US1302904A - System of trench warfare. - Google Patents

Description

J. L'DUFFIE.

SYSTEMOF TRENCH WARFARE. APPLICATION me!) MAY 22. 1911.

1,302,904. I Patented May 6,1919.

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INVENTOH Witness \77 J. DUFF/E A TTORNEYQ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. DUFFIE, or BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

SYSTEM OF TREHCH WARFARE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

' Patented May 6, 1919.

Application filed May 22, 1917. Serial No. 170,256.

To all whom it may concern:

- which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a system of warfare and is-particularly adapted to trench lighting.

An object of the invention is to destroy or incapacitate that portion of the enemy occu-- pying a trench.

4 Another object ofthe-invention is to pro vide a system for waging warfare by elec: tricity. V

The invention possesses other features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings; accompanying and forming part of the present specification- It is to be understood that the invention as expressed in the claims may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

The system of warfare of my invention consists in filling or charging the air over and in a trench or a section of trench with finely divided particles of an electricity-conducting substance and then causing a high] potential electric current to flash through the conducting atmosphere in the trench.

a for a time.

.and over the rial.- Shells or rockets carrying metallic- The conductive material may be mercury vapor or flake graphite or other substance which will remain in suspension in the air This material is dispersed in trench from explosive shells provided either with time or impact fuses and by directing a barrage fire of such shells at the. trench, the air will become very heavily charged with the conducting mateplates attached to opposite sides'of a source of high potential are then fired at the ends of the trench and by closing the circuit, the

high potential current will are through the conducting material in the air, producing an are extending for the length of the trench section. The are Wlll have the effect of in-.

capacitating the men in the trench. In the-accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a trench, with the electrodes forming part of my system disposed at the ends thereof.

Fig.2 is an elevation partly section of charge 2. This charge may be exploded by a fuse or detonator controlled by the cap 5, so that the explosion of the charge may be timed or may be caused by impact. A sulficient number of shells are fired to completely fill the air in the trench with the conductive material, and then an electrode projectile 6 is fired at the trench at each end of the prepared'zone or at suitable distances apart, depending upon the potential employed.

The electrode projectile may be fired from a Lylegun, such as is used in marine lifesa 1 work. Attached to theprojectile is an ectric conductor, preferably in the form f an insulated wire or cable 7, which is carried forward to the trench 8 by the projectile. The head 9 of the projectile is preferably formed of a plurality of. overlapping sheet metal leaves 12 covered on the outside with some insulating material and the cable 7 is connected to these leaves.- A small charge 13 of explosive within the head is exploded preferably by the impact of the projectile, causing the leaves to spread out, to present their clean surfaces to the charged air. A SWltCll'14 in the circuit is then closed, or is previously closed, causin the high potential current to bridge the highly-conductive gap in a flash. The cables and the outer surfaces of the electrode leaves are insulated to prevent groundin and the cables are arranged in coils 15, sot readily carried forward by the projectiles.

I claim: M

1. A system of trench warfare, comprising means for disseminating electric conducting material in finely divided form in the air in a trench and means for passing an electric current through'said air.

2. Asystem-of trench warfare, comprising means for disseminating electric conducting material in finel divided form in the air in a trench, space electrodes in said trench and means for oppositely charging sa d elecat they may be p s cow material in finel a trench, means or placing spaced electrodes in said trench and means for oppositely,

I means for disseminating electric conducting material in finely divided form in the air in a trench, projectile electrodes adapted to be fired into said trench at spaced intervals, a source of high potential current and insulated conductors connecting the electrodes with said source.

6. An explosive'shell containing a charge of electric conducting material adapted to be disseminated in light finely divided particles by the explosion of the shell.

7. An explosive shell containing a char e of material which on the explosion of tfie divided form in the air in shell forms an electricity-conducting zone in the surrounding air. 8. The method of trench warfare, which consists 'in making the. atmosphere in a trench electrically conductive and (passing a high potential current through sai conductive atmosphere.

9. The method of trench warfare, which consists in'exploding a plurality of shells containing electricity-conductive material in finely divided form over the trench and passing an electric current through said material after the shells have exploded.- 10. A system of trench Warfare, comprising a plurality'of explosive shells containing electricity-conductive material adapted to be exploded over the trench to charge the atmosphere therein with said material, electrodes adapted to be fired to spaced points I in said trench and a source of'high potential current connected to said electrodes.

In.testi1nony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand 'at Washington, D. C., this 22d day of May 1917.

- JOHN J DUFFIE.

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