Newspaper Page Text
New Military Era—Catapult Bomb That Can Destroy a City Twenty Miles Away Some one, whether a philosopher or not has said that if but one-half of the en ergy expended in the pursuit of the art of war were taken from its present employ ment and devoted to the development of the arts of peace there would not remain at the end of fifty years a single acre of uncultivated land upon the face of the obe. The statement may &eeni to be rather extravagant, but a lull knowledge >t what has been done and is now doing to strengthen and maintain the immense armaments, at tea and on land, of the nations of the earth, would disclose abun dant evidence in support of the claim. It is impossible 111 1 ascertain exactly the r.urab»r of men engaged in military and naval service throughout the entire world. No records are attainable of those so em p.'oyed by barbarous and serai-civilized nations and tribes, and but partial returns are available relating to so-called civil ized (?) nations. A list of twenty-seven of the principal nations is here given, from which it will be seen that the strength of the armies and navies of these nations fools up an aggregate cf about 25,000,000 men. Could we secure equally accurate lists of the soldiery and sailory of the reat of tbe world it is safe to say that 25.000,000 more would be added to ihe ranks of fighting men. j\RMY. Navy. Oflireis— Men ' Horses. Gi:ns. Active: Keserve Slvps. | Guns. Active ! Keserve I iShsps. | Guns. — . 1 Germany. 4.643.43? 178,680 8.470 18.354 37.0< 0 304 1,099 Trance 2.906 077 195,141 1.368 79.400 87,600 471 \ b.230 Italy.-... 1,998. 95U 62.400 1.852! *2.91t$ 18.t 00 637 1,397 Au s ria- Hungary 1.476019 108.9t!0 2,724 1*.684 900 126 806 Bns^a 4.955;»;37 298.397 3.264 42.874 45,01.0 300 1,790 Great Britain . ...... &52.000 59 300 b96: (JH.HU3J 80.000 677 6.1U3 Turkey 921,440 9,000 612 13,597 36,010 118 6 - -6 fc-pain 458.643 1 27,368 25.000 1 33d 935 Portugal | 6,112 3.50J' 178 Be.cium 155,623 ......;... ! Netherlands. I 221,744 10,85 10,500 680 Denmark I l-.6.'So^ j 4,263 4,400 l ........ 468 Greece. j 209.422 : ; j Swl z-rland 4^O.(JSJ !^ • I Sweden and Norway- 146.1.8 9,546 11,380 3SO Bulgaria... ... 231,090 Servia 270,180 :. Koumania 257.. 02 I .: Japan 328,090 1 3 84) 7.3C0 165 "-.6 China I.ItOOOU 2.bß'J 11 115 Mexico 168.149 I Colombia. 30.114 760 10 16 Erazll 99.9 2 1.100: 39 '.96 Bolivia 3,860 .: Chi c 85 65-' 1,340' 50 25., Argentine 63.435 j 530 19 ' ->3Z Vnltetf States (rejular) ! 25,000 ....! ! .... 130 1.-5j Above table prepared from data in poss« ssion of United -States bureau of Naval Intelligence January 1. 18S6. i:gures of army strengths show "war looting." "Peace establishments" are about 60 per cent less. " • - .■ . It must not be forgotten that every one of these soldiers and snilors is able bodied, selected alter a rigorous physical examination, and, in fact, better qualified to perform manual labor than is the aver age citizen. What work could not an army of 50,000,000 stalwart men perform in one year, let alone fifty years? Every one of this immense host is a consumer, not a producer; a destroyer, not a builder. To feed them and to lodge ana clothe them; to amu-e them; to nurse them while wounded or sict; to pension the survivors and the dependents of the killed; to furnish them with the play things of war; to transport them across oceans and continents; in other words, to maintain this vast figbting force costs one-fifth of the wealth of the civilized world. Outside of the armies and navies ana not included in the huge to:at of 50,000,000 a:e very many thousands of people directly engaged in ministering to the needs of the "men-of-war." Not only is the labor of the artisan drawn upon, the genius of the inventor is also led to devise new methods of fighting. Xo invention used in the peaceful pursuits of daily life has The Newly Discovered Ruins of a Prehistoric Civilization in Central America Every year adds to the interest that centers about the wonderful ruins of a pre historic civilization in Mexico and Central America. Without wishing to discount the recent alleged discoveries of a buried city whose area is said to be greater than that or London, it is interesting, at least, to consider other discoveries in other years of ruins which were said to be even larger than those made recently. In the latter part of the thirties John L. Stevens visited some of the more famous pre historic ruins in Yucatan and ether parts cf Mexico, Central America and Chiapas. T.'iose in Yucatan known p.s the ruins of Paienque are perhaps tLe most interesting. "In regard to the extent of these ruins." Mr. Stevens afterward wrote, "even in this practical age the imagination of man delights in exaggera tion. Tbe Indians and the people of Paienque say that these ruins cover an area of sixty miles. In a series of well written articles in our own country ti:ey have been set down as ten times larger than New York. Lately, I have seen an article in some of the- newspapers, re ferring to our expedition, which repre sents the city dscovend by us as having been three times as large as London. It is not in my nature to discredit any mar velous story. I am slow to disbelieve, and would rather Bustain all such inven tions, but it has been my unhappy lot to ever paid so large a sum to its inventor or owner as has the invention cf a single appliance of warfare. The receipts of the telegraph and telephone combined are dwarfed into insignificance by the kingly revenue reaped by the owners ot the Whitehead torpedo. Colossal sums are cheerfully paid by ambitious Governments for some new improvements in gun or liflc. Each warlike nation is constantly expending immense amounts in construct ing cannon an. l armor. Millions are spent annually in testing new guns and defenses. Nor is the full desire ever leached. For a time an armor plate exists that wit] withstand tho impact of a hu>re projectile, but for a brief period only, for soon there is produced a larger and more powerful gun capable of pierc ing the armor plate; and then the cosily but now inefficient ar:uor is cast aside, and at farther enormous expense new and heavier armor is contracted for. Each nation strives to bo ihe possessor of the most powerful ordnance, the mighty cannon capable of hurling the heaviest projectile to the farthest possible distance. England has a breech-loading rilled cannon that weighs 111 tons. It has a bore of seventeen inches in diameter. This can non is forty-seven feet in length and uses 960 pounds of powder at a single charge. The shot fired by it weighs 1800 pounds and it travels at a ve'oci'.y of fifteen rni.es a minute with a force capable of piercing a plate of wrought iron three feet in thick ness. The big projectile from this gun may be made to fall at a distance of over ten miles from the place of tiring. Accuracy of striking at this distance is, of course, uncertain. The cost of each shot l'rom this gun is several thousand dollars. The life of a big gun — that is the number of shots that may bs fired from it without endangering the structural chai acter of tne metal composing the gun — is very limited. It is extremely question able if the bis English gun would stan d more than thirty tiring?. The tremen dous concussion due to the explosion of such enormous charges produces marked changes in the fibrous character of the iron and steel forming the gun barrel; the metal Decomes granulated mure and more with each succeeding discharge, until a condition is reached in which the gun metal loses its cohesive quality, and tlien the gun is unserviceable. Safety to those ;ngaged in firing enforces the abandon ment of such cannon before the danger imit is reached. find marvels fade away as I approach them." Mr. Stevens then goes on to relate that no one can hazard a safe estimation of the extent of the Palenquean ruins, but that so far as can be ascertained at the time they cover an area only sufficiently ex ten-ive to accommodate perhaps a hun dred buildings more or less. Indeed, these mysterious remnants of some former un known eras in the history of man's evo lution are marvelous enough in them selves to be thoughtful, without need of sensational exaggerations. Consider any one of these ruins by itself. There is not one of them bat what furnishes material enouch to the imaginative to weave a thousand fantastic theories about what might have been, or was, in these prehis toric American ages. Glancp fora moment at the grand old castle in Paienque, with its mystic memories of an indiscernible past. It stands on an artificial elevation of an ob!o;ig form forty feet high, 310 leet In front and rear and 'IGQ leet on each side. The elevation was formerly faced with stone, -which has been thrown down by the growth of trees, and now its form is but dimly perceptible. The building stands with its face to the east, and meadures 228 feet front by 108 feet deep. Its height is about 25 feet, and all around it is a broad projecting cornice of stone. The front contains 14 doorways, each about 9 feet THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1896. The most powerful stimulus is con tinually applied to scientific deduction and inventive genius to the end that better and more destructive engines of warfare may be devised. Under ordinary condition", such as obtain in the tirins of cannon, the use of dynamite and otlier high explosives is impossible, either as a charge for gun or projectile. Used as a tiring charge for a cannon the gun would be burst; and used as a charge for the projectile the concussion of the discharge of the gun would, by its extreme violence, explode the shell-charge before it left the gun. This is why compressed air is em ployed to project the dynamite shell, as is the case in the pneumatic guns placed at the Presidio. The terrible destructive effects of an exploding charge of dyna mite, mellinite or gelatin make it ex tremely desirable that these high explo sives should be employed as the charge for shells and other projectiles. The great impetus lately given to the study of aeronautics seems to have inspired a modern war genius and led to the produc tion of a most novel engine of warfare. The new weapon is called the "catapult bomb." It is along, slender, metal tube, pointed at both ends. On either side is a convex wing of thin metal, which may be set at a desired angle, while at the rear end ol the projectile is a fan-shaped tail. The catapult bomb may be of any size, carry ing from 100 to 1000 pounds of explosive. It is not fired from a gun, but is started upon its path of destrncion by a steam engine revolving a drum on which is wide, and the intervening piers are be tween 6 and 7 feet in width. The building was constructed of stone, with a mortar of lime and sand, and the whole front was covered with stucco, and then painted. The piers were ornamented with spirited figures in bas-relief. On the top are three hieroglyphics sunk in the stucco. Could those hieroglyphics be read what marvel ous knowledge of dead ages might they not reveal to the present? This wonder ful old palace, and many other lesser structure?, which comprise the known ruins of Paienque, stand in a thickly grown fore-it, in which are trees hundreds of years old that have pushed aside in their infant days stones that were already ancient. Some writers and travelers who have visited these ruins have declared them to be antediluvian, but the consen sus of archaeological opinion seems to be that these ruins have no greater antiquity than perhaps two or three centuries be fore the Christian era. One of the most remarkable of the re cent discoveries was made about five years ago by Mineralogist Niven. He it was who first gave to civilization its knowledge of the lost city of Onutlan In the little traveied State of Guerrero, Mexico. This city, like nearly all of those discovered in the present century, was at first credited with being larger than several Londons and New Yorks combined. "It seems as if It were another wonder of the world," wrote one of the early chroniclers of this discovery, "for it is no less than the un earthing of a prehistoric city in the State of Guerrero that was so spacious as to cover 900 square miles. It has no less than twenty-two temples and two huge pyra mids. These structures were built of ma terial that had apparently been selected with the greatest of care, the stone being hard and even and hewn of equal dimen sions. The architectural skill shown in Modern Art of Warfare — Firing; Bombs a Distance of Twenty Miles* wound several thousand feet of wire. When it is desired to fire the catapult bomb it is placed in a specially con structed cradle, which holds the bomb at an angle from the horizontal, the cradle being located about 1000 feet in the rear of the windin apparatus. A wire is then attached to a ring fixed on the lower part of the bomb, the other end of the wire being wound upon the engine drum. The engine is then set in motion winding up the wire, the effect being to cause the bomb to mount in the air, precisely on the same principle as a kite. The velocity of flight is increased by the act of ascension and just before the bomb reaches its highest point, just before it is vertical over the engine, the wire is cut, and thenceforward the bomb follows a trajectory determined by its velocity and the inclination of its previously adjusted wings. It is claimed that the bomb can i be fired with much greater accuracy than j can a cannon shot at lone distances, and it is moreover capable of being projected | to a distance of twenty miles with suf- 1 construction will compare favorably with modern buildings. One of the most beautiful of the ruins discovered in Yucatan is the majestic pile called after one of the princ'pal edifices at Uxmai, the Monj is, or Num. It 13 re markable for its fine state of preservation, and for tho richness and beauty of its ornamentation. The height of this fa cade is twenty-five feet, und it-* width is thirty-five fe?t. It has two cornices of tasteful and elaborate design. Over the doorwny are twenty small cartouches of hieroglyphics in four rows, five in a row, and to make room for which the lower cornice is carried up for several inches. Over these stand out in a line six bold projecting curved ornaments, resembling an elephant's trunk, and the upper center space over the aoorway is an irregular niche, in which portions of a human fig ure, with a headdress of feathers, atill re main. Another prehistoric monument of rare architectural beauty is called the Eglesia ore urch of the Chichen Itza ruins. This is 26 feet long, 14 feet deep and 31 feet in height. It has three cornices, the spaces between which are very richly orna mented. The sculpture is somewhat rude, but grand and effective. The principal ornamont is over the doorway, and on each side of it are two human figures in a sitting posture. Both of these figures, unfortunately, are much mutilated. As a whole, howver, this building is in a good state of preservation. The interior con- Bisu of a single apartment, once covered with plaster. Along the top of the wall over the arch are seen the traces of a line of medallions or cartouches in plaster, which once contained hieroglyphics. The Indians have a weird legend about this build<ng, and they say that on Good Fri day of* every year music is heard sounding through these archaic walls. The history of the nations that inhab ficient accuracy to mate it the most terri ble sie^e weapon known. With such a weapon its users might laugh to Bcorn the best known ordnance of the world; for the great range of the bomb would allow of its employment beyond the reach of our present long-distance guns. Another novelty in war appliances is the 'Military Eye." This enables a com mander in an otherwise unknown regfon to ascertain the exact location of the enemy's works and the disposition of his force. It gives the topography of the country as it actually is. The apparatus The Catapult Bomb. consists of a small balloon of a longitudi nal shape, held captive to the ground by a cord which is iormed of two small electric wires. The balloon supports a small photographic machine, which is main tained pointing at a desired direction by a powerful magnetic bar, the adjustment of the lens of the camera with relation to the magnetic meridian being made before allowing the balloon io ascend. By means of a current from a small bat tery on the ground sent through the ited these wonderful ruins is as misty, confused and indi-tinct as is the history of the builders or the round towers in Ire land. The Toltecans, represented to have been the most ancient, are said also to have been the most polished and cultured of these early American racas. It cannot even be stated, however, with any degree of certainty that these ruins of Yucatan and otlier parts of Mexico and Central America are the work of tbe Tol ttjeans. Indeed these ruins rise like skele- tons from the grave, wrapped in their burial shroud. They claim no affinity with the works of any known people. They -eeni to belong to a distinct, inde pendent and separate existence. They stand alone, absolutely and entirely anomalous — perhaps the most interesting subject winch at this day presents itself to ihe inquiring rnttid. The Eccentricities of Trade in London* Everybody knows that millions of Eng lish money are often affected by mere rumor at home and abroad, but there are many less obvious trifles that affect trade in the most curious manner. Nothing is more susceptible to trivial influences of all kinds than English commerce. Many branches of trade are dependent entirely or. the fashions, a change in which fre quently revives one industry at the cost of another's depression. At a royal draw ing-room recontly a feature of the dresses was a perceptibie improvement in the sta ple trade of the lace- making towns. A similar effect is produced by the adoption of new fashions by royalty. If the Princess of Wales, for instance, ap peared at the theater in a new opera oloak there would immediately be a "ran" on that particular kind of cloak. Trie re was a marked illustration of this, on the occasion of the Queen's wedding. Her I wires, the photographic apparatus is made to operate as frequently as desired until the capacity of the film roll is exhausted. As each exposure is made, tbe mechan ism in the camera cuts oH the impressed portion of film, wraps it in a light-proof tube, and attaches the tube to a ring which ia automatically detached from the camera, and travels downward on the wire to the operator on the ground. To develop the film, fix it, and then by the aid of a magnifying glass examine the picture, is but short work. The balloon is filled with hydrogen gas, and has a lifting capacity in excess of the weight it carries. Should the exigencies of the contl ct make it hazardous to attempt tbe reeling in of the wire, it is cut, when released of its captivity the affair mounts and vanishes in space. Several devices of offensive warfare have appeared from time to time which, while undoubtedly capable of fulfilling their re spective Junctions, are, nevertheless, so infernal in character that civilized na tions have as yet hesitated in employing them. Prominnnt among these terrible weapons is the "cyanide bomb." This is a shell filled with a secret mixture which, when it explodes, liberates vast volumes | of deadly gases. The mixture is not af fected by concussion, requiring a fuse to ' explode it. The fumes liberated are so deadly that the inhalation of a single breath is fatal to animal life. It is stated I that a six-inch shell loaded with the mix ture would if exploded within the hull of I the largest battle-ship totally annihilate Majesty wore a veil and gown made of Honiton lace, which was said to have cost a thousand pounds. Honiton lace quickly became fashionable, and the manufactur ers reaped a rich harvest in the few months following the wedding. An inquest was held in London a week or two ai;o which indirectly caused serious injury to a certain class of trade. Tho subject of the inquest had died after eat ing a rabbit-pie, and some alarming medi cal statements were made as to the con sumption of rabbits, which, it was stated, were often unwholesome. The rabbit in question was full of micro-organisms, and death was stated to be directly due to this cause. The case appeared prominently in ail the newspapers, with the inevitable re sult that timid people who relish rabbits were startled, and the gamo-.lealers suf fered accordingly. Last year the oyster trade was seriously dislocated through an unfortunate death under similar circum stances. One of the most curious revivals of trade on record was the revival of the Pans hat trade, which advanced last season by lit eral leaps and bounds. The tradesmen attributed the exceptional prosperity en tirely to the fact that "bowing" became almost a mania among the Parisian dan dies. It is difficult, indeed, to say what does not affect trade in one way or an other. When something unusual happens, such as a big expenditure on a wedding or an enormous outlay on a royal reception, one hears the remark "It's all good for trade." and even those who regard such expendi tures as waste acknowledge the bent-fits conferred on industry in this way. The theory that even crime is "good for trade' cannot be supported by a table of statistics, but there must surely be something in it, seeinjr that property is stolen every year in England to the value of «everaLmillions and that the "hauls" of London thieves alone amount to £100,000 per annum. — Pittsburg Dispatch. Positive and Negative. "My aunt was always saying to me: every living beinc on board. The deadly gas is a heavy gas, it« specific gravity be ing greater than that of air, and conse quently the fumes if liberated in a fortress or other confined spot would not be easily expelled. It is not known that any na tion contemplates the use of the cyanide bomb, though just what weapons a nation Will or will not use is never known until the presence of actual warfare solves the question. The old army musket is a relic of '.he past. In its piace are n number of rifles carryipg each a morecioadlv missile. Tne latest adopted one is m<w being supplied to our army and navy. It carries a small caliber bullet, the force of which is re ported to be "terrific." The velocities obtained by th« newarmvand navy pieces are so high that v.*hen a buliet hiis a man it m;ikes a clean, round hole. Bones are pierced as though ;hey were iliiiled with a gimlet General .Flakier, U. S. A., chief of ordnance, is reported by the New York Sun as considering a proposition to adopt a "mushroom" or sprea tine bullet, which would, when it struck, spread out so as to make a more dangerous wound than is made by the present used small-caliber bullet. Recent experiments have been conducted at the Frankfort arsenal with these "mushroom" bullets. Some years ago an explosive bullet was proposed for use by armies, but the consensus of opin ion of the nations was that t!ie employ ment of such a missile could not be enter tained by a "civilized" power. Just where the distinction steps in as between an ex plosive ball which kills what it hits and a mushroom bullet which in flics excruciat ing agony by a wound so terrible as to p.eclude cure is a very fine pomt — so fine that the average mind is incapable of recognizing tho humanitarian side of the "mushroom." Ihe cost of maintaining the vast armies of the world is a figure n enormous that were the money so used during a single year to be applied to relieving the neces sities of suffering humanity want would be at once banished from the earth. It I would pay off every farm mortgage in the entire world. \\ ere the armies that main tain by the prestige of the bayonet tba j crowned murderers upon their thrones to j be disbanded and their stalwart muscles engaged in the peaceful occupations of the j farmer and the artisan, the deserts of tho I world would be made into fertile fields I and orchards, through which would tra verse railroads and canals bearing the fruits and grains in cheap abundance to every mouth. Want,' hunger and misery would be only ghosts of the past. True, there might be a few less Kings or knaves, but then there are plenty of good, en joy able games that may be played without the assistance of a king or a knave. That England spends $80,000,000 a ye ar in building new warships and in main taining her immense navy, France $43, 000.000, Russia $33,000,000. Italy $20,CO0,00O and other nations in like proportion for similar purposes, forms a melancholy pic ture to the humanitarian, who sees the shadows of misery and suffering standing dark and menacing long after the glory of the "pomp and circumstances of war" have paled and faded. F. M. Close, D.Be. The two most expensive perfumes are the essential oil of rose petals, called attar of roses, and the oil of jasmine. The former when quite pure costs very nearly £10 per ounce, and the latter £9. 'Don't talk so loud; your voice gets shriller every day !' " said a pleasant-voiced rriend. "I became so nervous and irritated under this chronic rebuke that my voice wa3 more uneven and harsh than ever, and I hardly dared speak at home. At last 1 visited my cousins in L (they are noted for their sweet voices, you know) and then suddenly 1 noticed the wide difference, which I Lad never understood before, be twean a rough voice and a well-modulatf d one, and set myself, so to speak, to catch the trick of their intonations and their tones. In a month's time, really, I talked like a different girl. And when I came home my aunt said: 'Well, I am glad to see that at last my reproofs have made an impression upon you, Clara!' But they hadn't you know — the only impression she made was to make me unhappy and nervous. I have never forgotten the les son ; and when I want my children to im prove in any way I give them an opportu nity to bear and see the right thing before I reprove them for not following it." — Har per's Bazar. Jhe pharxtom of the Rose. Sweet lady, let your lids unclose— Those lids by maiden dreams caressed; I am tbe phantom of the rose You wore last n:ght upon your breast. Like pears upon my petals lay The weeping fountain's silver tears. Ere in the glittering array You bore me proudly mid your peers. O lady, 'twas for you I died— Yet have I come aud will I stay; And my rose phantom by your side Will linger till the break of day. Yet fear not, lady; naught claim I— Nor mass nor hymn nor funeral prayer? My soul ia but a perfumed sigh, Which pure from Paradise I bear. My death is as my life was — sweet; Who w on id not die as 1 have dune? A fate like mine who would not meet, Your bosom fair to He ui<on? A poet on my sentient tomb Engraved this legend with a kiss; "Here lies a rose of fairest bloom: X'en Kings sir jeulou of its bliss." Thkophilk (iautieb. Luggage trains arv uuallyoO percent heavier than pass nger trains. 25