p. 5 | HURLING EARTHQUAKES by T.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 7, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 27.

“HURLING EARTHQUAKES.”

By T.

The present war between the United States and Spain is demonstrating the terrible destructiveness of modern weapons. Thirty years ago the old smooth-bore muzzle-loading cannon was effective only at a moderate range. But to-day the American war ships stand out three, four, and even six miles to sea and play havoc with the forts and cities on shore.

The Vesuvius Hurling Guncotton Bombs at the Fortifications of Santiago.

But, perhaps, there is nothing more impressive than the work done at Santiago de Cuba by the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius. A picture of the vessel was given in the SIGNS a short time ago, and it was then stated that she was the only vessel of her kind, and hence was largely an experiment.

Our accompanying illustration shows the Vesuvius in action at the entrance of the Santiago harbor. The New York World’s report says:—

She dropped three shells, each containing two hundred pounds of guncotton, on the western headland at the entrance to Santiago. Only a terrific convulsion of nature had ever before produced such an effect. There was no noise, no smoke, no flash, when the Vesuvius discharged her guns. Each mightily destructive missile started on its flight in silence, and silently arose, speeded, fell. But as it struck, the land shook, waves were raised as by an earthquake, and the war ships outside the harbor rocked. The report of the explosion was deafening; tons of rocks were hurled in air, and clouds of powdered rocks rolled up.

Another report states that the Spaniards in Santiago said, “The Americans are hurling earthquakes at us.” And truly the effect must have been very similar to that of the earthquake; for vessels two miles at sea are said to have been rocked by the explosion.

The Vesuvius hurls her shells by means of compressed air, hence the absence of flash or smoke, mentioned in the report. Her effective range, however, does not exceed a mile and a half, and her shells are charged with only two hundred pounds of gun-cotton. But the slow-burning powder, as recently explained in this paper, bids fair to take the place of compressed air in these guns for throwing high explosives, and then the range will be from six to nine miles, the same as with the regular modern cannon. And in the place of throwing two hundred pounds of guncotton, it is planned to hurl shells charged with half a ton, and in some instances a ton, of this awfully destructive material. The effect of shelling a city and its fortifications by such materials and in such immense quantities is beyond the powers of description. The concussion would be so great that houses would be shaken down completely, and the shock would kill hundreds without their being hit by any missile. And then the flying debris from buildings in the vicinity of these bursting shells would be a regular storm of driving bricks, stone, timbers, etc.

Instead of these awful weapons making men fear to go to war, we find them as ready to rush into battle as they were when they fought with only the rude spears and swords. In fact, the outlook for a universal war was never greater than now. There is not a nation on the face of the whole earth but what is in a quarrel with some other nation. The outlook before the world is anything but peace.

There is an ancient prophecy, which, quoting from the revised edition, reads as follows:—

“Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together; thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3: 9–14.

Men are convinced to-day that this intense war spirit that is in the world is an omen of some impending doom or world-wide revolution. The Word of God tells us in very plain language that the present conditions in the field of war are one of the sure signs that “the day of the Lord is near.”

Time is growing very short. Get ready, get ready, get ready. T.