Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21

| MIR. +. II. Snyder, the general manager of the
| United States Dynamite Projectile company
| Of New York, speaking to a STAR reporter
| during the exhibition of firing dynamite from
cannon made last week on the Potomac, near
Ead's Mills, said his first experiment was made
| by using breech-loading duck gun, from
which shell was fired containing from one
| to one and halt ounces of dyna-
mite. He found that he could dre
the gun from his SHOULDER. With this chaExe
the size of the shell was gradually. increased
until siX-inch shell was fired. The size of the
shell is only limited by the caliber of the gun.
Guns of eight-inch caliber would be as large as
would ever be needed to batter down the strong
est fortress or sink the heaviest Of iron-clads.
By what means does the shell expiode2'' ask
ed THE STAR reporter.
Mr.: Snyder, "explodes by conclusion only
will fire cause it to eXplode?"
at will not, said the dynamite man, and he
demonstrated this by lighting a piece of paper
and placing 1t on a ball of dynamite weighing
about an ounce. The dynamite rapidly ignited
and burned with q sissing noise like that of
damp gunpowder.
when nitro-glycerine or any explosive COM
pounds, using nitro,glycerine as the base ex-
plodes,' continued Mr.. Snyder, "the explosion
takes the direction of the least resistance, like
gunpowder. but unlike gunpowder a solid of
ferS less resistance than the air surrounding il.
To be palmer, twenty inch thickness of arinor
On a vessel offers less resistance to dynamite
than fifty miles of atmosphere-for this reason,
that dynamite is so quick in its action that the
armor will give way under the great forceq uicker
than fifty miles OF atmosphere. This has been
shown by recent illustration. By placing 100
pounds of gunpowder on a hard surface then
applying a light to it, an explosion would of
course follow, and the explosion would take an
upward course; but should you place ten pounds
Of dynamite in a like position and cause 1t to
explode the action is SO quick that after being
fired it would tear up the earth for many yards
around"
before eXploding?"
at would be utterly impossible to penetrate
hard substance like iron or stone with dyna-
mite before exploding. This is clear to any one
having a modicum of intelligence regarding
dynamite. The velocity Of the shell thrown
from cannon would necessarily have to be
greater than the velocity of the explosion of
the materials contained in the shell. The
velocity Of shells fired from cannons are
easily measured, and 1000 feet per
second is the limit of velocity yet attained at a
considerable distance from the muzxle of the
gun. Yet it is known that a train OF dynamite
200 feet long exploded at one end DESTROYED
the entire train in less than LOO Of second
This gives velocity of 10000 feet a, second,
$4,000 feet second faster than projectile can
be driven by gunpowder."
Mr.: Snyder stated that his objectin giving the
make war between nations SO hazardous and in
expensive that the strongest power in Europe
would be compelled to arbitrate difference
with the weakest.
If shells loaded with dynamite or similar
hard explosives can be safely fired from cannon
without exploding until they strike the object
aimed at, the cost of destroying million dol.
lar ironclad can easily be estimated by the cost
Of the shell and cannon to fire it from.