, the direction of the wind, and when in action the firing of the bat- teries, are instantancously indicated 'to the commander in his cabin and also auto- | matically recorded upon the log. Advantage of magnetic attraction is had F. M. Crosg, D.Sc. Novel Theory Regarding the Shape of Gomets The ball in the shadow is lumi- nous and the other is not. Suppose we could construct a great flat, whirling nebula composed of white-hot bullets, and that the bullets were most dense or nearest together at the center of the wheel, and then suppose that we could present it edgewise to the 'sun’s rays. What would we see? A comet, to be sure, for the cen- tral mass or nucleus would cast a shadow back over a portion of the wheel, and every white-hot bullet in that shadow would appear luminous. other. CENTER OF THE SPIRAL DovaTr's CoMer with dotted lines showing the continuation of the “spokes” toward a com- mon center. But there are objections to this? Of course there are. All comets are not the same in appear- ance? That is also true of nebule. All comets do not have tails? Nor do all “wheels” lie in the same plane. The sun’s rays must strike the wheel on the edge to produce the longest tail, and if they strike the wheei from a vertical direction there might be no tail at all. But some comets have more than one tail? That is true, but it is also true that some wheels have more than one spoke. ‘Why are the tails of some comets curved ? In January, 1846, a peculiar thing hap- pened to Biela’'s comet. It appeared to separate or split into two distinct comets of unequal brightness. During February the lesser of the two increased in bright- ness until it became equal to itscom- panion, and then began to grow fainter, until in March it disappeared entirely, although the ‘‘comet’” continued visible nearly a month longer. Now, how shall we account for this apparently awkward | fact in a very simple way? The answeris this: Biela’'s comet was what astronomers would cail a ‘*binary” —that is to say, it.was domble, or had two nuclei which revoive about a common center. The telescope shows us illustra- tions both in nebule and in binary stars. ‘When the nuclei are in the same line of vision from the earth and appear superimposed, we s2¢ one comet. When by reason of their motion they appear to separate, we see two comets with the phenomena pre- cisely as described. Such a system is not so staple as a wheel with a single nucleus, and when this comet appeared in 1852, divided and with the brightness changing as it ought to, this was positively its last appearance. But Donati’s comet in 1858 presented some entirely different features. Its tail was a marvel of beauty and appeared to be split diagonally into many stripes of nebu- lous matter which had no nuclei. Most curious of all and most puzzling were two great streamers which emerged from the head in nearly straight lines, althouch the “tail” proper was curved. How will our guess apply to this problem? If one tail should be curved, why was the other tail straight? The answer must be simple if it is to be true. Let us look to the nebule for an answer. Surely there must be one that can suggest the answer. Indeed, there are several; they are known as spiral nebule®, and look like great Fourth of July pinwheels. Some of the spirals or spokes will account for the curved tail, and other spokes will make the straight tails if viewed at an- other angle,which must of necessity be the of manifestation of the solid body is near the center of the wheel, All this seems perfectly natural and no one’s feelings are hurt up to this point—but we can- not stop here. We must reason a liitle farther. A comet 1s a nebulous body, and there- fore is a ““wheel.” 1t does not look like a wheel ? ‘We do not see all of it; no more than we see all of the moon illuminated when itis new. We see only such portions of the wheel as the sun permits us to ses. Can this be demonstrated? Let us take a ball of white-hot iron into the bright sunlight. It appears almost which the torpedo is fired. In some in- stances the motive power is carbonic acid &as or compressed air, though generally it black. We place it in the shade and it is luminous. We then take two white-hot balls and place one in the shadow of the For the same reason that the spokes of the wheels, the spiral nebulw, are also covered and for the additional reason that it takes light time to travel. The speed of light is enormous only to our finite comprehension™it is slow in comparison with the immensity of space. This can be easily iliustrated by the stream of water issuing from a garden hose when the noz- zle is suddenly turned to one side. But the speed of the water stream near the nozzle is greater than away from it. Quite true, but if sound travels faster through dense mediums, might not the same be true of light? The fact is that if any particular comet be taken as an example, a nebule or wheel can be found or constructed in imag- ination which will perfectly account forit. and Devils Gate. case. This is made simple by assuming a vortex motion or a shape similar to a pro- peller or windmiil. . | We-all know that in perspective the shapes- of the blades—or spokes, as we have called them—are different. It will be conceded that -we view all bodies in space in perspective; just as we do objects upoun the earth. In fact. most of these nebule are seen at an angle and appear as ellipses or nearly flat disks. Now let us apply our guess to the comet | Rordame, which appeared in the western sky in July, 1893. Its tail was very well behaved when first seen, but a few days later jt presented a decidediy broken ap- pearance with bright, irregular patches of lignt like lesser nuclei along the tail. The explanation is that the comet Ror- dame was also a a spiral, whirling nebul® or wheel, and that its plane when ex- tended happened at that time to intersect | the sun. The spiral was very distinct, and several of the “spokes” were intersected by the shadow of the head. We would therefore expect that if the nebul® revolved per- ceptibly these condensations of illumi- nation would appear to move away from the head, and this is precisely what did occur and was observed on July 13. The same phenomenon was noted in Swift's comet in April, 1892, and in Brooks' comet in October, 1893, There is also another fact which bears very sig- A PIECE OF WIRE bent to show two spokes of a spiral nebule, which has a twisted or vortex shape. Viewed from the side one spoke is curved and the other is straight. nificantly upon our guess, and that is that these condensations appear to move away from the Lead with an increasing velocity. This is exactly what they ought todo from the nature of the spiral. There is one feature common to all comets which absolutely disproves all for- mer theories, and yet, singularly, proves our guess to be a gocd one. A comet ap- pears to get smaller and its tail to get shorter as it approaches the sun, but when it is leaving the sun’s neichborhood the reverse appears to take place. If this phenomenon results from the difference in the intensities of the light of the sun and the nebula it is evident that this dif- ference increases as the nebula approaches The recent telegraphic news from Los Angeles to the effect that an electric line is projected -into La Canada Valley was ot of startling interest. to the public in these times of political strife. To a few, howaver, to whose ears ‘“La Canada’ has a definite sound, the news.was received with much pleasure. It means the open- ing of an almost matchlessly pictur- esque territory, - where olives, oranyges, Jemons, and, in fact, almost all fruits, attain wondrous growth and flavor and a corresponding marketable value. The little valley, only twelve miles fiom Los Angeles, is also a wonder- ful health resort, and though as yet some- what inaccessible except to equine motor power, has been penetrated by several wealthy men of Souihern Cahfornia, who have built magnificent residences there, by several sanitariums and by many fruit- growers, The projected electric railway is to run from Los Angeles via Glendale and Verdugo Park through the Verdugo Camyon into the valley of La Canada; along the valley from northwest to south- east, emerging in the vicinity of the Devils Gate at Arroyo Park; thence to Pasadena and back agsin to Los An- geles. Thus a sort of belt line will be To vwE SUW CoMET RORDAME and plan of that portion of the spiral nebul® which gave the effect as shown. formed, or, morefgproperly speaking, an are line. It is designed to utilize the two branches of the Terminal Railway, as now con- structed; that is, the branch which runs from Los Angeles to Altadena, via Pasa- dena, and the branch which extends to Verdugo Park, via Glendale, will be con- nected by an eiectric band. From Ver- dugo Park to La Canada, the Verdugo road will doubtiess be available. The two rail lines, starting from a common center at Los Angeles, are not unlike the radii of a circle, diverging at about an angle of 45 degrees, and the proposed line connect- ing them will thus form the arc. Dr. ). D. Hineman, the inspirer of the the sun and decreases as it leaves it. Therefore the result would be as de- scribed. One might speculate indefinitely upon the details of the relations between comets and the nebule, but the intelligent readers can do this for themselves, and it is unnecessary to fill space with further illustrations. We all know what a small sunbeam shining into a dusty room looks like, and it is a poor law that is not universal. If the dust was self-luminous it would be visible to us everywhere in the room excepting in the sunbeam. Astronomers are in general very fair- minded men, and if our guess apvears to them to be a true one they will be glad to say so, even if it comes from a very humble astronomer, FrED G. PLUMMER. enterprise, is a resident of Arizona, a man of wealth and the representative of other Eastern capitalists, all of whom seem to have faitn in the growth and commercial importance of Los Angeles. Dr. Hineman recently had a conference with T. E. Gibbon, vice-president of the Terminal Railway, and it is now under- stood the Terminal Company is willing to entertain a proposition lonking to a traffic or other arrangement which will facilitate the execution of the plan as has been roughty sketched. J. Henry Dockweiler, formerly City En- gineer of Los Angeles, has been retained by the Eastern capitalists to make plans and otherwise assist the consummation of the work, for which he is eminently fitted by reason of his intimate acquaintance La Ganada with the country in this section.™ It seems that for some time the work of sarveyving has been quiétly and carefully prosecuted, and mor: recently there have been meet- ings of importance held at La Canada, Glendale and Verdugo. Committees to secure right of way, the probable tonnage +to be moved ‘and various statistics have been aclively at work for the past few weeks. The figures which show the traffic al- ready moving, notwithstanding the present disabilities, have been secured. It snould be remembered that these figures are actual, not merely ‘“estimaied,”” and they are regarded as very favorabie. Itis re- ported that the Eastern capitalists have | signified their desire and intention to push the line speedily if the statistics ob- tained will insure the coss of ‘‘axle-grease’” for the first year. Already there is no doubt in the minds of interested parties that more than the desired amount can be secured. There is much enthusiasm 1n La Canada, and both "| in the yalley and along the remainder of the route’ the ranchers are up and doing. AtLa Canada it was reported a few days ago that rights of way had been granted throughout the territory to be traversed. Because of the present isolation, or rather inaccessibility, of La Canada, there are few people, relatively speaking, who aré acquainted with the smiling little val- ley nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, But those who have strayed among ‘the hills, on & camping expeditiou or sought the peaceful spot by design, in'search of health or to purchase fruit, dre unanimous in singing the praises of thé country, which reminds oneof the Happy Valley piciured by Dr. Johnson in ““Rasselas.” The Sierra Madre Mountains keep a solemn watch on the north, while the Vendura Hills and the . San . Fernando Range protect the spot.on the south. To- ward the east the mountains and the hills join bands above the Arroyo at an altitude of 1500 feet, as though they were playing “Open the gates as high as the sky tolet King George’s men pass by.” To the west the land again rises in a similar but rather irregular man- ner, with here and there a hill and a knoll singing, “Thy Sentinel Am L"” The result of the whole config- uration isa double concave elliptical val- ley having an average width of two miles and extending upward of ten miles to within sightof S8an Fernando. Above the Devil’s Gate the Arroyo and its sister chasm are spanned by two ro- mantic bridges, where no doubt more than two lovers have plighted their troth in the moonlight. A good road winds around the hills above the bridges look- ing down on a vestibule basin which is the antechamber of La Canada. From the elevated eastern entrance the road cuts directly across the valley leading to San Fernando, passing a trim school- house (attesting the intelligence of the community). At about the middle portion the valley is tapped by another good road through the Vendura Canyon, leading more or less directly to Los Angeles, distant about twelve miles. Along a portion of these roads the electric line will pass, and even if the project of joining the Terminal is not carried out, it would not be a difficult task to extend the line to Los Angeles along the Verdugo road. La Canada being so high, there is little difficulty in obtaining water of a good quality, and thus the necessary factor for reclaiming the land not already under cultivation has been introduced and awaits the further enterprise of man to blessom like the other ranches, where the orange and lemon trees reward the energy and industry already expended. It is worthy of nnte that the fruit grown in La Canada commands a higher price 1n the market than the oranges and lemons grown in other sections immedi- ately tributary to Los Angeles. This is because tue fruit is bright and clean and smooth, requiring no rehandling prepara- tory to shipment. No smut or soot ever disturbs the trees, and the protection af forded by the surrounding elevations makes the land a stranger to frost, while the altitude contributes a pure and brace ing air. This last quality makes the valley a de- sirable place for the invalid who would escape the more accessible but crowded health resorts in this section. Already people of wealth, who have had better fortune than money can give, have dis- covered some of the benefits to be derived from a residence in the ‘‘Happy Valley,” with the result that architecture has con- tributed its talents to beautify the natural grace of theland in the vicinity of “The Castle.”’ The old Spanish names of the towns and landmarks between Los Angeles and La Canada are rich with suggestions of myths and legends about the doings of the early Mexican and Spanish settlers of California. Among the stories current are a few con- nected with the locality known as Hagle Rock Valley. Eagle Kock, from which the valiey takes its name, isa huge per- pendicular stone which rears its solitary head into a commandine view of the sur- rounding country, making clear the valley lying at the foot of the rugged San Fer. nando peaks, and eastward the Ban Gab- riet Valley fringed by the Sierra Madre Mountains, with Old Baldy a jewel in the ceénter. In Eagle Rock itself either art or nature or both have carved two caves, which ata distance strongly resemble the out. stretched wings of the bird of freedom, and it would be most appropriate and gratifying to behold *0ld Glory” swing- ing its folds to the breeze on thé pinnacle. One of the caves in the rock, if not both, gave a home to a hermit in the old days, if not refuge to those of a less peacefal nature. It is certain, however, that the little knoll at the opposite end of the valley known as “Robber’s Roost” and now marked by the site of a ruined adobe is the location of more than one scene of riotous pleasure and act of violence. But at the present day, peaceful and happy homes and smiling ranchers tell a more pleasing though less romantic tale. And this territory, too, will share in the ad- vantages to be obtained from the pro- posed electric road, especially if the Verdugo Canyon road is utilized mnstead of the Terminal Railway. If the latter, then of course the benefits will be less di- rect, though not to be ignored. Several important meetings were held last Satur- day, and some of the parties most promi- nently connected with the movement left for 8an Francisco to make arrangements which will further the project. The Arabs have a superstition that the stork has a human heart. When one of these birds builds its nest upon a house- top they believe the happiness of that household is insurea for a year,