Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/529

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Popular Srioicc Mouihhj

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��fountain and descend again upon the shattered and fast sinking hull of the ship. A few moments later all is over.

The torpedo, which was laiMched from the tube of a submersible anchored fort, the periscope of which was camouflaged by the barrel, has done its \vork.

An episode like that pictured here, in brief, would be entirely A\- i t h i n the range of pos- s i b i 1 i t y , should the government adopt the idea of a sub- mersible fort in accordance with the in- vention by J. A. Steinmetz of Philadel- phia, recently patented . The fort, in the form of a turret, provided with a conning tower, may be submerged alto- gether or only so far that the con- ning tower is visi- ble. It is the plan of the inventor to anchor such forts along the coast and near harbor en- trances as a pro- tection against hostile ships.

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Two interesting pictures of "dogs of war." They are used for finding wounded men

��Italian War Dogs Are Well Cared For and Well Trained

DOGS, at least some dogs, have proved themselves so valuable for military purposes during the present war, that they have been added to the equipment of every army engaj^^ed in the struggle.

The main purpose for which they are used is the finding of wounded soldiers after an engage- ment or skir- mish in diffi- cult territory, so that they may be car- ried to the field hospitals immediately behind the lines without delay. The dogs employed for that purpose are care- fully trained and well taken care of, as their usefulness depends in a large measure upon their good physical con- dition and their wil- lingness to work.

Various breeds of dogs have been

��The mech- anism for winding and unwinding the anchor cables, for turning the turret upon the ball-bearings of its anchored base and for launching the torpedoes is controlled from inside the turret and storage bat- teries supply power for the airpumps, and for lighting the crew's quarters. For cases of emergency a supply of compressed air is stored in a pressure tank in the turret. The forts would be self-contained and would carry sufficient supplies to enable them to carry on between the periodical visits of a supply ship.

��tried by the governments of the belliger- ent nations, but only a few of them have been found of value. The dogs shown in the pictures are used by the Italian army in its difficult campaign in the mountains. They are of several different breeds, with the St. Bernard type predominating. St. Bernard dogs have been used in relief work in the high Alps for centuries and have proved themselves hardy, efficient and trustworthy even w^hen working by themselves. The sagacity and courage of the St. Bernards are wonderful. They seem, at times, almost human.

��Those of us interested in science, engineering, invention form a kind of guild. We should help one another. The editor of the POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY is willing to answer questions.

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