Professor Wingard’s 19th Century Ray Gun,In 1876 a man calling himself Professor James C. Wing
Professor Wingard’s 19th Century Ray Gun,In 1876 a man calling himself Professor James C. Wingard of New Orleans claimed that he had invented a new weapon that would change naval warfare forever. According to Wingard, he had invented an electrically powered weapon which could project a “nameless force”, which at a range of up to 5 miles could destroy any ship, whether ironclad or not. There are no descriptions of his weapon but I would imagine Prof. Wingard created some kind of device which looked like a cannon, wrapped in copper wiring and tubes, made to look all steampunk and futuristic looking.On July 8th, 1876 Prof. Wingard demonstrated his weapon in New Orleans to an audience of military officer, potential investors, and regular citizens of New Orleans. The test target was a schooner called the Augusta, anchored about 1.5 miles away in the harbor. When given the signal, Prof. Wingard activated his weapon, which began to emanate smoke. Suddenly the Augusta was obliterated by a large explosion. Highly impressed by the demonstration, many investors signed up with Prof. Wingard, who instantly raised $1,800.Many people invested in Prof. Wingard’s “Nameless Force”, and many people requested repeated demonstrations of his weapon. He traveled to Boston with his weapon to repeat his demonstration. Before the demonstration was to begin, there was an explosion on the water, and two men in a mangled rowboat were found dead. Prof. Wingard claimed he was distraught by the deaths and canceled the demonstration. A few days later he confessed that he was a fraud, and that his “Nameless Force” was a scam. The target ship had been outfitted with dynamite connected to a triggering mechanism with an underwater wire. Thus when given the signal, Wingard could trigger its detonation. At Boston, the dynamite had exploded in an accident as the men were secretly rowing to the ship to set up the explosives. -- source link
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