Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-07-03
The New Dynamite Cams.
New York sur.


The experiments that have been GO
ing on for some months in New Y ork
harbor and elsewhere with ordnance
designed to throw shells filed with
dynamite have reached a stage that
almost insures some degree of employ
ment for this explosive in the artillery
of the future.
The compressed air gun, in a trial
the other day at Fort Hamilton, threw
with considerable accuracy projectiles
carrying fifteen pounds and seventeen
pounds of what is known US No. l
dynamite, or dynamite of the highest
grade, containing three-fourths nitro.
glycerine. The gun used in this firing
has a four inch bore, and the pressure
of compressed air was 500 pounds to
the square inch. This pressure is to
be steadily increased in future expert
ments up TO 1000 pounds, which will
of course greatly increase the range
of the gun; and meanwhile an eight
inch gun is to be constructed, which
Will be capable of throwing a steel
steel shell weighing 175 pounds and
charged with l25 pounds OF explosive
gelatiue or dynamite.
A solid proiectile OF that weight,
propelled by an ar pressure of 1000
pounds to the square inch, would pen
citrate FIVE ihches of iron at a distance
of mile. There are many modern
armored vessels that have plates is or
even 81 inches thick; but only por-
ton of the ship is thus covered. The
large area presented by the deck, for
example, rarely carries more than five
inches, and often the hull, short dis
lance below the water line, has but
three inches. A charge of dynamite,
then, striking a vessel at some distance
below the water line, within easy
range Of the gun, might create serious
damage
Within a few days some doubt has
been cast upon the destructive effect
to be looked for from dynamite shells,
through the experiments made at An
napolis by naval officers. In those
experiments the dynamite was hung
in contact with iron plates, and then
exploded, the plates not being serious
ly affected Undoubtedly, as the ex.
plosion of a dynamite shell must be
nearly simultaneous with its impact
against the object is strikes, a portion
Of its destructive effect will be lost
outside of the object, Nevertheless,
since the dynamite charge must share
the momentum of the projectile
which contains it, the p2neTative
effect will certainly be greater than il
simply exploded at rest ia contact
with the target A key of gunpow-
der, If merely set against an iron
/ plate and fired, might not shatter it.
Dynamite, TOO, like any other ex-
1 plosive, tends to fly equally in all di-
rections. Bat there is little reason 10
doubt that a degree of penetration
can be secured By firing from a gun,
and especially if the projectile strikes
/ the vessel under the water line
which will give an advantage CORES
bonding to the tamping used in
ordinary blasting.
\ The experiments made in firing
I dynamite shells from ordinary
/ powder gums arc hardly less interest
/ ing, though they have not advanced
+ so far as those of the compressed ain
guns. These latter are constructed
on the theory that the more steady
acting eXpulsive force must DE pro
vided for dynamite than that furnished
/ by charge of powder, whose too
violent action may destroy the gun
Thus far the charges of powder USED
/ in projecting dynamite have been only
a few pounds, while those of the dy
Mantle itself have been small. Yet,
50 far as they have gone, these expert
ments may be called successful. The
employment Of a projectile at whose
base is cushion that receives the first
shock OF the powder charge is certain
/ ly an ingenious device, from which
much is hoped Still, the powder
guns are not likely to interfere with
the field of usefulness of the air gun,
since the safety of the latter does not
seem to be questioned while the we'll
known variations of pressure attend
ing the use Of gunpowder may per
haps make the Employment of dynam
tie projectlles with very large charges
Of it always, for the present, a matter
of anxiety
The dynamite gun is simply tor
pedo protector; and there seems to be
no reason to doubt that a cheap,
quickly made, and safe instrument for
this purpose may be looked for in the
near future The limitations of range
in the compressed air gun will prevent
it, of course, from superseding exist
ing powder guns, which can throw
their proiectiles three or four times as
far Still, the government could per
haps turn some of it's old hulks to no
better use than IN fitting them up as
targets for the practical test Of the
dynamite guns.