The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1884-04-01
BRING On FOREIGN NAvIEs.
A Gun Which Is Calculated to
Smash the Thunderer at First
Fire.

New York Sun. .
A machine that looked like 40 foot
brass pipe mounted on steel girder
such as lie on the. elevated railroad pill
lars, rested on the centre Of the machine
shop of The Delamater Iron Works yes
terday. Tue machine is the barrel and
carriage of the new four-inch dynamite
pneumatic gun, which,. when completed,
is.expected to sink. on occasion, the lar
gest man-of-war atioat and annihilate its
crew. The. gun is constructed of brass
and steel, fitted in the most ,ecurate
manner at the joints, and capable OF sus-
tanning pressure of 1000 pounds TO
the square; inch. 1t weighs but ton,
and may be carried by small gunhoat
The projectlle is nothin, more or less
than dynamite cartridge encased in
soft metal within a shell OF brass and
fitted with a wooden tail. 1t weighs
about 100 pounds.
The soft metal filling protects the dy-
Mantle from ordinary accidents. Bot
when the projectile, flying at speed
strikes. head on, against resisting sur
face, hard metal pin imbedded in the
soft metal and not touching the dyna-
mite, is forced into the illuminate at the
head of the cartridge and discharges the
dynamite
In order that wind currents may not
interfere In the precision of the firing,
the. centre Of gravity is near the forward
end Of the projeclile. The wooden tail
acts as rudder, the wind veering the
tail around and throwing the head into
the wind in proportion to the strength
of the current, thus maintaining an alb
solutely straight course.
The gun is constructed with a power
full air chamber capable of storing an
immense force OF compressed air. The
gunner sights with telescope sights with
bair lines, aud with the pressure of a
finger discharges the compressed air into
the barrel, and starts the proiectile on
its flight The great length Of the tube
is required to economic all the force o.
the air, which is less rapid In its action
than gunpowder %
This gum" said Mr.. Hhsdale, wht
Is experimenting the construction. twill
throw the cartridge three miles with 0
precision never attained with gunpos ~
der.. An ordiaary projectile loses pow
er with each yard it travels with the gun
This cartridge arrives ready for busi-
ness, NO matter how far it goes"
"Suppese cartridge landed on the
deck of the Tnunderer, what would
happen2"
"The vessel would ba shattered and
sunk by the explosion, and every living
being upon the deck would be blown to
atoms. Whether any ore below the deck
would live to drown in the sinking yes.
sci / cannot state"
"Suppose a shot from the enemy
struck the launch carrying the dynamite
cartridgei"
swell. the boat might be sunk by the
shot, but unless cartridge was struck
so as TO explode the illuminate the dyna-
mite would not explode. The Govern
ment is experimenting at Fort Hamilton
with 2 inch gun, and some wonderful
execution has been done. The guns
may be manu- 'actured in any well equip
ped machine shop, and cost but song
in comparison with the enormous guns
turned out bv Krupp and Woolwich.-
The same principle is applicable to field
guns to be used in land engagements =
A few dynamite cartridges exploded In
brigade would have the effect of pow
der mill explosion upon the troops"