Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-04-19
DENinaFE SErUr WITH A pup.
Gun.
compressed Air FIing.nE ProEectirc.
fr"n Fort Hamilton TO For. Nads-
worth.
From the New York Sun. 18th.

From the New York San 18th
Three shots. one with a projectile wCiea ching
nineteen pounds and two with p-oioctijcs weigh
Inc seventeen pounds each. We're fred across
the Narrows Yesterday from Fort Hamilton to
Fort NadSworth With the new dynamite air
gun. The GUT is merely seamless brass tube
quarter OF an inch thick and forty feet long
with a four-iEch smooth bore. TIE UropaWnc
power is simply m air compressor su.lfly!nr
about five hundred pounds pressure 10 the
square inch The proeCtes used were four
feet long. They were loaded with lead instead
Of dynamite. and featherei with a stick Of wood
not unlike braSs-coyered base bali hat.
his -un is the invention OF n. ". N"i,ord "
n Bartlett and George II. Reynolds The patcnt
Is owned by II. ID. Windsor, Of the American
Torpedo company. The experiments yesterday
were part OF an elaborate series ordered Nv See
rotary Lincoln of the War department. AID car
fled out under the direction OF Col. Hamilton bv
Lieut.. T. l.. Zal:nski. Of the 5th artillery. The
experiments yesterday We're witnessed tx Col
Hamilton. Major Randolph. Capt. Weir. Lieut.
Wood, Lieut. Ruchman and Lieut. Roberts.
The same run. at previous test sent 2i-
pound shot across the Narrows with 500 pounds
air pressure. striking about fifteen yards short
OF the target at 20 degrees elevation. Another
shot. with the same pressure. at p degrees ee-
Tation. went five yards to the right OF the tar
get. These figures. however have 70 signiti-
canoe as to possible accuracy for the gun has
not been fired often enough to give the requi-
site data for accurate aim. The proiectile is
new. the propel!ng force is new. and the gun
is new. 50 that MANY details to be learned
by experience: but the fact that a 2t-pouuG
shot can be sent across the Narrows with a pop
gun opens wide field of possibilities when the
use OF increased air pressure and improved pro-
lecfiles is taken into consideration.
The advantages claimed for the new gun. and
now partly demonstrated. are simply stupen-
0ous. In the first place. the ammunition is
muCn cheaper Than powder. I'm forts and on
board ship the steam power to compress air is
easily available, and for field work the COM
pressed ar can Toe transported in TASKS. The
gun IL not made dirty. anu need not be cleaned.
There Is no smoke TO reveal the location of the
gun to the enemy. so that masked batteries
may be planted with immunity. There is no
more noise than is made by one Pun of a start
ing locomotive. The propelling force can be
measured as accurately as a gauge can measure
and the force of the ammunition does not vary
with the dampncss of the weather
The gun costs only about twentieth as
much as other guns of its range. and can be
built in almost any machine shop The Della
mater iron works. which built the one used YES
terday. could turn out one like il every day in
the year In an emergency the entire coast
could be studded with such guns i'm a few weeks
The propell!ng force used yesterday was only
ebout one ftieth ofthe explosive force of gun
powder. But the gun can be adapted to an air
pressure of 20V0 pounds to the square inch
The prOiectle is a torpedo in the air much
more dangerous than torpedo in the water
because it can te sent more accurately and
more swiftly.
The next dynamite air gun to be tired will be
a siX-nch bore, and will throw a dynamite shot
weighing liz pounds Such she'll it is cacu-
lated, would destroy any ship afioat and dis
mantle any fort. The experiments thus far
have been made with a smooth bore but later
on IA rifle bore may be used. Already some al
tempt has been made to rifle the feather OF the
nrojectile so as to secure accuracy of aim. Ii is
not so necessary for the projectile to penetrate
the object as with an ordinary shot. because il
Is the explosion of the dynamite and not the
conclusion OF the projectile, that does tine exc
cution.
The new gun looks very much like telescope
In the vicinity of the experiments yesterday
there We're many Of the oid-fashioned big Dahl
gren smoOth-bOre guns mounted I'm the tort
The contrast in the appearance of the two guns
was as striking as that between the Monitor
and an Oid-fashioned frigate