Sujet

Chatham Siege Operations: explosion of mines under the Medway, 1871. Creator: Unknown.

Légende

Chatham Siege Operations: explosion of mines under the Medway, 1871. British Army training. 'The six or seven mines laid under water, across the river Medway, from Gillingham Hard, to be exploded in succession by electric sparks from the instruction-ship Volta, produced a great sensation. Each of these mines was charged with 50 lb. of gun-cotton, placed in an indiarubber bag sealed with glue. The submarine mines used in real warfare would probably be of 500 lb., in metal cases. Each bag of gun-cotton was furnished with a fuse, consisting of a platinum wire surrounded with fulminate of mercury. The wire communicated with that of an electric telegraph cable, which was laid to the Volta, whence the electric spark could be discharged by simply thrusting a little peg into a hole upon a board. In the view shown by our Engraving four of the mines, extending across from the right bank of the river, seem to have gone off, and two yet remain to be fired'. From "Illustrated London News", 1871.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Notre référence

HRM24A61_392

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

23,2Mo (2,0Mo) / 29,7cm x 19,5cm / 3509 x 2306 (300dpi)

Mots clés

river water England training technology arts art British geography explosion military war Armed Forces century Kent explosive Britain experimentation experimenting newspapers press print concept explosives blowing up B&W Army warfare engraved engraving Re Chatham Regiment 19th century black & white black and white B W armed services British Army nineteenth century The Print Collector geographical feature Illustrated London News military engineering River Medway Royal Engineers sapper TGN wood engraving ILN newspaper sappers Unknown Medway 19th-century The Illustrated London News