Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-07-18

and make up, and before knew what
| was about, had actually promised to
marry him on the same day that Edith
married Frank.
EXPERIMENTS WITH DYNAMITE.
The Chinese Minister shows the
Work OF the Pneumatic Gun.
New York Times.
Old dlsmantled Fort Lafayette wore
an animated appearance yesterday
afternoon, when n number of New
York gentlemen and two gayly dress
ed Chinese walked among It's ruins.
The company was gathered together
for the express delectation of Chen
Tson Ju, the Chinese minister pleni-
potentiary at Washington, who had
come from that city at the invitation
of II. D. Winsor, manager of the
/ American Torpedo company to wit
ness experiments with dynamite from
the inch dynamite pneumatic gun,
which has recently been exercised at
Fort Hamilton. The Chinese minister
wore costume in which three shades
of the favorIte cerulean hue were
blended. His walking powers were
facilitated by black velvet Yelling
ton boots, while his eyes were sharpen
ed by goldrimmed spectacles. Gu
| Yang Ming, the Chinese consul; Gu
Yang King, an interpreter, and ex
Minister Yung Ming accompanied
the minister. Among the other
gentlemen present were Gen. Horace
f. Porter, b. NJ Minshall, j. F. Gran
ms, B. f. Orion, S. D. Schuyler, +.
w. Kellogg, IL. D. Windsor, G. f.
Hamlin, Capt. A. E. Abby, Lieuten-
ant w. ID. Roth, Lieutenant Davis
and Chief Engineer Roth, of the U. S.
Grant.
In front of the finch dynamite
gun, at a distance of 600 yards, a
floating target, measuring feet by A.
feet, was anchored. The experiments
were conducted by John Hamilton
and Lieutenant K. l.. Zahenski. The
first shot fired was blank sand being
used instead of dynamite The pres
sure exerted was 500 pounds. The
shot went ten feet above and 100
yards beyond the target. The wind
allowance was 2l0 yards. In the
next event dynamite was used, and a
general scamper to discreet distance
was INDUCED III by the visitors. The
shot weighed AZ pounds, in which
were Is pounds of dynamite AS it
touched the water it exploded with
great violence, throwing a quantity
of rock and cnvelOping everything
around in smoke. The target, how
ever, still hoatcd serenely, the dyna-
mite having exploded fifty yards be
| yOnd it. This was caused by the fact
| that the target was dragging, and had
swung out IN an unexpected direction.
The third experiment was first rate
line shot, with the same charge of dy-
Mantle and an equal pressure 1t,
however, went seven feet above, two
feet to the left and fifty yards beyond
the target.
The next experiment was one Of
| greater interest than the foregoing,
inasmuch as its effects were more vivid
ly realized. Fifteen seven eight mch
iron plates rclics of the steamer Nan
| kin, which was wrecked in the SwaSh
| channel, and the iron work of which
lies rusting on Fort Lafayette were
piled on the top of each other at the
further end of the fort. Upon these
were placed an iron canister contain
| twenty pounds of untamped dyna-
mite in four paper cartridges. Round
this formidable object the remains of
| huge iron boilers were raised as shields.
! The dynamite was then exploded by
! electricity. The result was terrific
noise and binding volume of
smoke Plate No was shattered to
pieces, plate No. , was crushed, plate
! No. was in a similar condition,
plate No. ( fell to pieces when lifted,
while Nos. > 6 and all showed the
effect of the blast The iron boilers
were blown to a distance of several
yards. the canister had fade! from ex-
iStence, while the ground was torn up
in all directions. \ huge pile of iron
was also knocked over
The next two shots from the dynam-
tie gun failed to hit the target. though
the shock of the conclusion carried
off the upper right hand corner. The
sixth dipped under the target, came
up again, and went ten yards beyond
Lieutenant IahnSlli considers that the
dipping of a shot will be of great
value in firing at armor cladS. when
the benefit of the tamping can be Sc
cured. The last shot was successful
1t was 0-pound charge Of dynamite
and struck the target in the middle
The wood blazed immediately and
sank There was no recoil of the gun
and no frictioM. The last experiment
was with twenty pounds of tamped
dynamite inclosed in cylinder and
placed upon a pile Of fifteen iron
/ plates, each five eighths inch in thick
ness. AS on the former occasion the
dynamite was exploded by electricity
Twelve of the plates had hole knock
ed through them, part of the brick and
stone work of the front was carried
away, the boiler which had been
erected around the pile were blown
thirty yards off and riddlcd, and the
ground all round was torn up. The
next experiments made will be an S
inch gun capable of piercing five
inches of armor. II viii contain 100
TO 125 pounds of explosive gelatine.
which is equivalent to 175 pounds of
dynamite.