The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-04-24
The Ticklish Experiment Of Shoot
ing it From an Ordinary
Cannon.
A Oigar-shaped ProieCtile Intended for
Wholesale Destruction Of Iron
Glad Ships of War,
A Successful Trial and Dismal Warning
TO Ye Jolly Tar--Who "Sails
the Ocean Blue"

NEW YORK, April 23.-For the first time,
yesterday a dynamite bomb was success
fully thrown from an ordinary cannon
The place selected for the trial of this
new projectile-a trial which, it is
claimed, marks a red-lettcr day in the his
tory Of modern warfare-was long, low
swamp back Of Greenville, NJ A little
group of men hung about an ordinary
cannon, pointed up the salt marsh To
the left lay Newark, and to the right
Morris Canal, Another group of men
stood on a bridge across the canal about
a block from the cannon, looking at the
first crowd through held.glaSscs. Mr.
F. II, Snyder, the inventor of the
projcctile, exhibited the cannon
an ordinary four-inch, twelve poun-
der, from Governors Island. 1t was
loaded with one and one-half pounds Of
powder Next, a wad made of round
disks OF leather, with spiral springs
separating them, held the powder in
place. Then the projectile itself was
put in place. 1t looks much like u
very large cartridge-about a foot long
and four inches in diameter. Five
pounds of dynamite were stored in the
upper end of the projectile and the
lower end slides into a case contain.
ing Il rubber cushion full of holes.
The dynamite represented the bullet OF
an ordinary cartridge, and the cushion
was in the place occupied by the powder,
This rubber cushion was the secret of
the invention. Through it the dyna-
mite is thrown from the gun without cX-
plodng
UNDER ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES
the shock of the exploding powder would
ignite the dynamite before it left the gun,
but this cushion counteractS the effect Of
the shock, and the bomb is fired without
feeling the sudden blow as the powder
behind it eXplodes. The cannon was
loaded, and "a long wire attached to it
leading to the bridge. The men who be-
fore had occupied places on the
bridge moved to a hill several blocks
further away. a bald-headcd man, with
4 blue coat hid behind boat with his
fingers in his ears. There was only room
tor one there, and his companion, with
mis- silk hat graSped firmly in his hand,
went scudding swiftly up the tow path
If the canal \ third spectator Strug-
glcd, ankle deep, in Il cistcrn marsh.
care you all ready!' sang out the man
ut the wire. Every one on the bridge tried
to get behind his neghbOr as the word
was given. A puff of smoke, loud re-
port, and the rubber buffer and the wad
were seen to drop hundred yards away.
4 second later a shower of earth flew up
nearly mile distant. Where the shot
struck the earth was soft and, as cX-
pccted, the dynamite did not explode. a
party OF men sent to dig up the missile,
after digging down six feet, gave up for
the evening, Next projectiIe for naval
warfare was shot across the water. This
was of wood, brass capped, four feet
long, shaped like cigar, and at the lower
end had four wings Of steel, placed pre-
Ciscly as the feathers of an arrow
The theory was that the shot
would strike the water, ricochct,
and, skipping over the waves,
DEAL DESTRUCTION
to the most powerful vessel. 4 young
man brought the missile on his shoulder
and placed it gingerly by the side Of the
cannon. Mr. Snyder unScrewcd the
pointed end and put in more dynamite.
Again the word was given, and the bomb
went skipping over the bay toward New
ark The wooden part broke, however,
so the rotary motion expected to be gwen
was not shown. 1t had been intended to
recover the projcctilcs that had been fired
and explode them aftcrward, but as one
was too deep in the marsh and the other
in the water, the dynamite in the dinner
pail was touched off instead. Explaining
his invention Mr.. Snyder said, 81 have
been working on this for two years. a
twenty-pound projectile, sufficient to an
initiate the most powerful vessel, can be
made for $50 less than the cost of an or
binary shell. The invention Of this rub
Der seems a simple, everyday thing, but
that is its beauty" The experiments
were mace by the Dynamite Proiectlle
Company, Of No. 2OG Broadway. The
Government will try the shells at Sandy
Hook in few days.
Snow and Sleet.