rce between a train
moving at the rate of a mile in two minutes, or even one minute, and
another train which moves a mile in an instant, can easily be imagined.

In these bombs, those tubes which might direct their powers downward or
laterally upon the earth were capable of instantaneously propelling
every portion of solid ground or rock to a distance of two or three
hundred yards, while the particles of objects on the surface of the
earth were instantaneously removed to a far greater distance. The tube
which propelled the bomb was of a force graduated according to
circumstances, and it would carry a bomb to as great a distance as
accurate observation for purposes of aim could be made. Its force was
brought into action while in the cannon by means of electricity while
the same effect was produced in the other tubes by the concussion of
the steel head against the object aimed at.

What gave the tubes their power was the jealously guarded secret.

The method of aiming was as novel as the bomb itself. In this process
nothing depended on the eyesight of the gunner; the personal equation
was entirely eliminated. The gun was so mounted that its direction was
accurately indicated by graduated scales; there was an instrument which
was acted upon by the dip, rise, or roll of the vessel, and which
showed at any moment the position of the gun with reference to the
plane of the sea-surface.

Before the discharge of the cannon an observation was taken by one of
the scientific men, which accurately determined the distance to the
object to be aimed at, and reference to a carefully prepared
mathematical table showed to what points on the graduated scales the
gun should be adjusted, and the instant that the that the muzzle of the
cannon was in the position that it was when the observation was taken,
a button was touched and the bomb was instantaneously placed on the
spot aimed at. The exactness with which the propelling force of the
bomb could be determined was an important factor in this method of
aiming.

As soon as three of the spring-armoured vessels and five "crabs" were
completed, the Syndicate felt itself ready to begin operations. It was
indeed time. The seas had been covered with American and British
merchantmen hastening homeward, or to friendly ports, before the actual
commencement of hostilities. But all had not been fortunate enough to
reach safety within the limits of time allowed, and several American
mercha