‘That’s so,’ laughed Jim. ‘I find, that I have my hands pretty full with the one I collared the night you were there. I doubt sometimes I’d done better to have stuck to the other one; and as for temp’—— Here Jim’s head disappeared suddenly into the interior of the coach; crack went the long whip; the horses plunged, reared, and went through the usual performance of attempting to tie themselves up into overhand knots, then darted off at top-speed on their sixteen-mile stage, soon disappearing in a cloud of dust along the ‘cleared line.’
OCCASIONAL NOTES.
ARTILLERY EXPERIMENTS.
The trials lately carried on at the Bill of Portland, supplement (says the Times) those of Inchkeith in certain respects. At Inchkeith it was sought to obtain a just idea of the effect of machine-gun and shrapnel fire on the detachment serving a gun mounted en barbette in an emplacement of tolerably recent design. Dummies were placed round the gun in exposed positions, and Her Majesty’s ship Sultan, under very favourable conditions of sea and weather, carried out some careful practice at various ranges. The results, accurately recorded, furnish data calculated to serve as a correction to mere conjecture. At Portland, the objects sought to be attained were two. The merits of the Moncrieff or ‘disappearing’ principle of mounting guns for coast-defence have been much discussed, and great advantages have been claimed for it with every show of reason; but no opportunity had ever been given to the system to practically demonstrate its defensive value. It was, therefore, sufficiently desirable that a practical experiment should be arranged in which ‘service-conditions’ should be observed as far as possible, so that there might be a something definite to set against prejudice either in favour of or against the system. It was proposed, at the same time, to seek to obtain data as to the accuracy of howitzer-fire from a floating platform.... To sum up the case with judicial fairness, the Portland experiments fully bear out all that the champions of the disappearing system have asserted; while its opponents—if there are any such—must perforce admit that at least nothing whatever is proved against it. More than this, however, appears to be indicated by these trials. There seems to be every reason to believe that all direct fire, whether of heavy or machine guns, against a disappearing gun when down, is thrown away; that in the short time during which this gun need be visible, it will require a very smart gun-captain on board ship merely to lay on it; that the more the smoke obscures it, the better, provided a position-finder is used; and finally, that to engage two or three dispersed disappearing guns would be a heart-breaking task for a ship. Probably the best chance of disabling guns mounted on this system is snap-shooting from the six-pounder quick-firing gun, which can be bandied almost as readily as a rifle. But, on the one hand, it does not necessarily follow that a hit from the six-pounder would have any effect on the disappearing gun; and, on the other hand, the latter would be able to get through a good deal of shooting before the six-pounder was able to come into effective action. Again, the six-pounder on board ship would presumably be met by the six-pounder on shore, which would shoot rather more accurately; while, even as opposed to these wonderfully handy little weapons, the disappearing system must stand superior to all others. In a turret or a cupola, more than half the length of the modern long guns must be always exposed to fire. All considerations, therefore, seem to point to the disappearing system as the most scientific method ever devised for protecting shore-guns, and the advantages to be obtained being so great, it becomes worth while to use every possible effort to bring the disappearing gun to practical perfection. The main difficulty is to render the larger guns independently automatic, and at present no gun larger than the eight-inch—the gun exhibited in the Inventions Exhibition—has been thus mounted in England.
SEA-GOING FISHING LIFEBOAT VESSELS.
Mr F. Johnson, the honorary managing secretary of the National Refuge Harbours Society, 17 Parliament Street, London, has made it the one aim of his life to devise such means as will conduce to diminish the large total of lives annually reported as having been lost at sea. He is now interesting himself in bringing to a practical application an invention of Mr John White, of Cowes, described as a Sea-going Fishing Lifeboat vessel, a model of which is now on public view at 72 New Bond Street, London. Broad in the beam, she has a large air-chamber divided into two compartments at the bow; another—of a smaller size—at the stern; and one running along on either side. Thus, however much sea she may ‘ship,’ with these air-chambers in use, it is not possible for her to sink. Except for the roofs of the fore and aft air-chambers, the vessel has no deck, an arrangement which of course gives her considerable buoyancy. The roofs of the side air-chambers are curved off, so that any water which might wash over one bulwark would pass across the vessel and wash out over the other. As a matter of fact, however, it is confidently believed that, even in a high sea, the vessel will be too buoyant to ship much water. It has naturally occurred to the inventor that in fine weather the fore air-chamber might be utilised as a cabin; he has therefore arranged that it may be unsealed and access obtained to it by means of a hatchway. It will be fitted up with cooking apparatus and beds, the latter articles also filling the rôle of life-buoys.
Those who interest themselves in this invention propose that vessels of the kind shall be launched around our coasts, equipped with fishing-gear, and manned with smacksmen, so that they may be ‘self-supporting;’ while their primary object will be to afford succour during stormy weather to any craft in distress. Thus, it is felt that the Fishing Lifeboat vessels might ride in the different fishing fleets, the smacks of which, being frequently far away from any harbour of refuge, are often disabled or utterly wrecked during a storm. Then, too, the vessels might fish in the neighbourhood of dangerous reefs and shoals, where their presence would be especially valuable. We believe that two or three years ago a fishing-smack was constructed very much on the lines indicated, and that, after effecting some rescues in the neighbourhood of the Goodwin Sands, she herself was wrecked, owing to her having been improperly laden with stone. Mr White has agreed to build Sea-going Fishing Lifeboat vessels of forty tons—a size which is considered most suitable—at a cost each of five hundred pounds. It is felt that a fair start might be made with twenty vessels, to be placed at different points around our coasts. Thus ten thousand pounds is required; and a public fund has been opened, and part of the money already subscribed. Those who desire to contribute should communicate with Mr Johnson, all cheques being crossed National Provincial Bank.
SOME FACTS ABOUT MONTE CARLO.
The Report, says a contemporary, of the International Committee in Nice upon the disgraceful gambling hell of Monte Carlo, which has just been issued, is to be made the ground of a collective diplomatic action against the protector of that institution, Prince Charles III. of Monaco. This important pamphlet gives a documentary catalogue of all the suicides which have taken place in Monte Carlo from 1877 to 1885. The total number of persons who have destroyed themselves in consequence of their losses at his Princely Highness’s gambling-tables is eighteen hundred and twenty—that is to say, there have been nearly as many suicides as the Prince has subjects. The catalogue is very complete, giving the name, the home, the age, and the date of death of each suicide, and a collection of the letters in which the wretched victims have commented upon their self-destruction. Nearly all of them curse the hour in which their eyes first set sight upon Monte Carlo. It is agreeable to learn from the table of nationality that the English and Americans have supplied the smallest number of victims. A tenth of the number are Germans and Austrians; but the largest contingent by far has been provided by France, Italy, and Russia. The appalling census was instituted by the Italian Consul-general in Nice, who found ready support from patriotic citizens of other lands. The callous brutality of the Monaco ‘government,’ if so honourable a name may be given to this organised gambling Company, is shown in the treatment of the suicides after their death. Scarcely one of them, except where friends have appeared in time to claim the body, has received a decent burial. After the poor wretch has lost all that he had, his corpse has been hurriedly hidden in the poor quarter of the burial-ground without funeral rites or mourners.